It's bitter-sweet for a second reason that's harder to address. A reason that I think keeps me from posting haphazardly on such holidays often times. It's that posting things that can be perceived as unabashed nationalism feels disingenuous when you have grown up in a world of ambiguous wars. Of proxy-conflicts. Of wars on "concepts" rather than direct threats. Of counter-attacks that are 10 fold against unknowing participants in a global dance that has been echoing for decades and generations.
But now I said it. I said my peace about the ambiguity that I hope everyone doesn't callously dismiss or gloss over, and I'm not pretending there's an easy answer to what I bring up. It's just...it's worth keeping in mind. So here's to all the Americans who have given their lives to the idea of freedom and the idea of the United States of America. Without their sacrifice the world would indeed be a darker place, and I believe that, ambiguity and all. Thank you fallen Americans. Thank you. Make sure your racist comment isn't something that isn't just a reflection of socioeconomic circumstance before you smugly think you are talking "facts".
99% of people who think they are smart because they can point out race-based patterns, patterns they perceive "the left" is ignoring be it willfully or ignorantly, are themselves ignorant of that starting point: socioeconomic status. They clearly are yet to have that broader conversation and revelation. "Black on black crime", which racists love to point out, is a completely expected, non-race-consequential idea, because most crime is committed within the communities and people of which you live and exist within. NEWS-FLASH: We are still an incredibly segregated country. Therefor black on black crime, just like white on white crime, is a statistical reality. But you know what it is not? A talking point for dismissing racism. Socioeconomic status is the most important indicator of having two supportive parents, growing up with education, opportunities, support systems, comfort, food, etc. Therefor it's also the most telling indicator of if you end up committing crimes, have mental health issues, live in a neighborhood harshly policed, lack positive role models, etc. And something as self-perpetuating as this, is not simply disolved and solved within a few decades just because we luckily have a "civil rights" era in our recent history books. To pretend that people, in this picture from the 1960s, are ancient history, and not LESS THAN ONE GENERATION from where we sit today, is the first and apparently easiest disservice many do to themselves, if they want to even start talking about race in America with an honest perspective. Because you can not tell me that these very likely living, breathing, voting, people from this picture have all moved on from the motives and actions they saw and felt that day. Just like the motives of the white men in that picture, your dismissive motives online can be similarly interpreted today. And just as we throw bombs with pilot-less drones onto wedding parties in countries we never even think about, it is due to this willful ignorance of our own power and living-history, that the next generation will grow-up scorned by the actions still reverberating from our past. Needlessly, mind you, due to the choice of so many to deny the reality of our living history. |
The Author
is a thirty-something guy who hasn't been able to look away from politics since 2010. Around the time he got tired of staring at religion. Archives
June 2020
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