At Some Point, You Just Have to Pick a Side

Are you for Team Decency or Team Clusterf*ck?

There is no room for indecisiveness. It’s either shit or get off the pot. Our country is and has been, a game played by two teams chomping at the bit, waiting to secure the ultimate win.

There is no way around it. Which side are you going to choose?

There is too much at stake to be on the fence about the basic rights for citizens — ALL citizens.

Does a person have to share your beliefs to be afforded the respect they deserve? Should one group’s ideology determine the compass by which we’re all guided? Ultimately, what matters is what is right and what is wrong. This is, hopefully, something we can all agree on.

Remember when hot button topics such as capital punishment, abortion, whether or not there should be prayer in schools, or if weed should be legal (YAAS!) were top of mind? Ah, the good ole’ days. Today, you would be hard-pressed to find these lovely nuggets positioned at the top of anyone’s “cause list.” Now, these once potential fires have taken a comfortable seat on the back burner as we shift our attention to the oldies but goodies: racism and self-interest. Welcome to 2021 and beyond.

The subject of race, more specifically race inequality, has been a thorn in this country’s side for centuries, with no foreseeable relief. This has become our norm. One I don’t remember signing up for but am forced to live with every day. Though pervasive in American history, race inequality as of late has become our nation’s top identifier.

Premeditated and calculated

The long game has been in effect for centuries, hijacking any/all advancement the BIPOC community has made — to keep a stranglehold on any movement toward equal opportunity. By the actions of many and the policies of a few, the balance of justice has progressed as quickly as a dead turtle. It is undeniable how the effort to keep one side from advancing has been in play since the first boat arrived on these shores.

To dismiss.

To deny.

To discredit.

To demean.

To discourage.

To degrade.

To delegitimize.

To displace.

To devalue.

To denounce.

To dehumanize.

To deter.

To disenfranchise.

To devour.

Centuries-old social fear still drives this mentality. Many fear that an ever-growing minority population will encroach on their rights at the expense of a better life for one’s self.

It is because of this fear, hatred, and distaste for minority communities that a unifying agenda is not being realized. Why is it as a Black American I’m more concerned about surviving than living a fruitful life? Is this a concern of the average American? If you are Black it is.

This is no way to live.

To defeat racism and achieve equality for all, the white community needs to step up and speak out and say it agrees with and supports the aims of their Black brothers and sisters.

Whenever a sniff of progress teases the nostrils, the narrative begins to alter, derailing any effort for true equality. Yet another form of oppression that is part of a larger motive of keeping the Black community from flourishing. We see this every day in the systems that govern our nation. In the minds of a majority, if a minority community is kept from progressing they don’t pose a threat, and majority power is retained.

A distortion of narrative:

· What happened before the video started recording?

· He most likely had a record so the police beat down was justified

· If they kneel they are disrespecting our military, our country

· Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization

· Those people are prone to violence

· All Lives Matter

· Racism does not exist

· The first Black president wasn’t born in this country

· If they move into our neighborhoods, crime will increase

· He threatened me. I want justice. I’m calling 911.

· Look how violent Chicago is

· The election was stolen

· I’m the victim here

· You don’t belong here. This is my building, town, neighborhood, school, park…

· They are not from this country

· Blue Lives Matter

· Systemic racism is a myth

· Stand your ground law

· Where are my rights?

Expressing sentiments like these represent a mindset that is counter-productive and is a classic oversimplification, preventing some of us from analyzing our true feelings and beliefs. It’s much easier to adopt someone else’s trope than to think deeply and understand what is in our own self-interest.

The environment in which we currently live has been commandeered by those who have a penchant for self-interest, greed, control, selfishness — those who are more concerned for themselves than for their fellow citizens, including those who share their melanin. Once a lack of empathy for others takes hold, division is inevitable.

It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have. — James Baldwin

Because self-interest reveals itself in times of illogical pursuit, we often see a lack of understanding of how this actually affects our overall way of life.

What have you done for me lately?

What if the issues many in minority communities face every day affected the majority? Would interest then be sparked and propel a strategic plan for a solution?

In Racism is hurting the economic well-being of the US and its workforce — including white workers, Wilfred D. Brown writes about how the white community could effectively end racism if they saw the benefit for them. The white community also suffers from the adverse effects of institutional racism; however, it is within them to turn the page and realize the impact racism has not only on society but on the economy as well.

Perhaps when understanding how racism and inequality affect everyone, choosing which side to align with becomes more clear. Understanding the power of unity actually strengthens all our lives, fostering advancement for everyone trying to live a prosperous life. We all win this game.

Most people could care less about the inner workings of economics. Unless, of course, it begins to impact their jobs, their income, or their wealth.

In the same way, many white people in America do not care about racial equity in the criminal justice system, police bias against minorities, or police brutality against Black people. Why? Because in their minds, these issues do not affect them.

But they do. — Wilfred D. Brown

In a time when living your best life takes a back seat to survival, I often think about the many people not long ago who fought for the rights of future generations. Were they afforded an opportunity to choose a side or were they forced into a life of constant survival, never getting ahead to realize a good life?

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours

Bumper stickers supporting a cause, blackout squares, ribbons, hashtags, etc. If positioning a sign in a window or on a lawn absolves you from full-time support and holds your consciousness tight, your support is not needed on the front lines. Full unquestionable allyship after the trends fade and sentiment subsides, are what is needed for full coalition. This is when you need to choose a side and be all in. Not doing so, you have made your choice.

Let’s not hide behind politics, shrouded by a phantom excuse for not wanting to support one another. The bottom line, our entire society is based on race. Not because I want it to be, but the reality is in every fiber of our country — healthcare, education, housing, economy, profound racial disparity is deeply rooted. A widespread understanding of this is essential to bringing about real and lasting change.

Racism built this country and racism will destroy it.

As a society, our inability to move forward, to choose our basic human rights, keeps things stagnant and prevents us from advancing. Never fully taking advantage of our collective strength has hindered our evolution. Instead, the gaps between the two camps that make up our country grow larger. Clearly, the game plan of old has yet to yield a successful return in terms of equality. Perhaps it’s time for a new strategy where everyone wins.

What our country faces every day is extreme division brought on by racism, our inability to accept different cultures based on fear, and a claim of perceived ownership. This overt separatist mindset does not just affect the BIPOC community, it affects all those who choose to swim in a pool of misguidedness. The violence, the bias, the oppression is cancer that continues to spread leaving a weaker country for future generations. Eventually, the struggle will find your doorstep.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me. — Martin Niemöller

Takeaway

It never ceases to amaze me the lunacy people peddle in on a daily basis. Everyone has an opinion on why the country is flawed, why should I be any different. I have long believed that self-interest, hypocrisy, a lust for power, and a lack of decency have driven our society into a cesspool of dysfunction and barbarity. Behind this, I still maintain that fear is the number one factor in keeping minority communities oppressed, that and a loss of perceived control.

Are you for preserving what this country stands for, for what you want it to be, or for what you think it should be? Democracy is only as good as those who practice it and stand by the principles for which it was originally envisioned. No satisfying of a personal agenda. No version that keeps an alt-reality alive and breathing, and no faux position on why you should have it both ways. You do however have the right to choose how you want to live but you do not have the right to choose how others should live.

Staying silent, and doing nothing is remaining complicit in the injustices that plague our country. The act of complacency, a shrug of the shoulders, or indifference is to leave the anti-racism fight only to the BIPOC community who already deal with it every day. This is your fight as well as ours.

Ultimately our undoing will be self-inflicted. Our failure to practice moral consistency, and to choose division over inclusion will be how we destroy ourselves.

Picking a side says a lot about a person, who they are, what they are willing to fight for, where they place value, and whom they support. Not choosing, be it out of indifference or fear, or silence, or lack of education, is still choosing.

We choose because of preference, out of desire, with absolute hope of fulfillment. We choose because the action of doing so provides empowerment, control of our individuality — a sense of ownership. Our decisions define who we are. The positions we take solidify our belief system and cement our identity.

Doing what is right in the end, benefits all, and leads to a better life for all. I know I want that. Do you?

If we don’t choose a side, time will choose for us.

Thank you for reading!