RACISM

F*ck Black People

This is essentially what you are saying when you do whatever you can to screw with us and make our lives a living hell.

Let me ask you this…

“What is it about the color of my skin that offends you?”

“Why is it so important for you to keep me from living my life?”

“Why do you have a problem with my existence?”

“How does it affect your life if I am afforded the same rights as you?”

Life would be so much easier and more enjoyable if we all subscribed to the “mind ya bidness” philosophy. Simply put: if my presence as a Black person bothers you, leave me be and go about your day. Think about how freeing that would be — for both of us.

There is no fundamental reason for you to insert yourself into my world because of some deep-seated “Karen or Ken” complex you might harbor. Flat out, if your objective is to create drama to get you, yours… I have your drama right here.

Unless confronted with an injustice, what do you typically do when you see something you don’t like? You turn away. BAM, there it is. Problem solved. If you don’t like what you see when you look at me, then don’t eye f*ck me. Don’t waste your time thinking of ways to screw with my life.

Go about your business.

You don’t need to come up to me and tell me I don’t belong. This is not your park, your street, your neighborhood, your store, or your campus. Don’t accost me in public demanding proof that I belong.

How about you prove to me you belong!

This might come as a shock to you but when approached in public (or anywhere), people don’t generally care to hear your opinions on… anything. Stop questioning or scrutinizing how others live their lives. It’s not up to you what decisions we make, how we parent our kids, where we choose to celebrate, what we do with our bodies, what street we walk on, what pools we swim in, where we choose to eat, or how we express ourselves.

You can keep that privilege tucked neatly away in your pocket.

What if…

Unequivocally I am not bothered by who you are, what you look like, or where you come from. You do you and respect me. Full stop! Also, and you have my word on this… I will do absolutely nothing to keep you from living a free existence. Negatively affecting your life is just not that important to me. I get nothing out of it and truth be told, I have better things to do with my time and energy.

My world does not revolve around finding ways to oppress yours. Just because we differ on, well, everything… does not mean I need to suppress your right to be, or that of anyone who looks like you.

We live in a shared space so let’s act like it.

Let’s flip the script just for a moment… imagine what life would be like if you had a target affixed to your back and could not take it off. Think about being perceived as a villain in your own life; looked at by many as subhuman, someone who does not belong, someone who many feel should not have the same rights as everyone else. To live a life under a microscope, perceived as a threat, to have every move you make looked at through a lens of suspicion, never knowing who might want to harm you or keep you from living. Imagine what that life would be like.

Do you even care? You would if it happened to you on a regular basis.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. — Martin Luther King Jr.

You might judge me for my Black skin. You might even be disgusted by the thought of my presence, that’s okay. Well, it’s not okay but I’m trying to throw you a bone here. The sight of me might trigger something inside you that makes your synapses tweak and brings to the surface your irrational fear.

Why is this? What are you afraid of?

Think about how, when some see a spider, their first inclination is to squash it — to rid themselves of this “bother of nature.” It’s the unknown of what this arthropod represents to them — the fear they harbor about something that, in their mind, is a nuisance. By simply exerting their perceived power and snuffing a non-threat out of existence, they have set their mind at ease. It’s not a stretch to consider the parallel between those who act against people who are different and embody that symbol of a perceived threat. First instinct… erase it from my atmosphere so it doesn’t invade my world.

It is this embedded fear of the unfamiliar that has been the driver for centuries, keeping the will of racism stronger than ever. We live in a society that takes great joy in gaslighting the ugliness in people. Not everyone is immune from assclownery, however, there is a faction of people who are determined to make life a living hell for others — simply because they want to, or because they are afraid — of what I don’t know.

The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness. — Marcus Garvey

Live and let live

No one can control or change the color they were born with. So, discriminating against someone simply because of how they look, is ridonculous. I know, I have spent many of my earlier years questioning my identity and how the world perceived me — all for the misguided quest to gain acceptance by those in my orbit. Fortunately, with a deep desire for self-acceptance and not wanting to be a constant target of other people’s ire, I abandoned that BS long ago.

Everyone should have the right to live without interference from others, especially in a so-called “free” society. Live and let live. Isn’t that the saying?

If you feel it is your mission to keep me from being who I am, because of some ingrained issue you have with how my Black skin makes you feel, perhaps you need to take a look in the mirror and ask yourself… why is it important for me to keep this person from being who they are? Does the color of their skin really affect my life in any way? If the answer is no, then the good news is… you have evolved. Welcome, now off you go.

#savethespiders

Thank you for reading!

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