Dear Black People:
Beware of Pathological Forgiveness within the Black Community
Tell our friends and family members to shut the f*** up on forgiving white supremacy terrorism
White Supremacist Terrorist Murders Ten, May 2022
In current events by the time of publishing this column, a young white supremacist named Payton Gendron conducted a racial terror operation upon Black people. He murdered ten Black people as a result. This took place in Buffalo, New York. He explicitly chose his target location for effect.
This, is an act of terrorism.
The American mainstream media will not call it what it is — domestic terrorism via white supremacist ideology.
This conversation, or lecture, isn’t about how various ideologies get the terrorism label or not; that’s for another day. Today I want us Black folk to police up Black people.
What This is About
This isn’t another tanooki-ass article talking about Black folk’s music, rap, R&B, or some other stupid tanooki shit. This is not about sagging fucking pants, despite the fact I vehemently hate sagging pants.
This is about that Forgiveness shit.
This article is about what I call pathological forgiveness.
Pathological Forgiveness
Pathological Forgiveness is this toxic, self-defeating behavior we have within the Black community where we announce forgiveness publically, often reflexively in the wake of white racial terrorism. This white racial terrorism can be enacted by non-government affiliated persons like Dylan Roof or Payton Gendron, or it can be enacted by state officials, like local, state, or federal cops, FBI agents, etc.
A prime, infamous example was when the brother of Botham Jean hugged Amber Guyger during her trial. Amber Guyger was on trial — something insanely difficult to occur in America when white police murder Black people — for her negligent murder of Botham Jean. She ran up into the wrong apartment and murdered this man in cold blood, because as a cop you are always right. Botham Jean was Brandt Jean’s brother. Brandt Jean felt this pathological urge to hug his brother’s murderer.
Amber Guyger already has ALL the privilege in the world as a white female cop. Especially in an American courtroom. Why the fuck is he hugging her?
Why the fuck do Black people do this? We are literally the only ones who do this. And this has to stop.
It’s like, we are so kind, that we figure we can weaponize an act of forgiveness. Get the fuck outta here. Stop this dumb shit.
In the case of Amber Guyger, she was already using all available resources to skate law. She was trying hard as inhumanly possible to NOT be held accountable for her crimes. Why the fuck are you hugging this person? Why the fuck are we forgiving these colonizers and oppressors? These terrorists?
Did we see white people forgive Osama Bin Laden in the wake of 9/11? Fuck the gods no.
Forgiveness doesn’t work if the person in question isn’t held accountable for their actions, nor does it work when they literally figure they did nothing wrong.
My guy, she’s perfectly fine with killing your brother. Our brothers. Our sisters.
Announced forgiveness is not a weapon, therefore, it is not an option.
Amber Guyger, like Payton Gendron, would lick the blood of the Black men, women, and children they kill off the walls if they had time. White supremacists like Payton Gendron would eat the blood of Black folk out of a gunshot wound if he wasn’t pressed for time.
These white supremacy agents of kinetic violence thirst for our blood. They cherish the moment of murdering us. They fantasize the death of Black people by their hands. They fantasize on being close to your face to feel your last breath leave your pipes, hearing your Black soul leave your body as your eyes roll up to the back of your head as you die.
You will piss and shit on yourself when you die. They will laugh at you as you take your last shit upon death, mocking your murder, thinking, “this nigger stinks,” As if it’s something only Black bodies do.
They buy guns, or get assigned one as police, thinking about putting a bullet in your Black face. The Black faces of our children. They have your Black likeness in mind when they shoot on a firing range.
These white people have lynching fantasies involving murdering Black people in public or private.
In light of these astute observations, what in the fuck makes you think your loudly, publically announced forgiveness is going to end all of that?
Announced forgiveness is not a weapon, therefore, it is not an option.
Did we see white people forgive Osama Bin Laden in the wake of 9/11? Fuck the gods no.
Please Stop Forgiving White Supremacy Agents
Somewhere, there is a Black person who is probably related or close to those Gendron has murdered thinking, “I need to hit the press and forgive this white boy.”
If you know this person, please stop them.
If I ever get killed by a white supremacist, cop or non-government white race soldier, please do not forgive them. I already briefed my family on this. Brief yours. Ensure no family or friends are announcing forgiveness for our killers. Share this article. Let my speaking do the speaking for you.
I already know the counter-arguments here:
- If you are forgiving for religious reasons, that is between you and God. Or your gods. Don’t tell these white supremacists shit. If you think God is telling you to walk up and hug a white racial terrorist, you are an idiot, because that forgiveness shit validates the racial terror and absolves the terrorist, which will enable more murders. Do you think God is telling you to enable more murders? More white racial terror? I didn’t think so. Fall back and keep it to yourself.
- You think I’m telling you how to cope with loss. You’re not wrong — the problem is the very fact I’m telling you what not to do, isn’t a valid argument. Of course, I’m telling you what not to do. What I will tell you to do is actually talk to a therapist or counselor fit for this trauma. I know forgiveness may feel good in the moment. But much like how 5 buckets of ice cream may feel like a good idea, please stop and think for a second. Because again, this forgiveness mess validates their racial terrorism and absolves the racial terrorist. This results in more acts of racial terror. So keep it to yourself.
- I get it — you gotta show you’re better than they are. Motherfucker, you ALREADY ARE BETTER THAN THEM! You don’t got anything to prove. Stop the madness. When they go low, we go high? No — when they go low we go Tiger Knee on their chin. The “I don’t hate them” argument is related to this. You don’t have to prove you don’t hate someone. In fact, you cannot prove a negative anyway. So stop it and keep it to yourself.
Conclusion
Yeah, for the most part, Black people do not have the Freedom of Self-Defense. Black people are never expected to defend themselves. One case in point is the story of the murder of Trayvon Martin. You see, in a world where Black folk are not allowed to defend themselves, a Black person’s fear of harm is something never considered. ~ Johnny S., Source
Black people are not expected to defend themselves. Pathological forgiveness is tangential to this aspect of Black life. Pathological forgiveness is proof of an emotional, spiritual, and mental emptiness in regards to self-defense and self-respect.
Pathological forgiveness is evidence of a lack of boundaries and standards. So don’t do it.
Pathological forgiveness is also a tone-policing behavior. Black people often feel guilty for being angry at the results of racial terrorism inflicted upon us. This anger, is valid, and sound. Exercise freedom of emotion by stop suppressing our anger. Our anger is valid.
White supremacists do not need to know if you forgave them or not. Plain and simple. In fact, they are better off in the dark about it. This forgiveness reflex Black people have is a pathology because it harms us, and only self and collective awareness can cure it.
Executing acts of forgiveness in the wake of white racial terrorism is a by-product of terminal arrogance. Forgiveness is a word found between arrogance and stupidity. Stop it.
Black people, please practice having spiritual, emotional, and mental boundaries. Stop forgiving our murderers, colonizers, and terrorizers in the wake of them murdering us.
Black people, please tame your pathological forgiveness reflex.
✪ My intellectual labor fights white supremacy. Subscribe. ✪ I got community activism photography. Look. ✪ This, is my Twitter. This, is my Instagram. ✪ AfroSapiophile: A publication for intelligent Black thought.