Struggling with the terms of the struggle.

I watched a video, posted on twitter by someone complaining about BLM, and I felt the need to write this post.

The video -

First of all, nothing she says in this video is wrong. Second, I think the push back against it is based solely on people misunderstanding the terms that we use to describe things that occur in American society. So, let's discuss some of those terms that people seem to struggle with on a daily basis.

White privilege -  

White privilege is a term for societal privileges that benefit people identified as white in Western countries, beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances.  

Source.

White privilege doesn't mean that all white people have things easier than all people of color. A rich black man, for example, may have more privilege than a poor white woman. The black man having the privileges of being male and rich vs the woman having the disadvantages of being poor and female.

Lots of white people seem to think that when someone says white privilege what they're saying is "You don't have to work for things because you're white." This is not what it means. It just means that you have the benefits of being white in a white country. I would imagine that being *blank* in a *blank* country is always a benefit, wouldn't you? Being Chinese in China, for example, would be more beneficial than being black.

The anger that I see at the use of the term white privilege brings me conveniently to another concept that people misunderstand. Ironically, the reason they misunderstand it is because of it's existence.

White fragility - 

White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation.

Source.

This isn't an attack on white people - the woman that wrote the book is white. It's just a term for a thing that happens. Here's an example of white fragility -

Melissa Francis was so overwhelmed by this conversation that she broke down into tears and effectively ended the discussion. This is exactly white fragility. This comes up often when discussing race with white people in America. I say in America specifically because honestly white people in other parts of the world are far more comfortable having conversations about race than white people in the United States.

This doesn't mean that all white people are fragile or that you're a weak person for experiencing this phenomenon. It's just a thing that exists in American society because of the history of racial tensions in the US and it's the reason that terms like white privilege cause white people here to bristle. 

And, speaking of terms that rustle jimmies...

White supremacy - 

White supremacy is the belief, theory, or doctrine that white people are inherently superior to people from all other racial groups, especially black people, and are therefore rightfully the dominant group in any society.

Source.

The United States of America was founded on white supremacist principles. This should come as no shock to anyone that has read the words of Thomas Jefferson or sung the song of Francis Scott Key. Hell, this is Washington, D.C. in 1925. 

Black people were barely people until 1964 and people are still angry about it today. White supremacy is part of the US. It's woven into the systems that people of color must navigate. It's the reason that being white in America is such a privilege and the reason that white fragility can even exist in the first place.

It's why this is a thug - 

And this is a patriot - 

It's why this is a riot - 

And this is a peaceful protest - 

And it's the reason that this is unacceptable - 

But this is a-ok - 

Simply saying these terms is not an attack on white people. Saying that white privilege, fragility, and supremacy exist is not the same as saying all white people are privileged, fragile, or believe in their supremacy. They're just terms to describe things that are. You do yourself a disservice by refusing to understand these terms. 

If you really want to help people of color in the United States, and the world, the first step is to listen. You can't listen if the terms we must use to describe the things that we must discuss shut you off from what we're actually saying. 

Knowledge is power. 

I love you, white people! Get on the bus! 

Are they Nazis yet, America?

Three dead.

Nineteen injured.

This is the damage that white supremacy did to a town to protect white people from minorities. All three dead people are white.

Heather Heyer was run down in the street by an angry young white man that probably felt that her presence, her very existence, was a threat to his own. So he hit her with his car at forty miles per hour for crossing the street.

Pilots Lt. Jay Cullen, 48, of Midlothian, and Berke M.M. Bates, of Quinton, died in a helicopter crash while trying to observe the violence from the air. I'm sure many will argue that they aren't the Alt-Right's fault because they weren't directly killed by Nazis. My argument? You blamed BLM for ANY and ALL violence and ANY and ALL deaths that took place at their protests. This was your protest. By your logic these are your bodies.

I've said, and keep saying, that this violent white genocide rhetoric is, and has been, deadly. I take no pleasure in being right about it. To be honest, I do not feel like I'm saying anything particularly shocking. Violent rhetoric begets violence. Chanting for dead cops is wrong. Chanting Nazi slogans, and throwing Nazi salutes, is wrong. Showing up at protests armed, and intending to fight, is wrong.

The president refusing to denounce them will only embolden them. Be prepared for the Alt-Right to turn the Charlottesville TERRORIST into a folk hero, don't be surprised when the memes start showing up ridiculing the victims, and watch closely as his act inspires copycat acts at other protests. They're fanatics. As dangerous as any other terrorist group and moreso to the U.S for one simple, and obvious, reason - THEY ARE HERE. Not only that, they're now all but state sponsored by the Trump administration. Tools for their soft fascist coup. And why not? That's what Trump's boss does, after all.

I hope that today has cleared some things up for those that were still on the fence.

The Alt-Right are Neo Nazis. Trump is a Fascist. Trump is using Neo Nazis, because they're his base, to attack his opposition. This is just the beginning and it's only going to get worse. What are we waiting for?

Kristallnacht?

Not me, baby.

Put your fucking boots on.