"Because to be human means to be capable of feeling more than one thing at one time."
-"A Take On Perspective"
These past few weeks I've been quietly watching the world argue about George Floyd, riots, protests, Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, etc. and have kind of been afraid to say anything because I really don't need arguments on my page right now. But I have also really WANTED to say something because I deeply hate racism and keeping quiet doesn't help anything.
I don't pretend to know everything about everything.
I don't know how much of the police system is corrupt. But I do know that there are a lot of wonderful police officers who are doing their best to make the world around them a safer and better place. I also know that there absolutely are officers that abuse their power and use it to hurt others.
I don't know much about racism. I know that there is a lot more of it out there than a lot of people want to believe. I know that black people deal with a wide range of responses to the color of their skin. I also know that black people are just as much people as anyone else.
I know that Black Lives Matter doesn't mean that lives of other races don't matter or don't matter as much. It means that Black Lives Matter too. It means that Black Lives have suffered a great deal in ways that other lives haven't and that that needs to change. It doesn't mean that white lives, Asian lives, Hispanic lives, and all other race, color, and religion's lives don't also have suffering in them. But that right now, Black Lives are lives that we do need to work on improving.
I grew up half in Maryland and half in Pennsylvania. In MD, I lived in an area that was a huge melting pot. I had friends/went to school with kids that were black, white, Chinese, Korean, Pakistani, Hispanic, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and more. And in my mind, they were all the same. I was aware of the differences and aware of the discrimination that many of them faced, but to ME, they were all just people. My best friends were white-Uruguayan, and Filipino. I liked learning about their cultures and trying the yummy foods that their parents made. I liked hearing the different languages that were sometimes spoken.
I also spent a lot of time at my neighbor's house where everyone was black. I never felt like I was in danger or that I was different than them inside. I did notice that they took care of their hair very differently, but that was about it. And I thought that it was really neat to see how they did.
However, there were also neighborhoods that were predominantly black that I knew were dangerous. Places that (if they had been close enough for me to go to on my own) I would never walk around on my own. I never thought that they were dangerous because of the skin color of the people that lived there, but because of the type of people that they were. The way that they personally acted.
When we moved to PA, I was extremely uncomfortable with my new environment of 99% white. Even though I'm white. I hated a lot of things about living in an (almost) all white community. I hate that people would say things like "I'm not racist, but I could never marry a black man" or "I just don't see how people find black men attractive!" I hated that everyone ate the same few foods all the time and that my friend wouldn't even try curry when my parents made it when they came to my house. Not all of the white people were the same of course, but the overall majority did have very similar views and tastes when it came to diversity.
I am so incredibly grateful that I lived in Maryland first. That my most formative years were spent learning to see people for who they are on the inside. What they think and believe and how they act. Learning that color does matter to a lot of people, but that it shouldn't.
What happened to George Floyd is abominable. It is a very clear example of a lack of respect for human life as well as the corruption that can be found within positions of authority. It is a blatant example of racism and needs to be addressed accordingly.
I don't agree with rioting, but I can understand why riots happen. Sometimes people see it as the only way to be heard after seeing so many peaceful protests not only ignored, but railed against. Sometimes riots don't begin as riots, but as peaceful protest. But then are escalated either by opposers fighting against the protesters, or opposers infiltrating the protest and instigating violence from the inside. I don't know which instance has happened which times. The issue remains the same though. If racism was properly addressed in both governments and individual lives and communities, then riots would cease to happen.
I don't know as much about racism as I should in order to help things. But I do know that it is real and that the best way to stop it is to stop arguing and take a second to just learn.
The quote that I put at the top hit me hard and helped me to find the courage to post. I highly recommend reading the article that it came from.
It is possible to feel sorrow for George Floyd, frustration, fear, and confusion about the riots, pride at the protests, and simple uncertainty about the situation as a whole.
I don't support rioting, but I do support those who are fighting for rights that should have been wholly available to all long before now. I don't support police shaming, but I do support those who have seen and experienced police corruption. I believe that ALL lives matter, but I will never respond to Black Lives Matter with All Lives Matter because of course they do. But Black Lives are what we're addressing at the moment.
And I'm sure that there is corruption within the Black Lives Matter movement just as there is in the police system. But that doesn't invalidate the entire movement just as the corrupt cops don't invalidate the efforts of cops that bust their butts to keep communities safe.
It's okay to feel conflicting emotions about what is going on. In fact, it's completely natural. And not only that, it shows that you are honestly trying to consider and understand all sides of the situation. And that is how it should be! Situations like this remind me that there is a lot that I have to learn about not only how to treat people personally, but how to understand them and where they come from and where they stand. It's a reminder that there is a lot that I don't know, but that that can change.
I hope that I have been able to accurately express how I have been feeling.
It needs to be acknowledged that while not all cops are corrupt, many are. And that needs to be fought against. It needs to be acknowledged that while all lives matter, Black Lives are repeatedly treated as if they don't, or that they matter less. And that needs to be fought against. It needs to be acknowledged that we can't acknowledge every issue all at the same time. It's okay to focus on one at a time. Acknowledging one issue (like discrimination against black people) doesn't mean that you don't also acknowledge another (like discrimination against Jews). Black Lives Matter doesn't mean that the lives of unborn children don't also matter, or the lives of Asians, or Muslims, or people with mental or physical disabilities. But what we are currently talking about is black lives.
Lastly, it needs to be acknowledged that it's okay to not know exactly where you stand or what to believe. There are infinite sides to every story and we shouldn't be expected to know every single one. But it IS important to always be looking to learn more.
Of course all lives matter. But Black Lives Matter too. And that's what we're talking about right now.
