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 Headlines updating us on the World News: 

Buffalo Shooting (17 sec ago) ---- Russia-Ukraine War (21 min ago) 

 

The War at Home is already here – America, wake up. It never went away, only was non-existent or obscured to white people’s eyes. The War also has "come home" to America… 

 

(Still by Bob Ng, 641 Garage BLM Memorial Mural) 


There is an ideology to it, too. Like in Russia. Mystical and dangerous. White supremacy – Russian supremacy. Right wing extremists are already sitting in the Senate, are part of the government and are deciding to revoke human rights in America. They are openly fanning violence, supremacist opinions, thus supporting terrorists. Replacement theory and talk of “replacers” of the white race is a classic fascist sentiment and strategy. Racism is rearing its monstrous head and showing its hands clearly – not just with words, policies and laws, but with automatic rifles, using military assault weapons for mass murder. Acts of terror and intimidation, killing randomly but in a targeted way with manifestos to make it seem an “educated” choice.  

 

This short piece by Keenanga-Yamahtta Taylor speaks eloquently: 

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/american-racism-and-the-buffalo-massacre 

 

The Art of Being Equal is hard to learn, especially when you have been for so long “unknowingly” privileged. Something has to be given up, so white people are panicked. It is ugly and violent. We need to wake up. These days, the words “White Supremacy” are spoken more often. Some say “deranged” describing the Buffalo shooter, to avoid speaking about his true motivation, and the sickness in America. That’s why we all need to know History, and think for ourselves, as an act of resisting, correcting, abolishing and healing Racism – working for Justice. 

 

Comments

Alex K said…
"The Art of Being Equal is hard to learn." That is very true both by what we are confronted with as a culture and a country with our racist past and present. It angers me and breaks my heart when I not only see the great suffering caused by this massacre but then the denial by so many white people (though not only white people) of our responsibility in turning a blind eye to the racism that is part of the fabric of this country. I feel it is true what you say that white people are panicked by having to give something up. I think it is analogous to the universal individual process of maturing-growing up and seeing ourselves as part of life and realizing the pain and suffering that has flowed from our ignorance. Thank you for your clarity of vision and speaking out. PS It is a very good New Yorker piece.
May 18, 2022 at 1:35 PM
aysha said…
It is so frustrating to read Bob's book, where he explains quite clearly a distinction between thinking about racism as individual racist acts and racism as a structure - that was in 1989, and of course he and many others were saying this waaaay before 1989. And still the Buffalo shooter gets called deranged as if he is an anomaly, when his actions are completely in line with many news outlets and with the former POTUS!!! It's not an anomaly... this is the new normal.

Reading Keenanga-Yamahtta Taylor's took me down a rabbit hole of censorship in schools (curriculum that is not "patriotic" getting banned). Between young people being force-fed propaganda in schools, and corporate media pushing propaganda everywhere else, how is the US public at large ever supposed to de-normalize racial violence?
May 28, 2022 at 7:45 PM
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