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It's Ok to Be...

The Downplay of Oppression in America

By James HowellPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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"I see no changes, all I see are racist faces, misplaced hate makes disgrace to races.”- Tupac Shakur

There has been a rash of flyers popping up in North Carolina as well as other states. These flyers state that “It’s ok to be white.” These are being put up by hate groups such as the Loyal White Knights of NC, among other groups. I’m not saying it’s not ok to be white. I am saying that this is a slogan of oppression and fear mongering, and that is not ok.

It’s ok to be white, black, Latino, Mexican, whatever your race may be. It’s ok to be Christian, Muslim, and Hindu, pagan or the religion you choose. It’s ok to be straight, gay, transgender, bisexual, or whatever orientation you feel most comfortable and happy as.

When trash like this goes up, I equate it to all lives matter versus black lives matter. Of course all lives matter, but you’re taking away from the oppressed to make it seem like you’re just as oppressed as they are. This is nothing more than self-centered ego trips to try to make you look like a victim.

In this case, it is trying to make it look like the white community are being oppressed because of the color of their skin. Ironic isn’t it? After 200 years of slavery, continuing systematic racism, social injustice, and being set up to fail in poverty stricken communities, and police brutality, it’s the whites who are being oppressed according to them.

While there has never been any real logic behind white supremacy and neo-Nazis, this kind of shit blows my mind. Their fear is that some other race will one day overpower them. (Not so funny when it happens to you is it?) There is absolutely no reason that we can’t be on the same level socially.

Coming from a white man with multiple piercings and tattoos, we have to let go of preconceived notions. Of course I’ve had people stare at me, I have been profiled by police based on the way I look. However, it is nothing compared to what a lot of African American communities face on a daily basis. Getting body modifications really changed my view on who and how I judge. The guy with the sagging pants isn’t always a gangster. The black teenager in hoodie may not be trying to cause trouble, probably just trying to stay warm. The white guy with the sideways hat is probably a douche, but that isn’t always the case. That guy who you claim is a redneck may not be the racist you think he is. We have to understand that different people embrace different cultures, whether it was the Zoot Suit era, or the Goth culture, or the culture of their ancestors.

Once we stop talking and start listening to these people and get a better understanding of these cultures and research and understand them, these notions will disappear from us and our world.

I also hate to hear our government refer to a country as “A nation of evil-doers.” In a country populated by millions, and ten or one hundred decide to do something bad, that makes the whole country a nation of evil-doers? That logic doesn’t add up. When we attack a city, we tend to kill more innocents than evil-doers. So who is the real evil-doers in that scenario? We have a president trying to keep people who aren’t American, and some who are, out of our country.

They come here to make a better life for themselves and their families. Sometimes they come here as a refugee of a war torn country. They want better lives and education and opportunities. We want to see their green cards or have them deported. These people actually make up less than one percent of the crime rate. Most just go to work and go home to take care of their families. If our president sees one headline about an immigrant committing a crime, he uses the tragedy and despair to further his agenda. He called multiple countries shitholes, and many in Puerto Rico are still without power. We talk about helping our own first, yet we still haven’t got Puerto Rico back on track, and it’s part of the US. The president is more worried about their debts and such instead of their lives. He offers thoughts and prayers, but no real action.

He says that immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans, but when was the last time you spent a day in the pine tree farm or tobacco fields? Have you ever spent 12 or more hours bent over picking vegetables? Are you willing to hot tar a roof? For those who say that illegal immigrants take advantage of the welfare system and don’t pay taxes, think about this. You are here illegally, are you really going to go through the government systems and risk exposing yourself? What ever happened to give me your poor, your tired, your weak, and your hungry?

This use to be a land of opportunity, the land of the free and home of the brave. Now it’s just the land of opportunity for rich old white men, the land of the oppressed, and home of the coward racist, homophobe, xenophobe, and hate.

activism
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About the Creator

James Howell

Father, activist, man in black... He/Him

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