OK, time to face facts - I suck at trying to get my point across. I used to chalk it up to people deliberately misunderstanding what I was trying to say in order to play the victim card, or to the fact that some folks are just plain stupid and struggle with the nuances of the English language. But seeing as it happens time and time again, I have to accept that I am a poor communicator. A very recent case in point...
I have a Facebook friend whom I've known since college in the late 1980's. After graduation, said friend moved to a city in the foothills and has been there ever since. According to census data, the ethnic makeup of said town is 84% white, and less than 1% African-American. Considering those demographics, you would naturally expect the residents of this town to lean a bit towards the right on certain issues. In recent years my friend would post on FB their outrage over President Barack Obama supposedly wanting to take their guns away and, more recently, that ALL lives matter. So it came as a pleasant surprise to see them supportive of the demonstrations that have broken out across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
Until this appeared:
It turns out that according to unsubstantiated rumors that were subsequently passed along to the townsfolk by local law enforcement officials, outside agitators were on their way to loot and pillage the downtown business district. Shopfronts were boarded up, and following that, the testosterone started to flow as chests were thumped, and penises whipped out and made erect in the name of scaring off those bad people coming to do harm to their wholesome town.
Now I have certain relatives of mine - uneducated, untraveled white males - who love to post such tough-sounding memes on their FB pages. And so I wrote on my friend's thread the following:
"The bullet and the military-style lettering looks like something racist, right-wing relatives of mine would proudly post."
To which they replied:
"...if it were in script would it be nicer? There is absolutely nothing racial behind my post....just dont vandalize my town....whoever you are....we won't have it."
At no point did I intend to suggest they were "racist"; rather, I was trying to point out that a meme such as this could be taken the wrong way, and so I clarified:
"I know that but others may not. Taken out of context it could easily be taken for something else. It really does look like something these relatives of mine would post, who don't share our views on what's been going on in Minneapolis and other cities, but who do think our president is doing a fine job."
I hope that cleared up things for them, but I can't say for sure. Certainly their friends didn't seem to get the point, especially when I followed up with this:
"Isn't the posting of something as overtly aggressive as this meme an admission of fear?"
And the responses from the peanut gallery:
1. "...we've a right to protect our families and ourselves don't we???? It's not fear it's just a fact as I'm sure if someone was breaking into your house threatening your family would you just offer them tea and try to talk sense into them or would you do whatever it takes to protect your family and yourself???"
2. "...if I had to I’d empty every weapon I own to protect my family and property."
3. "Hell yes I will protect my home if some asshole comes storming in like those piece of shit looters!"
4. "As we see when things play out, we are left to defend ourselves. Exercise your second amendment right!"
Note that the person who made comment #1 also shared a video on FB showing lots of overweight, bearded middle-aged white men hanging around the boarded-up business district, with the original caption:
"Lets do this scum bags PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring it! Waiting on Antifa to legally beat the shit out of them"
And this is why we're never going to have nice things in America. But more on that later. First, in answer to No. 1's question, yes, it is fear. Because what is driving the terrible racial problems in this country is the fear demonstrated by white suburbanites like those who made the above comments. This fear is covered up by bravado, by a show of arms and tough-talking rhetoric, but these are people who are afraid, plain and simple. Ironically, were those "looters" to have actually showed up in their town and commenced "looting" (they didn't, of course; presumably "Prepared Not Scared" frightened them off), these heroic white warriors, once they stopped urinating in their pants, would probably have ended up shooting themselves and their loved ones as a result of their trembling hands, but that's another story...
The problem in this nation isn't so much institutionalized racism per se. Jim Crow laws died off a long time ago, to be replaced by civil rights legislation, and legal recourse exists now to protect those whose rights have been denied. No, what continues to drive this racial tension in America is the terrified white suburbanite cowering in fear that someone is coming to harm them, their family and their property. And who are those terrible people coming to rape, pillage and loot? Does it need to be said? When commenters 1-4 above are fantasizing about defending their homes and loved ones (while bringing themselves to a climax thinking about their 2nd Amendment rights), the skin colors of the "assholes" they are imagining taking out do not resemble their own hues.
It's because of this fear that the Beckys and Karens of this country call the authorities on people having barbecues in the park, or why self-appointed vigilantes, once their dicks are sufficiently hardened, go out and murder the Treyvon Martins and Ahmaud Arberys. The role of the police is to calm such fears, even if it means taking a knee on someone's chest to the point where they stop breathing. Blue lives matter!
The sad thing is that many of these suburbanites may very well consider themselves to be progressive, reminding one and all who they voted for in 2008 and 2012. And yet they wouldn't hesitate to call 9-1-1 if they saw an unfamiliar black man walking through their neighborhood, and to ask their partner to get their gun "just in case". They may express support for the demonstrators marching against police brutality, but upon hearing rumors that people are coming to destroy their town, they quickly post images and statements that would have a hardcore Trump supporter whooping it up in glee.
So what's the solution? The fuck if I know. Try to convince the media to tone things down, and the government to actually enforce the "well-regulated Militia" part of the 2nd Amendment? Neither of those things is going to happen anytime soon, if ever. As long as the fear remains, the police will act accordingly, and the outrages will continue. Sure, there are a lot of white folks jumping on the bandwagon now, but the depth of that commitment is questionable. I honestly don't see much hope on the horizon. Once the next big issue takes attention away from George Floyd, the abuses will continue and America will agonize over why it can't live up to its ideals. Meanwhile, the fear will go on...
OK, so have I made my point(s) clear? No? Fuck it, I tried. I just want to get the fuck out of here...
A postscript: I posted the same "Prepared Not Scared" image on my Facebook page yesterday, asking people for their impressions of the type of person who would put up something like that. I wanted to see if my initial reaction (that it was something those racist relatives of mine would post) was wrong (not the first time that's happened!). However, after a few minutes, I thought better of it and deleted the post. Soon after, I learned from another friend that Facebook's algorithms had busted me for the bullet image! And yet, the original post from my college friend is still up on their page, along with their friends' comments about wasting people, nearly two days later! Hey, Mark Zuckerberg, what gives?
This was the scene from our balcony yesterday afternoon:
Wow, lots to unpack there. The meme is certainly confrontational and that's never productive. It's also a sticker you'd see on a pickup truck with a confederate flag waving proudly behind (take that as you will). I'm in one of those towns up the hill that were put on "alert". The National Guard came up and shut down the roads to stop potential looters. I only heard about it because a neighbor came over to tell me the hoards were at the doorstep. He was really scared. People that have spent the last few days at home watching cities be looted on every channel and now are told "They're coming your way and we've stationed the National Guard down the street" can't really be blamed for freaking out a little. Apparently, the looters in Walnut Creek started to hit residential neighborhoods, so the worry wasn't that outrageous. Chest thumping is expected when apes feel threatened. I don't really expect more from humans (they're just apes with better haircuts). Anyone watching the looting on TV can see it's not a racial thing. Every crook in the U.S. is taking advantage of the situation. Crime is organized (it was fascinating to watch the choreography of the looters over time)and waiting for opportunities like this. They could care less about the color of your skin, just the color of the Iphone they're stealing. It does add to the perception of unrest in the country and maybe if those who watch from above feel they're lifestyles threatened enough, they may make some small effort to change things for the "little" people.
ReplyDeleteThings here are very calm, even though we're across the Potomac from D.C. The demonstration on the street yesterday was very peaceful (except for the chants).
DeleteIt's reassuring to know I'm not the only one who thought the meme was confrontational. I can understand the fear of looters coming, but I don't get the necessity for the dick waving (especially coming from a woman!). I mean, do they think they're warning off looters by posting these on social media, as if the looters were going to do research first? It's more like they're reassuring themselves and their neighbors they've got the cojones (even if they're women) to "protect their property".
Too many Hollywood action movies? Maybe they all now have a "very particular set of skills" Scared suburbanites can be scary. I was talking to a neighbor that just ordered a Glock for protection. I just know there's going to be a stray round flying through my living room when that gun is accidentally discharged.
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DeleteI'm pretty sure it's the result of movies/TV. I just don't understand the need to post the bravado. I mean, the people who could potentially threaten your property aren't going to see these posts, not unless they personally know you. They're basically posting these things to reassure themselves and each other, a false front of courage to mask the fear. This is isn't the first time my suburbanite homemaker friend has posted something that essentially glorifies weapons and the death they potentially bring.
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