This current wave of extremely justifiable and long overdue protests has taught me many things. It has inspired many a recent blog. So much is happening that I can barely keep up.
One person I know has said that she’s really quite over hearing about all this. She wants to go back to seeing nothing but cat videos. My response to her is that a lot of people have had to live “all this” for their entire lives, so she really needs to suck it up and face facts. Who knows? She might learn something.
What I want to talk about today is the two things I vow to never say again.
White Supremacy
By saying white supremacy, I’ve been giving credence to the unscientific concept of race. Pitting whites against blacks is implying that these are two different species. It’s a belief that we are separate mammals, one from another. That not only has no basis in fact, but it’s giving power to the very hateful people that I oppose with every fiber of my being.
From now on, I will call it White Body Supremacy. That shines the absurd light on it that it deserves. These people are saying, “My white body is superior to your black body.” That’s stupid. That’s like saying that a tan dog is superior to a grey dog. Stop being fools. You’re getting all whipped up and violent over melanin. You’re unhinged.
The System is Broken
Let me make one thing perfectly clear: The system is not broken. The system works exactly the way the system was meant to work. The system wants to keep minorities down. The system wants rogue cops to be able to get away with murder. The system wants to incarcerate black people at a much higher rate than whites. The system has been diabolically effective in meeting its goals.
Saying that the system is broken implies that it can be fixed, and that we need to work within the existing system and simply improve upon it. It gives the impression that it’s otherwise great, that we just need to make a few minor adjustments, a few little tweaks, and everything will be just ducky.
Uh… no. The system needs to be replaced. The system needs to be thrown out. We need to start from scratch. That’s the only real fix that is going to fix anything.
That’s why my thoughts have evolved over the past week, and I now agree with the admittedly inflammatory phrase, “defund the police.” I’m not saying that we should live in a state of lawless anarchy. I’m saying those funds would be better spent in creating an entirely different system, one with a strong social work component, and less of a militarized, “the people are the enemy and we are at war with them” culture.
This concludes today’s lecture. I hope you took notes. There might be a test later.
Enjoy my random musings? Then you’ll love my book! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 
Y’right. Thanks. Well put. And thanks for the tiger image–that condition is called abundism (and a couple other things I forgot.)
Yes, it’s a pretty amazing tiger!
Our police station looks like a military or prison installation. I don’t feel welcome there. I remember when law enforcements main objective was peacekeeping. Once a new system is a reality, we need to find a new title. The Police Officer title now bears a heavy stain of injustice (along with the whole prison system) in too many citizens minds. I’m optimistic about our ability to create a more humane system, but realistic about how difficult it will be. We, the people, all need to contribute to make it happen, but first, we need to “fix” the system that has encouraged, fueled, and created this chaos for financial and political gains.
Don’t know if you’ve seen this, but your cat video friend might benefit from it…
https://www.npr.org/2020/06/06/869978720/country-star-mickey-guyton-why-being-black-like-me-shouldn-t-be-twice-as-hard
I’m telling you, Lyn, you should have a blog. Thanks for the link. What a beautiful song.