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Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! I am on my mobile version of the door-to-door, going town-to-town holding readings/gatherings/discussions of my book "But What Can I Do?" This is my often neglected blog mostly about my travels since 9/11 as I engage in dialogue and actions. It is steaming with my opinions, insights, analyses toward that end of holding all life sacred, dismantling the empire and eliminating violence while creating the society we want ALL to thrive in

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Pathetic white man

I'm exiting the library here in Arlington when I notice a suspicious looking white male circling my truck with his cell phone held stiffly out before him. I hurry over as he disappears from view behind my truck and try to be open to him being pro or con as all the scenes of damage he could do flash thru my mind.

When I get back there with him, he is standing stock-still, mouth down-turned, staring stonily at the words on my truck as he's videoing.

I ask him what he finds interesting about USA Today's messages painted on my truck. He tells me he's not voting but he doesn't like my racist remarks.

When I ask him to clarify, he points disgustingly to "white silence is violence" and proclaims how racist that is. When I ask him to tell me why he thinks that's racist, he says because I'm blaming white people for everything. I tell him well white people are responsible for and benefit from racism.

He proceeds to tell me that he used to work for fed ex with a Black guy who asked him if he would ever date a Black womon. When he said no he wouldn't because Black people are violent, he got fired. He asks me if I think it is fair that he was fired for expressing his opinion.

I said his 'opinion' was racist and I wouldn't want to work with him if he hates Black people and I would guess that believing Black people are violent is not the only thing he did at his work place to get himself fired.

Of course he ignores addressing his violent racist behavior but launches into the "black-on-black" hateful defense of white male violence speech but when I tell him white men are the most violent people in this country and, for example, are responsible for 99.9% of all mass shootings, which he knows happen several times a day, he perfects his victim aura by extending his hands in a "poor me" way, shaking his head.

I struggle to find the key to  relate to this white man, so obviously privileged and so determined to protect his point of view. I'm failing.

We're at an impasse. He states he's the whipping boy, that womyn are a 'protected' class, Blacks are a 'protected' class, everyone's protected but him cause he's white and male. I ask him who he thinks white males need protecting from? From everyone who is picking on us, he retorts.

I try not to snort. Well womyn and Black men need protection from everyone who's trying to kill us, trying to rape us, trying to commit violence against us.

His snorts definitely trumps mine...

As he turns to slink sorrowfully away, I urge him to read "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander or anything by Toni Morrison, or at least stop listening to FOX and try Democracy Now. He doesn't appear to have heard me but maybe someday he might...