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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

Monday, May 14, 2018

You need to learn to love amerikkka

As I wait in line at the Y in order to be checked in, a very buff, very white not so young man with a crew cut demands to know what "white silence is violence", written on the back of my shirt, means.

I ask him what does he think it means? He declares it could mean many things. I ask again, "like what?"

He refuses to answer and demands again that I tell him. So I say when white people witness racism happening and say nothing, this is violent.

Of course, he asks "And what about Black people, when they're harming white people?"

I ask him "What Black people have the power to harm white people?" He gives me his confused look and I ask again "What Black people are in a position to deny white people access to property, to sentence white people to prison, to make laws against white people?"

He moves on to wanting to tell me the one good thing about slavery. I have heard this, especially from christian white men. I know he's going to dump what he has to say and then slip off without waiting for me to respond.

I inform him I will listen to him as long as he listens to me. He nods but I know he's not committed.

He claims slavery was good for Black people because it brought millions of Black people here so they are not languishing now in Africa.

I tell him the only reason he can say that is because he nor his ancestors have been enslaved BUT "the 'good' thing for you is that slavery and genocide made you and your ancestors very, very, very rich."

Of course, he denies that his wealth came from genocide and slavery - which I slip in is still happening today as he's embraced the further comforting myth that slavery is over.

He makes the statement that we have been going around the world helping people, especially the poor people in Africa. I state "we've been going around the world helping ourselves to their resources." I talk with him about the mineral wealth of the Congo and he says the people of the Congo are poor because their leaders are corrupt.

I ask him if he's familiar with the concept of "blaming the victim?" He stares through me and I can't tell if he's considering the question but then he begins to talk about christian missionaries saving the savages around the world. 

I interrupt and tell him he has to think that because obviously he's a christian and he probably would not be able to live himself if he faced the truth of our military might and corporate greed.

He abruptly takes his leave, throwing "you need to learn to love amerikkka" over his shoulder.

I respond "I love YOU enuff to engage with you" and he merely throws a hand over his shoulder as if pushing back the wind and repeats "You need to learn to love amerikkka."

I doubt I got thru to him, at least for this round.

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