Opinion: Living With Racist Policies is Far Worse Than Being Called Racist

In her article on white privilege, Sarah Jones wrote eloquently about racism and privilege in Trump country.

She writes,

“Fox News and the Right wing blogosphere maintain a steady diet of demonization of black people and liberals for a reason. Predominantly white people of privilege in government and the media have decided that we aren’t allowed to name this as hate speech let alone racism, but it should not go unnoticed that these people are perpetrating the racism of exclusion while giving screaming racism a wide, undisturbed berth.”

The fact that it’s candid and asks us to look at how we enable privilege is what makes the article important.

We recognize the people Sarah is talking about. They are in all aspects of our lives. If you have tried to have a candid discussion about racism, you’ve heard the discouraging words, the pivots. You can feel the tension in the room. It’s the sort of tension that comes with talking about a “taboo subject.”

There is always someone who presents their credentials, be it academic or bloodline, to speak and judge with authority.
‘Why do you always want to cause trouble? You’re just trying to divide the country. Why do you see racism (or sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia) in everything?’

Trump voters will swear they voted for someone who understands their economic plight – through no fault of their own. He understands that white unemployment is the result of bad policy – and black unemployment is due to a lack of work ethic.

Trump understands that people in Trump country wouldn’t be unemployed if not for all those “illegals.”

He understands that people chanting “Jews will not replace us” are fine people, while the resistance is a bunch of communist thugs.

That’s why Trump longed for the day that “trouble makers” who oppose racism, were taken out on stretchers. Yes, those were good times.

Trump understands that taking a knee to protest the disproportionate number of black men shot and killed by law enforcement is “unpatriotic.” Besides, they ought to be grateful for the opportunity to entertain white people = entertainment that is violent, and leads to permanent disabilities.

The mere mention that the above (and so much more) are examples of racism is considered “divisive” by those who have the privilege to be angry over hearing words they don’t want to hear.

I’m here to tell you if you think being called racist is hard, trying being on the receiving end of words, policies and the actions of racism. Try living in fear of the very real possibility that your child will be shot by a white man who truly feared for his life because black boys in hoodies are scary.

When Donald Trump suggested we can stop school shootings by arming teachers, white America and black America heard two different things.

White America heard “common sense” yes, the underpaid and under resourced teachers will welcome the opportunity to get guns instead of books or paper.

Black America heard now more of our kids will get shot in school by teachers who fear for their lives by the mere presence of a black child in their classroom.

This is why we need to have an honest discussion about racism and white privilege. Privilege sees the ridiculous idea of giving teachers guns as a “solution.” But for the people who are targeted by hate speech and hate crimes, it’s a threat to their personal safety as a direct result of racism.

I say this as a women who “doesn’t look like an immigrant” (translation white).

Living as a white immigrant in Trump’s America brings with it a combination of disgust with the anti-immigrant rhetoric and as much as I hate admitting this to myself, an awareness that when I walk down the street no one is going to ask me for my papers.

The awareness doesn’t make it okay. It does make it privilege.

The feelings that go with benefiting from privilege while feeling the sting of Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric have literally kept me up at night.

I’ve cried, I’ve screamed.

It’s easy to recognize something is wrong when you are the person getting the short end of the sick. But you know what?

Even when you are benefiting from it, you can feel how wrong it is in your heart and soul. The thing is, you have to face those feelings honestly.

Sure, we can take a lot for granted. Good schools, access to healthcare, knowing that when a crime is committed you can call the police to help. We know that we won’t get the death penalty for wearing a hoodie or lose our jobs for taking a knee.

We know that voting is made much easier for us. We can walk or drive to our polling places, vote and get on with our days in less than an hour because there are enough poll places. We don’t see the eight hour bus rides, the over-extended poll places with broken voting machines, so that must mean they don’t exist. Except they do. The studies showed it as did Trump’s win in 2016.

The thing is that’s not America. That’s not the country envisioned by the founding fathers.

You can’t love Lady Liberty and white privilege. Both demand an exclusive relationship.