DEAR ALL PEOPLE, PLEASE STOP BEING RACIST

Dear White People,

Please stop being racist.

Today I had a white friend post an article on Facebook about a white cop that was killed by 6 gang members. The basic jist of the article was why wasn’t president Obama, Al Sharpton, Eric Holder, etc. talking about this case. They were trying to draw direct comparisons between that case and the Eric Garner and Mike Brown cases when in actuality they were nothing alike. Difference #1 is that the armed cop was murdered not the unarmed citizen. Difference #2 all of the gang members will see a trial 4 will most likely get life in prison and the other two most likely the death penalty whereas neither Eric Garner or Mike Brown’s killers will ever even see the inside of the courtroom.

Moral of the story: STOP TRYING TO DRAW COMPARISONS! Stop trying to put yourself in a black person’s shoes. You can’t. Stop trying to play the victim. Yes bad things happen to white people too. No one is trying to tell you that just because you are white that your life is perfect, but because you are white your life is easier than if you weren’t. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. If you are a man your life is easier than if your woman. If you have two parents your life is easier than if you have one. If you are well off your life is easier than if you are poor. If you are straight you life is easier than if you are not . How much easier your life is can be disputed, but the fact that it is easier can’t be.

A rich person has their parents pay for their college. A poor person gets a need based scholarship to pay for it. Who wants to hear the rich kid complain about not getting the same “treatment” as the poor kid? Absolutely nobody. So please stop complaining. This doesn’t mean you need to walk on pins and needles to always make sure what you are saying is 100% PC (No one is 100% PC) but just stop complaining about some kind of false sense of “unfairness” You know what isn’t fair? Having to work all day in the sun for no money. Having to give up your seat to someone else when you were there first. Getting a longer/harsher prison sentence than the guy next to you just because your skin is a different shade. AND FOR HEAVEN SAKE, please do not try to tell me that racism doesn’t exist any more. I have personally witnessed someone being called a “dirty N!&&3#” among other things not to mention I could throw a truck load of statistics and studies at you to prove you wrong. Just don’t even go there.


Dear Black People,

Please stop being racist.

I know. I know. We did it first. But do you really want to use that whole “eye for an eye” argument? I mean take a look at the middle east. They’ve been avenging past wrongs for centuries and it hasn’t really turned out so great for them.

Today I had a black friend post a video about how violence against white people was “justified” in the wake of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. I was shocked. I tried to put myself in her shoes, but I knew very well that I couldn’t possibly. The only thing I knew was that violence no matter what the cause, is wrong, and maybe even more importantly, it doesn’t work. You have every right to be angry, not only about past wrongs, but the injustices that go on in this modern day. But is that anger helping? Is it making things better for future generations or is it only giving the ignorant more anecdotal evidence to support their arguments?

For all of my adolescence I lived a life of ignorance. I lived in a cocoon of people the looked, and talked, and worshiped just like me. People of different races, and religions, and sexual orientation were simply something that I saw on TV or read about in the news. They didn’t really exist. I thank God every day for the opportunity that he gave me to live in a world full of diversity. I think that difference make the world so beautiful and I feel so strongly about it that I have vowed to raise my children where they can grow up living in harmony with people who are different from them. But there are still many people out there who have never lived in this world. They only know people that are just like them. Ignorance is a funny thing. You have no idea that you are ignorant until you are not anymore, and most of the time this happens by accident.

My accidental stumbling into enlightenment came my freshman year of college when I was only one of a handful of white girls living in my dorm. And let me just tell you, I said and did A LOT of ignorant things, but luckily for me I had a couple of good friends who liked me anyway. But, what if they hadn’t? They could have chosen to isolate me. They could have chosen to make me feel different (there were some girls who definitely did). They could have easily taken someone interested and excited to learn about other cultures and turned her into someone jaded. Instead they became some of my best friends. Now, not only do I have a better understanding of black culture, but I am constantly trying to educate others about it’s beauty.


Dear ALL PEOPLE,

Make a friend who is different than you. And, don’t be afraid to have real discussions about race and religion and culture. Don’t be afraid to disagree. Don’t be afraid to ask hard questions. Don’t be afraid to mess up and then don’t be afraid to say “I’m Sorry”



P.S. I’m Sorry. I ‘m sorry if you’re offended by something I said, but I’m not sorry I said it. And, if you’re offended don’t be afraid to tell me (I would prefer in a kind way, but you gotta do what you gotta do).