Uncovering The Subtle Racist

With the upswing in racial profiling, protests, and pandering it's important to see where racism is even when it's subtle. Teaching your friends where they might have been wrong and hurt you is just as important as standing on the front lines of the protests. There is nothing that hurts more than finding out that a friend has been hiding these prejudices behind your back whether you are an ally or a minority.

1. If "All Lives Matter" more to them than "Black Lives Matter." While it doesn't seem like a bad thing, this has an underlying meaning. When a whole demographic doesn't have the same basic rights to safety and happiness that other people have then obviously not all lives matter. When one group of people can't fight for their rights without being forced to carry the weight of every other fight, important or not, there is a moment where you start to realize that maybe this person doesn't really want you to win.

2. "Blue Lives Matter." There is one huge problem with this statement. Blue lives aren't lives. That blue suit isn't a life. The power that cops have held over black and brown bodies is obscene. There is no humane or valid excuse for cops to shoot unarmed men and women simply because of the color of their skin. Trans-gendered black people have it even worse. If someone you love is saying this ask them to look into your eyes and tell you that they can't quit. Ask them to tell you that they had no choice in whether or not they chose to kill or even associate with killers. There is no excuse.

3. Silence. Silence holds the hugest meaning of all when it comes to racial equality and racism. If you have a friend that shouting about police brutality, and looting, but won't say the word race there is a problem there. It's no small thing to say, "My color doesn't give me the knowledge to speak about racism, but I support the people who are fighting for their rights and that's that." That is a huge thing for a lot of people including the people who will see that and know that they're supported.

4. All talk, no time to change. This refers to someone who says something along the lines of, "I'm so sorry that I said something that hurt you" in the DMs, but keeps saying and posting things that follow the same line of thinking. If they talk a good game in private, but don't want anyone to know that's a sign. They don't ever intend to enact any real change. They just don't want to be attacked by a bunch of hurt and angry black people. It's still racist as hell.

Some times it's hard to know what to do when these microaggressions pop up on timelines and twitter feeds. It's always important to not jump to conclusions and ask someone if they meant it in this way before anything else. There is a lot of people in America that don't recognize that this is a form of racism, they're just trying to stand up for what they believe in. That doesn't make them bad people until they see that what they believe in is hurting people and don't change.

When someone is posting these microaggressions even after they've been told that they're only hurting people that's when it's difficult. There is no changing people's minds sometimes. When it's a friend or someone who you trusted it's even harder when they plant their feet. The best course of action for these types of people is always block, ignore, and forget them. They will live a life questioning their choices because they can't change to see what they could be instead. You don't owe them your time.

Apologists who make excuses for the police, value the police more than rights, and blatantly speak out against the Black Lives Matter movement whether they used to be your friends or not deserve to be removed from your life. There is no going around it. If, considering all possible shortfalls, this person is deserving of a chance to change be careful. Inflammatory language like "black people deserve rights regardless of individual behavior, " "while the current problem has to do with police brutality the underlying issue is that they thought they could get away with it by specifically targeting black bodies," and "spreading a false narrative on the internet isn't going to return you to a world where your life is worth any more than anyone else's because it never was in the first place" has been known to enrage racist people.

Protect yourself and your sanity by only engaging when you know that you're not wasting your time. Stay informed, up to date, and inquisitive even when the movement isn't at it's height. There will always be people using the media boom for attention, but when the boom is over and people are still sharing this stuff is when it's the most dangerous. The first lie wins, but the truth can be all that's heard when it's screamed around the world. The world stands with Black Lives Matter so the neighbor that posts things to start fights; not worth your time.

Rumors, lies, and false narratives were how these battles were fought in the past, but with the help of the internet we can show that the truth is too loud this time. We are so fortunate to be living in a world connected by the internet. Information flows so much faster now so it's important to share what you believe in and let your truth be the one that people benefit from. The truth is Black Lives Matter. The truth is we have a choice to take a stand and that choice is staring everyone in the face right now. What they do with this choice is at their core who they are actively choosing to be.