The Swamp logo

White person's take on white silence

also is it really that bad?

By Lena BaileyPublished 4 years ago 2 min read
Like

So in recent days there's been some conversation about white silence when it comes to the injustice that happens to the black community. There's been a lot of outrage when it comes to the silence of white people. I wanted to address the silence coming from the white community.

Sometimes we are silent because we don't know what to say. What happens to black people sucks and racism sucks. If we do say this sucks to a black person they may get angry at us or think we don't know what we talking about. You don't have to be black to know that racism sucks and what's happening to black people sucks. We may have something good to say.

We may feel like if we do speak up we may get attacked for saying the wrong thing or the right thing in the wrong way. We may even say something to the wrong person. People have said stuff in the past and have gotten physically or verbally attacked. We are not the problem. We're not all racist. We are also not all out to get or hurt you.

We are also silent because maybe we are afraid of saying the wrong thing. In situations like George Floyd it's hard to know what to say no matter what color you are. If you have never experienced something usually you don't know what to say. We may say what we are expected to say or the clichés.

Also we feel like if we say anything we may just be seen as the white person without a clue. You're right, we don't know what it's like to be black nor can we even imagine. You have a different relationship with the world. Cops may follow, harass or kill you for no reason. We will probably never go through that so we can't imagine what you are going through.

People think that we are silent because we don't care and that might be true for some of us, that's not true for all of us. We may just have other reasons. The ones who don't care are a small group. They just see the death of black people and just go about their lives. They may feel like they can't do anything. We feel powerless like you guys just in a different way. Sometimes we may feel like if we speak up we're wrong and if we stay silent we're wrong.

Some of us do speak and we may not be heard or we may say the wrong thing. Those reasons maybe some of why we don't speak. We want to be heard just like you. Some of us will be careful of what we say, we don't want to be those white people. Others will do more harm then good with their words.

We may feel like words aren't working. We need action. We also need racism and hate to die. We need those in power to stand up and speak up. There are some with influence and power that are racist too. We learn from those in power or influence and those around us. Some of us need new friends and attitudes.

Let's watch what we say, and listen to what others are saying. If you don't agree be adults and respectful about it. You can disagree but respect each other. We all need to learn not everyone who is different is bad. Sometimes silence is golden and it's more actions than words. Maybe it's a kind gesture or a hug we all need.

controversies
Like

About the Creator

Lena Bailey

Georgia born writer. Specializing in dating and true crime

If you have any questions or comments please email [email protected]

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.