Published on Medium aokidiane.medium.com/i-dont-know-why-you-still-love-him-7c63545c4361

I have a friend who was writing lyrics to old songs as a way to vent her anxiety about our current political situation. She shared the lyrics on Facebook a while back — maybe 2 months ago. That inspired me to write this one. I had written this song in 2015 as a broken-hearted love song, (I Told A Man I Loved Him) which I never shared except at a songwriting workshop at the Hawaii Songwriting Festival. I used the same melody for this song, so I didn’t have to work out a new tune, and the words came easily.

I had taken classical guitar lessons in college many moons ago. Once when I was low on money, and out of frustration for my skills, I sold my guitar. I finally replaced it when I was in Baja Mexico in 2000, where I bought a small guitar (size of a big ukulele) for about $30. I’d been practicing noncommittally over the years. In the pandemic, I decided to re-learn guitar. so I took a class from Great Courses, then signed up for a free 3-month trial from Fender.

When I wrote this song, it was with the intention to share it as part of the movement to vote Trump out. But I just could not get to the point of mastery and time was running out, so I made the decision — mistakes and all — just post it. So today, I posted on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. My hope is that I will have some musician friends — at least 1 — who will learn it and share it. I really never wanted to be a performer, but I do want to be a songwriter. I realized early on in my songwriting journey that I would need to have some kind of performing skills in order to share. So, I’ve been working on that. In fact, I set my writing aside for a while in order to put in my practice time for this.

Here it is. Mistakes and all. For what it’s worth. MUSICIANS! If you would like to learn it, sing it, share it, please do, I’d be honored. Just credit me somewhere.

​Link to YouTube Video

Do you wonder why Christians you think are reasonable can STILL support Trump, even if they know he’s immoral and incompetent? It’s because they think they’re saving babies. He doesn’t need to be eloquent or even have policy plans. All he has to do is say certain magic words, like law and order, and in this case, abortion. For good measure, say “nine month” abortion, and you have secured a moral imperative in which the ends justify the means.

It’s not about saving babies though.

If it’s about saving babies, you would be FOR birth control, right?You wouldn’t have pushed for the 2014 Supreme Court decision that allows private companies to deny birth control coverage to their employees if it opposes their religious beliefs. Women earning less than a living wage will not be able to afford birth control and therefore possibly be faced with unintended pregnancies. Will they have abortions? Maybe, maybe not. But you didn’t have to put them in this position! You could’ve just allowed them the contraception and the education to prevent unintended pregnancies. Voila! No abortion necessary.

If it’s about saving babies, you would not be so adamant about overturning Roe v Wade
The data is in: abortions have declined to its lowest levels since Roe passed. The reasons are unclear, but the theories seems to coincide with changing social norms, as well as increased access.
More women are expected to work, to get some postsecondary education, and to support their families, which make unplanned childbearing more costly and the benefits of delay much greater. The second reason is greater access to and increased use of the most effective forms of contraception, such as long-acting reversible contraceptives.( Sawhill and Guhot, Brookings, June 24, 2019)

If Roe is overturned, abortions will continue. If public opinion is a gauge, the majority of Americans are not opposed to abortion. 61% think that abortion should be legal in all or most cases while 38% believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. If a woman’s life situation compels her to end the pregnancy, she will, no matter the risk. Young people support abortion rights, and if their current fervor for activism is an indication, they will not easily acquiesce to rights being taken away.
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If you succeed in criminalizing all abortions, they would be moved underground as before, unsafe and illegal. Women with means would be able to have them safely, and women without means would likely resort to desperate unsafe measures. That’s how it was back then, in the dark ages. Mentioning the methods is just too sad, but you can google it.

Another of my letters to the editor during the election season.

Explaining the hate
Mr. Tombo Lono asks the question, why all the hate toward President Donald Trump? He goes on to lavish praise on him and his family. At first, I thought it was satire, then I saw that he was serious. Mr. Lono sounds like a sweet man, and genuinely confused about why there’s so much hate toward our current president. Mr. Lono and others, you have chosen to represent Trump, so you have to accept that a lot of people in “blue” Hawaii are angry at him.

They are directing their anger at you, his supporters. They are angry because almost every single day, even before the pandemic, he has given us reasons to be angry. From being elected president despite what he said on tape about grabbing women’s private parts to mishandling the pandemic to the last atrocity about not denouncing white supremacy, and thousands of reasons in between, he has made us angry and ashamed that he is our president. We equate Trump with incompetence, dishonesty, and racism. We hate that.
Diane Aoki
Kealakekua

Click here to hear the song on SOUNDCLOUD.

Why do you have to be that way?
The one who lies to self-protect
To ones who are less fortunate
You’ve got no heart no human respect
Why do you have to be that way?
So mean and proudly arrogant
To those who see things a dif’frent way
You call them names, meant to demean them
Why can’t you be the person who cares?
Who lets kindness be the guide
Knowing energy that we share
Is a power that can move a tide
We have power that can move a tide
We have power that can move a tide
Why do you have to be that way?
The one who can’t say racism’s wrong
Who values guns over children’s lives
Who thinks being mean is being strong
Why do you have to be that way?
Who denies climate change is real
Who thinks it’s okay to abuse this earth
Like colonizers and treasures they steal.
Come on here we are at the bridge
Still on opposite sides
I’m still a bleeding heart liberal snowflake
You’re still refusing to try
To meet me halfway. Ai yi yi!
There must be a way! Ai yi yi!
Conciliation!
I want to be the person who cares
Who lets kindness be my guide
Knowing energy that we share
Has a power that can move a tide
We have power that can move a tide
Power for justice can move a tide
We have power that can move a tide
Power for justice can move a tide

During the Election season, I was impelled to write letters to the editor of my local paper, West Hawaii Today. Here is one.  

Bruce Campbell posed a challenging question in the Sept. 1 letters to the editor. It’s a device — posing a question but embedding the answer he wants you to come to. He does it twice, the first time when he refers to 80% of “reporters” who consider themselves liberal. I could find no current credible source for this, but he planted a notion of reporter bias that is not backed by evidence. I did find a good study that concluded “no liberal bias in what political journalists choose to cover.” (Google terms: journalists political party)
The second time he did it is in his conclusion, asking if it is “progressive” to be moving God further from the equation. He is planting the notion that “progressive” means away from God. I’m assuming he means progressive politics, which is to make progress towards the ideals of democracy. When church people try to exert power in government, there is a danger of religious tyranny which was so strong it compelled the pilgrims to settle the colonies. It was so important that separation of church and state became a founding principle. While some practices, like slavery, change over time in the pursuit of justice, religious freedom still rightfully holds.

Religions and churches can be a community of support for each other to live what it means to be closer to God. For Christianity, It doesn’t get much clearer than: Love thy neighbor as thyself. All religions have a version of this essential tenet. We do need to have some kind of moral compass.
As a “progressive,” I am guided by a desire for a world that is more empathetic, humane, loving, and just. That, to me, is closer to God. Rather than just proclaim our godliness, we need to look for evidence, even in our opinions. For example, where do you stand in the Kenosha case? With the 17-year-old vigilante murderer or the Black father shot in the back seven times? With white supremacists or Black Lives Matter protesters? With an America who gives hope to asylum seekers or the one who pulls children from their parents to discourage it? What is closer to God?

Rather than leave you with an embedded question, I will make a statement: Please vote for the candidate who most embodies your values. Biden may not be the most progressive, but he embodies more empathy and hope for justice than the other choice. By far.
Diane Aoki is a resident of Kealakekua

Today, I wanted to write about immigration, to tell my immigration story and make a case for those of us with immigration heritage to take a stand against Trump’s anti-immigration policies. But, as I write this, I have seared into my brain the image of the mother of the 17-year-old who shot and killed two protestors in Kenosha with an automatic rifle. I don’t want to get too off-topic from my original plan to write about immigration but … It’s related. I’ll explain.

When I was a beginning teacher, I remember at the end of the school year making up class lists for the students we were passing to the next grade level. We knew there would be a brand new teacher . The practice was to give that new teacher all the “problem” kids. I was appalled that we would saddle a beginning teacher with the most challenging kids. My colleague said that it was done to her, so why not do it to someone else.
I have heard this as an argument from immigrants who have gone through an arduous process of jumping through hoops to come to the US and then to bring their families over. Rather than compassion, there was antagonism towards those who find a way into the country without legal status. “If I can wait in line, they can too. ”

Why is it that I am appalled at this line of thinking? Why is it that I respond to overcoming struggles by wanting to make it better for anyone who has to go through what I went through, yet others respond with antagonism?
​
Why does one man try to help undocumented people trying to cross into the US through the Arizona desert by leaving them jugs of water, and another man empties those jugs of water? Why does Trump’s family separation policy break one person’s heart and hardens another one’s, unmoved by the trauma imposed on these children, blaming their parents for putting their children in this situation?
And in Kenosha, why do some people make this hateful, gun-slinging, no regard for human life choice, and others, like the two beautiful white men who were shot and killed by this militant teenager, make another, quite opposite, choice? (See, I told you it was related.)

I thought this was going to be a relatively light piece, about how funerals make you reflective and we are being denied that in these pandemic times. Even so, there is a sense of an overall funeral-like mood these days. Everything is stark — life and death, good and evil. That was my premise until I realized I was being insensitive. It is a “mood” for me — but it is real state of being for many others.
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In fact, that is what the Black Lives Matter movement is all about. I don’t have to fear when I walk to the store with my arms swinging (Elijah McClain). I don’t have to fear when I get pulled over for a broken taillight (Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis ). I don’t have to fear for my life because I am protecting a monarch butterfly habitat (Homero Gómez González, Raúl Hernández Romero), or for protecting my ancestral lands (Berta Cáceres). On and on ad infinitum.

I have a place to live. I have a pension. I am safe. I am fortunate. I am privileged. I recognize that on a scale measuring real threats to peaceful existence, with 1 being no sense of fear to 100 being targeted for harm, I am a 1. It has to do with where I live (rural Hawaii, with whom I live (family), my own choice to not let unsubstantiated fear rule my life, and because I don’t leave home unless I have to. Because I am insulated, I find it useful to adopt a funeral mindset to keep me from being too complacent.

My first impulse in the beginning of pandemic life was that mask-wearing was silly, that if you are compelled to wear a mask, you think of yourself as sick, so you should stay home. I have a niece in Vietnam who wrote about her experience there and that mask-wearing was an important part of their pandemic control strategy. I told her of my resistance to mask-wearing. Not long after that, we learned that you could be a carrier and not have any signs of sickness. That was enough to make me wear a mask, and I texted my niece — You were right! It seemed so simple to me, but yet …

I have a friend, a gentle soul, an artist, who has taken on anti-maskism as his passion project. When he first started to post these ideas on Facebook, my impression of him was that he was reasonable, so I engaged by sharing my perspective. I soon found out he is committed to his position. It seems to be uniquely American, our value for individual freedom playing out for all the world to see. These fervent anti-maskers insist we are wrong, that the medical establishment is wrong, that we are not following the science.
​
Conflict — the stuff of drama. Because I am a playwright, I have a tendency to want to understand the innards of people who evoke conflict, to treat them like characters in a play. So, here is a character study of a particular anti-masker. Though this is inspired by real people, this character study “is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons or other real-life entities is purely coincidental.”

I have this thing that I do just for fun. I divide people into camps based on an observable everyday variable. It’s not meant to be serious. Cilantro or not? Sweet tooth or savory palate? My favorite one is whether you park into a spot backwards or forwards. I make assumptions about you; back parkers are planners, front parkers live in the moment. Stuff like that. It’s not something I do to judge you one way or the other. It’s just fun. It never evokes defensiveness. It just is.
​
In this iteration of Black Lives Matter, I have been dividing friends and family into camps and it’s not so fun. I had been outraged over all the previous incidences of senseless murder of black men and women at the hands of police or vigilantes, but it is different this time around. I feel it differently. I’m more angry. I’m more impatient. Yes, I suppose I’m more judgmental. And I’m categorizing people. Racist or antiracist?
So I get into these “conversations“ (if you can call them that) online (for now). I just can’t stand it when I see a friend’s racist post. And I doubly can’t stand it when they don’t even know it’s a racist post. And I am triply pissed when they get defensive when I reply in a way meant to enlighten them. I seriously want to know why they don’t get it. Since they don’t seem to be able to empathize with the Black Lives Matter movement, if I try to empathize with them, will I find the answer that will turn on that light switch?

Ibram X. Kendi (Author of How to be an Antiracist) says that if you’re not an antiracist, you’re a racist. Wow! That’s tough. In other words, you have to take sides. And if you really do care about equality and justice, then you need to be an antiracist. And if you are not an antiracist, then you are a racist. Ouch. So that is the lens I am using now. Before learning this perspective, I was content to just consider myself not a racist. But am I? I don’t know anyone who is an openly white supremacist racist, but I do have friends who are avid Trump supporters and Democrat party haters.The posts that disturb me the most are the ones in the family of All Lives Matter, the friends who insist they are not racist because they love everybody, they treat everyone equally and claim it’s racist to put one race (blacks) above the others. They know in their hearts that they would never look down on someone because of the color of their skin. Yet, their posts tell another story.

Example: Post shared by a white female former colleague with words instructing us to read it all before you react. She also says it is meant as “no respect (sic) to anyone,” and that it was non-partisan. I was going to share the meme here but I find it so offensive that I will just tell you about it. It’s a photo of an Asian girl playing in sand at the beach. She looks like me when I was a toddler, or my niece, like many little girls in my family. The words (typing in their formatting): SHE OWES US AN APOLOGY FOR PEARL HARBOR. And underneath, it says: You know what? At first I looked at this and I said, “Whaaat?” But this is a great point. It’s ridiculous to blame this child for pearl harbor just like it’s RIDICULOUS to blame ANYONE alive today for slavery, stolen land from the 1800s, or any other crime from hundreds of years ago. It’s JUST PLAIN STUPID.
Someone had suggested that my friend research generational wealth. She responded that she’s not making a statement, just sharing a meme! When something strikes me, I usually let it pass and if it still bothers me, I’ll get back to it, especially if I think of the perfect tactful response. But this time, I reacted immediately. My trigger — I don’t see why people share things they don’t agree with. Me: “Sharing has meaning. It reflects who you are. It is a political statement and you apparently agree. If you’re not a racist, then why share such racist memes?”
​
Apparently, I accused her of being a racist because her response to me was to defend herself. “I am not a racist!” The gist of her response was the “bootstraps” argument, that anyone can do anything they want through “honesty, integrity, and dedication to their goals.” A friend of hers also leapt to her defense saying to me “either you can’t read, or don’t want to read all of it.” Her friend goes on to say: “it clearly states that it is ridiculous to blame anyone alive now for something that happened hundreds of years ago.” Oh and she tells me to “chill out and stop being so reactive.”

Let me count the ways I am offended by the post, by you, and by your friend.
I am offended because the post uses an image of a girl who looks like me to advance a point of view that seeks to weaken the case for racial justice that we are dealing with as a country now.
I am offended because the post attempts to denigrate the claims by Black and Native Americans that past injustices need to be addressed.
I am offended because you think the protestors are accusing you personally when the protests are about seeking justice from the system.
I am offended because the post has taken issues of war and sought to apply it to an issue that is irrelevant to the issue at hand. It’s a false equivalence. Apples and oranges. Effects of international war in which treaties were signed and measures for peace were taken vs. effects of historical wrongs that are still playing out in the present time.
I am offended because you don’t realize that your beliefs about hard work and a clean slate is not afforded to everyone equally, which is what this struggle is about.
I am offended because of the condescending tone, which is marked by the language, such as “either you can’t read or don’t want to” and calling the argument for justice RIDICULOUS and PLAIN STUPID (in caps). Imagine if someone was hurt, say by verbal abuse, and you told them that they were ridiculous or stupid for feeling hurt.
I am offended because of your use of CAPS but not where it’s supposed to be — in Pearl Harbor.

Now comes the part where I try to put myself in your shoes. I get that you are offended because you think I called you a racist. For the record, I just said, “If you are a racist, don’t post racist memes.” Okay, I admit, it’s a fine line. And I see that the post is not racist in the blatantly white supremacist way, that it is only racist in that it is not antiracist, and because of the implications I describe above. So, from your point of view, because you don’t have an antiracist perspective, I see how you don’t understand why I would have a problem with that meme. Perhaps I should have started the conversation with a question to find out where you stand, something like: So, I guess you don’t agree that our country has a racial injustice problem.

I know that life has not been easy for you. You are a single mom and have done a great job raising 2 children by yourself. You’re taking care of an elderly mom like I am. You have chosen a noble profession which does not pay well. You pride yourself in loving children of all races. This is a point of pride for you. You believe that all your students have potential to achieve their dreams, no matter their circumstances. They just have to work hard. If you start to make excuses for them, then they will make excuses for themselves, and you can’t let that happen. Nothing is stronger than the human will. You are a patriot, and believe in the “American Dream” and you try to convey that to your students, especially because so many of them are immigrants. This, to you, is your contribution to making the world a better place, to encourage students to work hard, and believing in them. You just can’t let anything enter their psyche that is going to cause them to have doubt about their chances for success. If they are going to blame society, there is no hope for them, because then they won’t work hard.
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I think your perspective is understandable, and even commendable. It was mine at one time. I know it comes from a good place, a sincere place of wanting what is best for your students. I had to stop and think about what my argument is against this sincere stance that you and your friends are holding onto.

For me, it is about the importance of history and how history informs the present. I hope you agree. You posted one of those memes about how getting rid of the symbols of the Confederacy is an attempt to erase history, and we need to always remember our history. You get the part about honoring history, but not the part about the history of racism. Especially as educators, we need to realize our role in perpetuating an incomplete history. Perhaps it’s too painful for them, or for you. And so you do nothing, you change nothing, you continue to think you know better than those who are seeking justice. You make a choice to promote the narrative of a race-neutral, traditional view of history.
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You may think you are being neutral, or that you are taking the higher ground. You know you’re not a racist because you love everyone based on the “content of their character and not the color of their skin.” And you could care less about antiracism which sounds too liberal for your taste.

But you are not neutral. You have chosen not to give credence to the protests, to the charges of racism, police brutality, discrimination, generational poverty, mass incarceration and other effects of systemic racial oppression. If you did you wouldn’t have posted that meme and you wouldn’t have been so defensive about it. You have chosen not to support Black Lives Matter. Does that make you a racist? A white supremacist? Note: I am not name-calling, I am asking. If you continue to insist you are not a racist, then please try to empathize, and understand why I am offended, why I reacted, why it matters to me. Can you? If you can’t, what does that say about you?

I know you are a patriot, I know you vote. My guess is that you will vote for the people who echo your views. If you remain resistant to the facts of racial injustice, you will vote for people who also refuse to address this. You will vote for people who demonize the protestors and the Black Lives Matter movement. You will refuse to see the white supremacist movement organizing to maintain power.
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This is your right. Who you vote for says something about you, just like the posts you share say something about you. There is no neutral. Make a choice. All Lives Matter or Black Lives Matter. Racist or Antiracist. White Supremacist or Egalitarian. Injustice or Justice. Egotism or Empathy. What are your values? What candidate aligns with your values? I hope you are not a racist. I hope you will not vote for a racist. And if you do, I hope that there are more of us than of you.

A Game of Categories

I have this thing that I do just for fun. I divide people into camps based on an observable everyday variable. It’s not meant to be serious. Cilantro or not? Sweet tooth or savory palate? My favorite one is whether you park into a spot backwards or forwards. I make assumptions about you; back parkers are planners, front parkers live in the moment. Stuff like that. It’s not something I do to judge you one way or the other. It’s just fun. It never evokes defensiveness. It just is.

In this iteration of Black Lives Matter, I have been dividing friends and family into camps and it’s not so fun. I had been outraged over all the previous incidences of senseless murder of black men and women at the hands of police or vigilantes, but it is different this time around. I feel it differently. I’m more angry. I’m more impatient. Yes, I suppose I’m more judgmental. And I’m categorizing people. Racist or antiracist?
​
So I get into these “conversations“ (if you can call them that) online (for now). I just can’t stand it when I see a friend’s racist post. And I doubly can’t stand it when they don’t even know it’s a racist post. And I am triply pissed when they get defensive when I reply in a way meant to enlighten them. I seriously want to know why they don’t get it. Since they don’t seem to be able to empathize with the Black Lives Matter movement, if I try to empathize with them, will I find the answer that will turn on that light switch?

Racist or Antiracist?

Ibram X. Kendi (Author of How to be an Antiracist) says that if you’re not an antiracist, you’re a racist. Wow! That’s tough. In other words, you have to take sides. And if you really do care about equality and justice, then you need to be an antiracist. And if you are not an antiracist, then you are a racist. Ouch. So that is the lens I am using now. Before learning this perspective, I was content to just consider myself not a racist. But am I? I don’t know anyone who is an openly white supremacist racist, but I do have friends who are avid Trump supporters and Democrat party haters.The posts that disturb me the most are the ones in the family of All Lives Matter, the friends who insist they are not racist because they love everybody, they treat everyone equally and claim it’s racist to put one race (blacks) above the others. They know in their hearts that they would never look down on someone because of the color of their skin. Yet, their posts tell another story.

The Post in Question

Example: Post shared by a white female former colleague with words instructing us to read it all before you react. She also says it is meant as “no respect (sic) to anyone,” and that it was non-partisan. I was going to share the meme here but I find it so offensive that I will just tell you about it. It’s a photo of an Asian girl playing in sand at the beach. She looks like me when I was a toddler, or my niece, like many little girls in my family. The words (typing in their formatting): SHE OWES US AN APOLOGY FOR PEARL HARBOR. And underneath, it says: You know what? At first I looked at this and I said, “Whaaat?” But this is a great point. It’s ridiculous to blame this child for pearl harbor just like it’s RIDICULOUS to blame ANYONE alive today for slavery, stolen land from the 1800s, or any other crime from hundreds of years ago. It’s JUST PLAIN STUPID.
Someone had suggested that my friend research generational wealth. She responded that she’s not making a statement, just sharing a meme! When something strikes me, I usually let it pass and if it still bothers me, I’ll get back to it, especially if I think of the perfect tactful response. But this time, I reacted immediately. My trigger — I don’t see why people share things they don’t agree with. Me: “Sharing has meaning. It reflects who you are. It is a political statement and you apparently agree. If you’re not a racist, then why share such racist memes?”

Apparently, I accused her of being a racist because her response to me was to defend herself. “I am not a racist!” The gist of her response was the “bootstraps” argument, that anyone can do anything they want through “honesty, integrity, and dedication to their goals.” A friend of hers also leapt to her defense saying to me “either you can’t read, or don’t want to read all of it.” Her friend goes on to say: “it clearly states that it is ridiculous to blame anyone alive now for something that happened hundreds of years ago.” Oh and she tells me to “chill out and stop being so reactive.”

How do you offend me? Let me count the ways

Let me count the ways I am offended by the post, by you, and by your friend.

I am offended because the post uses an image of a girl who looks like me to advance a point of view that seeks to weaken the case for racial justice that we are dealing with as a country now.

I am offended because the post attempts to denigrate the claims by Black and Native Americans that past injustices need to be addressed.

I am offended because you think the protestors are accusing you personally when the protests are about seeking justice from the system.

I am offended because the post has taken issues of war and sought to apply it to an issue that is irrelevant to the issue at hand. It’s a false equivalence. Apples and oranges. Effects of international war in which treaties were signed and measures for peace were taken vs. effects of historical wrongs that are still playing out in the present time.

I am offended because you don’t realize that your beliefs about hard work and a clean slate is not afforded to everyone equally, which is what this struggle is about.

I am offended because of the condescending tone, which is marked by the language, such as “either you can’t read or don’t want to” and calling the argument for justice RIDICULOUS and PLAIN STUPID (in caps). Imagine if someone was hurt, say by verbal abuse, and you told them that they were ridiculous or stupid for feeling hurt.

I am offended because of your use of CAPS but not where it’s supposed to be — in Pearl Harbor.

Me trying to understand you

Now comes the part where I try to put myself in your shoes. I get that you are offended because you think I called you a racist. For the record, I just said, “If you are a racist, don’t post racist memes.” Okay, I admit, it’s a fine line. And I see that the post is not racist in the blatantly white supremacist way, that it is only racist in that it is not antiracist, and because of the implications I describe above. So, from your point of view, because you don’t have an antiracist perspective, I see how you don’t understand why I would have a problem with that meme. Perhaps I should have started the conversation with a question to find out where you stand, something like: So, I guess you don’t agree that our country has a racial injustice problem.

Especially as educators, we need to realize our role in perpetuating an incomplete history. Perhaps it’s too painful for them, or for you. And so you do nothing, you change nothing, you continue to think you know better than those who are seeking justice. You make a choice to promote the narrative of a race-neutral, traditional view of history.

You may think you are being neutral, or that you are taking the higher ground. You know you’re not a racist because you love everyone based on the “content of their character and not the color of their skin.” And you could care less about antiracism which sounds too liberal for your taste.
But you are not neutral. You have chosen not to give credence to the protests, to the charges of racism, police brutality, discrimination, generational poverty, mass incarceration and other effects of systemic racial oppression. If you did you wouldn’t have posted that meme and you wouldn’t have been so defensive about it. You have chosen not to support Black Lives Matter. Does that make you a racist? A white supremacist? Note: I am not name-calling, I am asking. If you continue to insist you are not a racist, then please try to empathize, and understand why I am offended, why I reacted, why it matters to me. Can you? If you can’t, what does that say about you?