People will say, "We're not divided. It's the Fake News that's making it look that way." I even see posts with Cousin Tom/Forrest Gump mocking people upset about the statues... and complaining about too many posts about statues. Guess what, People - that's called Privilege. I was born with it too, and I admit it. I can turn off the news/Facebook and go about my day. I don't have to worry about losing my manufacturing job, and I don't have to have "the talk" with my kid about getting stopped by police officers. I'm neither Black nor White, but I'm human and can try to empathize. Nobody does that anymore. Instead there's a lot of Whataboutism.
I think there should be more Whatiffing -
What if I asked my Black friend if he's ever been needlessly stopped while driving in a nice neighborhood?
What if I asked him what that felt like?
What if I actually did some research on Black Lives Matter (it's not hard to google) instead of just believing whatever the right-wing site tells you?
What if I stopped being defensive whenever I heard the word "racist" or "privileged"and stopped assuming that people are calling ME a racist?
What if I turned off all the CNN, Fox and other 24-hour news channels and did some research on my own?
What if I volunteered to help in the community to help the underprivileged (no matter their ethnicity)?
Being in California, it's hard for me to interact with the folks in the Rust Belt that voted for Trump. But I still care about them and want things to be better for them. I can read books to help me understand (Hillbilly Elegy and Strangers in Their Own Land). I also want things to be better for my friends who are POC and/or LGBTQ, and want things to be better for them too. I want equal justice and opportunity for all. I thought that's what we all wanted.
