Toxic positivism in times of racism
This year hit us hard, not only because Covid-19 stopped the world, but also because when it looks like we are finally overcoming our quarantine problems, something else happened.
The murder of George Floyd happened.
There have been many people speaking on the topic, so Iām not going to focus on telling the story of what happened nor am I going to tell you why white privilege is an issue. There are thousands of people, journalists, entrepreneurs, articles, videos, podcasts, books, etc and other sources where you can get this information from. Also, I know It's not my place to explain the pain the black community is feeling because Iām not black and I recognize that I will never know what itās like to be in their shoes, but I commit to learn as much as I can about privilege and systematic oppression.
What I do want to talk about is how Iāve been seeing white people and the hispanic community, which is the community that represents me, preach positivism all over the internet. Just like with everything that happens, I realized that itās a very bad habit of us to try to shove positivism down our throats when in reality it is not the time to be positive.
We should not be positive right now. We should be angry and pour our anger on the people responsible for not making justice happen for the murders of so many innocent black people.
Is dismissing their feelings and anger bad because we canāt relate? Yes!
Why are we trying to water down the sour taste with a āāletās be positive and letās hope that things will changeāā advice? Problems such as racism will never go away with just wishful thinking and sage vibes. We need to get up and actually do tangible things to help this thing go once and for all.
Why am I talking about this in a blog thatās supposed to be about beauty, skin care, eco friendly, animal rights and mindfulness stuff? Because itās the right thing to do. Because itās important. Because ruining my websiteās aesthetic should be the least of the problems. It is about humanity and we must talk about it.
In my opinion, the biggest problem and most dangerous thing to do is to be an ENABLER. An article from the Washington Post described this better than I will, but here it is, in my own words:
An enabler laughs when he or she hears an āāinnocentā joke about race, the same goes for misogyny
An enabler doesnāt get involved nor do they film it when he or she sees a racist act happening, because well, itās not their problem
An enabler sees things happening but doesnāt do anything about it
Being an enabler is the most dangerous thing to be, because that attitude tells people- who go around blurting jokes, act racist towards minorities, and use their white privilege to their advantage- that it is okay and there will be no consequences.
How can we make them realize? How can we make them wake up and face the reality of their actions? Speak up. Stop it from happening. Call them out. Help and report it.
What can you do if you witness a racist act? Record it, contact your authorities to demand justice, raise awareness, protest, donate, offer your support. Use your privilege as a tool to get to people that normally would not listen to minorities, because my friend it is your duty as a global citizen.
As a specie that represents the very essence of evolution, we are supposed to transcend through time as better human beings, and yet, it seems we canāt pass our mistakes, and that can be the catalyst of our demise as a race. It is our duty to change and unlearn wrong ideals and beliefs, it is our duty to raise better humans and it is our duty to protect our home, but how can we have a safe home and be kind to animals when we canāt even keep each other alive? Letās start with us, with our people, black or white, we are one race, the human race.
dededos
areudirty
vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
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jacobvanloon
