#api4blacklives

[reappropriate-blog]

(via The Mattering of Black Lives for Non-Black People of Color) BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR: Cynthia Wu

“The criminalization of Asian Americans in areas with large Southeast Asian populations means that in the Twin Cities, the Black Lives Matter movement, which challenges police abuse, is directly relevant to the viability of Asian lives as well. At the same time, non-Black people of color who are part of the policing apparatus must also be held accountable for their complicity in structures of anti-blackness. What Jeronimo Yanez and Duy Ngo both show is that we can’t have it both ways, as simultaneously victim and aggressor."

[boiledchickenwithrice]

Are you irritated with BLM’s “disruptive tactics?”Deconstructing your irritation.

I am a non-Black Asian. Many other Asian folks I know are outraged that BLM protestors blocked off a major highway (Interstate 94) following the killing of Philando Castile by a police officer during a traffic stop. What if someone missed their flight? Had to go to the hospital? And those who have previously shown support towards BLM often say, “I get what they’re trying to do, BUT....” followed by something like “they’re not going to get sympathy by doing that” or “they’re only going to make people angry” or “the people who they are obstructing can’t do anything about it.” If a non-Black person of color or White person defends BLM’s disruptive tactics, the response is always “But wouldn’t you be mad?” Irritation is a sign of privilege

For white people and non-Black People of Color, anti-black violence is a problem we contribute to but don’t have to suffer (a.k.a. privilege). When disruptive tactics bring us face-to-face with that problem, we might feel more irritation than sympathy because our thoughts tend to fixate on “why do I have to deal with this” and not “they have to deal with this everyday do.” But we need to remember that that irritation stems from privilege

Irritation is not comparable to grief

Keep in mind that disruptive tactics only force us to confront the problem, not experience it. Our irritation cannot be compared to the grief of the Black community. We are losing a few hours of our life. Black people are prematurely losing the rest of their life just for being Black.

Eliciting irritation is the point of disruptive tactics.

Clearly, BLM is not holding a protest for the benefit of White people and non-black People of Color. If we are irritated, that’s the point. As one article puts it: “Many critics of these [disruptive] strategies do not recognize that history has shown that disruptions are some of the most effective ways to change an oppressive system. By design, disruptive strategies interrupt regularities and cause inconveniences and losses for the system. That is why they get the attention of the power elite, when pleas for justice and compassion do not “ (See “References” below).

References

http://spokesman-recorder.com/2016/01/14/black-lives-matter-power-social-disruption/