I’ve seen this meme posted several times on Facebook over the last couple of days:
Not surprisingly, every single person I saw posting this is white. Every single person commenting positively is white.
Your white privilege is shining brightly.
I’m a white, cisgender, heterosexual male. I’m practically drowning in privilege.
I tend to drive too fast and have been pulled over countless times. In those instances I have never been asked to step out of the car. I’ve never been told, “put your hands where I can see them.” No cop has ever asked to look in my trunk. Firearms and tasers have remained holstered for the duration of my interactions.
Countless black males and females have been pulled over for nothing and faced the third-degree. Countless blacks, I suspect the vast majority male, have been walking down the sidewalk and are stopped and frisked–for doing nothing.
And yes, black Americans have been killed–for doing nothing.
How anyone in this day and age can believe racial profiling doesn’t exist is beyond me.
Yes, George Floyd was allegedly trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill–which would be “illegal stuff.” At the moment I’m writing this, he’s being buried. Two cops that held him down, the cop that kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes, and the cop standing there watching it all unfold served as his judge, jury and executioner.
Floyd wasn’t just murdered, it was a modern-day lynching.
On a regular basis, people of color are stopped, questioned, stalked, frisked, harassed, assaulted, and killed–for doing nothing other than being born black or brown.
“Police will leave you alone if you don’t do illegal stuff.”
That’s probably true for white people.
It’s patently false for black Americans.
#BlackLivesMatter
Absolutely! I haven’t seen this meme. If I did; one less individual to connect with. These are the people who need to be educated about white privilege. But of course, they are the same ones who don’t bother to be educated because they “know it all”.
I’ve lost count of the “friends” I have unfriended. There is no room in my heart for this stupidity and ignorance. Thanks, Jay, for always putting into words how I am feeling.
Thanks, Jay, for your non-stop voice for justice for all. I am having non-stop conversations with my friends and clients who have a different skin color than mine. Mine is white My question for each of them has been, “What has been your experience with discrimination?” The responses have been horrifying, sobering and educational. In all my years of friendship I had never asked them the question. They were grateful to share their stories with someone willing to listen. Next is action, one of which is to vote. Onward together…
I found an interview with US Senator Tim Scott (R – S. Carolina) a week ago Sunday interesting.
In it, he as a Black man related the story of how in 2019 he was pulled over while driving by a law enforcement officer for the supposed late use of a turn signal. He thought it was nonsense and said it wasn’t the first time he has been profiled.
Later, this well-connected man said he reached out to out to multiple police chiefs and they all told him this is a common excuse used to pull somebody over when the cops don’t have probable cause but want to make a stop and hopefully find something illegal.
Now he is working to try to reduce the frequency of this practice and other types of police injustice. I hope he succeeds!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/tim-scott-only-black-gop-senator-seeks-to-answer-national-call-to-fix-racist-policing/2020/06/11/