Hey David!
I was simply illustrating a few of the ways that black people have had a harder time than white people in America. That doesn’t make it okay to be prejudice against white people, or anyone else just because they’re not currently being oppressed in mass.
It’s hard to step into the territory you have, in literature or life, without people making a lot of assumptions about you (several points for your bravery).
When I claimed racism was racism ‘black twitter’ exploded at me, lead by a very popular Medium author who writes for several publications. I literally received hundreds of angry tweets about the two stories that are linked to this one.
The angry outpouring from POCs was so intense I stopped looking at twitter- I was so incredibly upset (turns out I’m really sensitive). After writing this story, NOT ONE FUCKING PEEP FROM ANY OF THEM.
So, this take on it upsets white people a lot. With the first two articles I think people really didn’t understand me, and that’s my fault, I never said my pain negated my white privilege, just that it might allow me to empathize more than a person who grew up white and rich.
I’ve stayed open minded as I can. It’s not been the easiest thing in Chicago- there’s something about this place- it’s so fucking devided… But what I see is poverty drawing a thick line.
I’m not saying you can ever escape racism, even with money, but DEAR FUCKING LORD it helps. Nobody talks about the class devide. Nobody addresses poverty as the killer it is- between stress, living conditions, lifelong nutritional deficiencies, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, limited or complete lack of healthcare, and the fucking violence that sate causes it’s a miracle when anyone gets out.
And you’re right- what about the white people living in poverty, with the drive-bys and gang violence of Chicago (or any place like it)? Aren’t they just as bad off? Even if escape for them is a few degrees easier, does that negate all of their pain?
The truth is racism and prejudice based on race are fucked up. If you operate using either of these methods you are garbage.
Many of the persons of color who responded to my work completely disregarded my trauma and denied my pain. Because I am white, they cannot empathize with me. I could only imagine what horrible things have lead them to believe what they do about people who look like me.
There is nothing wrong with saying “your pain looks a little more painful than mine”- which is what this article was really about. I was simply acknowledging pain and struggle in a way that was denied to me. Maybe I was wrong? But, like I said, a lot of people have at least *thought* about these arguments and rolled them around in their heads.
Thanks for the conversation and deep thoughts.
