Did You Know That White Dudes Are The Deciders Of Everyone’s Emotions And Thoughts?

In the past 24 hours of internet, I have come to the conclusion that if you are not born a white male, you should not be granted the ability to do your own research, have your own thoughts or feel the way you choose to feel about well anything. Because god forbid you share those thoughts on the internet. The thought police and tone police is going to tell you, that you’re wrong and don’t deserve to talk or tweet or write. It’s great!
Exhibit A is the news of John McCain’s cancer diagnosis. My first gut reaction, having been through cancer in my own family was one of pity for his family. It sucks no matter what age. It’s never good news. HOWEVER, having said that those are my own thoughts. I more than welcome people who criticize McCain for voting to take healthcare away from millions of people. That very same healthcare his life now depends on. People will die without healthcare. Children will die without healthcare. People who have already been negatively effected by the past healthcare systems in our country don’t own John McCain their pity or well wishes. At all. Fight me. We live in a country where people sang in the streets when Fidel Castro died (and that country actually has healthcare despite what you hear) but nobody’s allowed to feel disdain for a politician that tried to take their life saving healthcare away. Ooooooooookay.
But as usual, somebody called a white guy to be The Ultimate Decider of All Things. Thanks white guy.
Ben Jacobs mentions under this tweet are rightfully a mess and it was giving me life. John McCain is getting the best treatment possible. Which is something that should be available to all and is not, while we struggle to hold on to what is available to us. John McCain might need prayers but he doesn’t need defending. He voted how he voted. Just like when Steve Guns-For-Everyone King got shot. They made their beds with the general public and got paid a hefty sum to do so. People can be angry with them. They are still public figures, ill or not.
But this speaks to a larger question as to why white dudes are always trying to control everyone’s emotions and narratives. White dudes are the first ones to tell everyone that you need to stand for the anthem and say the pledge of allegiance. There’s a missing line in our anthem that is very pro slavery. You can shove your sanctimonious jingoism right up your asshole, Sir. Several times in college I was told post 9/11:
“America is the best damn country in the world and if you don’t believe it, you don’t deserve to live here.”
“If you’re not willing to die for this country, you don’t deserve to live here.”
Y’all, they said this nonsense to a black woman. A woman who’s ancestors built this country without pay or thanks only to have sand continuously kicked in their faces as they struggled to survive in a country that was openly hostile towards them and put institutions in place to keep them at the bottom of the barrel (that’s what racism is, for the record … it’s not a black person calling you “mayo boy”). They said this to a black woman that limits the amount of driving she does at night because police violence has reached an all time “reported” high. They said this to a black woman who gave them the side eye and let their acquaintance fall to the wayside without them noticing. There’s a quiet bullying that comes from having unchallenged views your entire life and a wheel barrel of white male privilege. I’d love some of that. Nah, no I wouldn’t. Because it means I’d be unaware of the existence of others. Because if I even talk about my own life experience as a black woman, some white person is dying to tell me it’s untrue. Surely, I couldn’t possibly have experienced that! They know better than me y’all.
The calls for bi-partisanship and civility within politics ALWAYS come from people the least effected by the issues. I give you permission to not be civil when fighting for your own life saving healthcare. But you don’t actually need my permission and I recognize that. Unlike soooooooome people.
The most recent case I’ve seen of white dudes being The Deciders and believing they should control the narrative at all times is the aftermath of the piece Britni De La Cretaz wrote about racism in the baseball community in Boston titled, Boston We Have A Problem. In it she discusses racism even within the Boston baseball community taking a hard look at the sport she loves including the actions of the Kirk and Callahan show. When Adam Jones and other black MLB players began to speak openly about the racism they experienced at the hands of Boston baseball fans, their words were not good enough to appease the white masses. Because accusing black people of lying about racism means that we never get to have a say in our own narrative but it’s something white supremacy does regularly to keep us from getting any sort of upper hand in fighting our own oppression. And Kirk and Callahan were more than happy to take part.
“Amid all the noise, perhaps the most explosive commentary came from the same place that it often does: Kirk Minihane and Gerry Callahan, the popular hosts on the WEEI-FM sports radio morning show. Their comments began on Twitter.
“Out of curiosity, did anyone at Fenway last night confirm this? Was it on social media? Any actual proof? Is it OK to ask questions?” Minihane tweeted. He continued: “Not saying it happened or it didn’t, but the rush to condemn Boston w/no proof is chilling. And, of course, the pandering is off the charts.”
Because OBVIOUSLY what’s far worse than experiencing racism is a city being called “racist”. It’s just so ghastly, y’all. Thank you white dudes for taking a brave stand on this “chilling” behavior. And of course once De La Cretaz’s piece dropped Kirk and Callahan and all their racist troll fans decided to get all in their feelings about it. To search Britni De La Cretaz’s name on Twitter is to bring up a litany of slurs directed at her. “Race baiter”, “race whore” to name a few. All from the good people that are OUTRAGED I say, that you would dare call them “racist”. (Race baiter is the one that always gets me. You can’t be baited into discussing race. My race is my existence. If you have to be baited into discussing it, what you’re saying is that you’d prefer to avoid my existence.) Some asking if anyone has called ICE on De La Cretaz. (Nope. Not racist at all). All of this because what? She dared to speak out against VERY OBVIOUS RACISM.
In classic white dude way Kirk and Callahan took the very classy high road of sending their vitriolic trolls after De La Cretaz and demanding that she come on their show and defend her piece. Because she owes them that? Because she owes them a conversation? Because who needs this defense besides Kirk and Callahan fans? From just a few hours of looking at twitter mentions, I am aware that the show and the fanbase are incredibly racist. But Kirk and Callahan are allowed to question the stories of racism experienced by black baseball players but no one’s allowed to call their actions what they are.
Oooooookay white dudes.