Fear manifests from unfamiliarity and incomprehension. Hatred excretes through anger. Each grows through ignorance and each is foiled through understanding and acceptance.
Ascribing guilt to unknown others for actions not taken or racism not possessed alienates opportunities for healing discourse and engagement. Some practice avoidance through disengagement and retreat while others compensate for the perceived slander with angry rebuttal and provocation. If this continues, fear and anger will eventually be replaced by apathy, effectively blinding society to real, not perceived, acts of racism.
Amber, I am generally in agreement with the thoughts you expressed in your beautifully written essay, but your affinity for the Son of Baldwin is misplaced. He is a fame whore with a martyr complex who relies on sensationalized click bait to attract his readers. Like a carnival barker or street preacher screaming for attention, I’m certain that most readers prefer to just ignore him. I suspect the only ones paying him any attention are those that patronizingly endorse his offensive scribe. If his intent is to provoke fear and anger in whites, then he should take his act to Reddit or some other forum where intellectual thought is in less demand.
His writing lacks inspiration and his over reliance on the use of the ‘F’ word in bold face and all caps to express passion is obnoxious. Of course, my opinion of his literary talent is based on three or four paragraphs of a single article, but that was more than I needed to realize that he was just another W. E. B. Du Bois wannabe.
I say let’s celebrate the black authors that portray the genius and humanity of their race. If you could point me to the rising James Baldwins and Alice Walkers of Medium, my mind is wide open Amber.
