What is the Historical Common Thread?
Has anyone else noticed how hard white people work to excuse themselves from all responsibility for the generational traumas and historical pains people of color suffer? Of course, they will never renounce their whiteness because of the benefits enjoyed by white privilege, so they feign ignorance and avoid people like me willing to shove truth in their faces.
I have grown increasingly disgusted by white people’s pettiness and angst when anyone, including woke white folk, calling out their righteous bull shit about not knowing the absolute truth about American history. How convenient for them to hide behind their self-proclaimed ignorance when it suits their need.
What’s the Common Thread?
In a recent conversation with a self-proclaiming historically ignorant white person, I asked, “What’s the common thread running through history that leaves people of color in trauma and pain?” Of course, he was not about to turn off his self-proclaimed ignorance, so he just sat there acting like he was thinking hard. He said nothing while the question hung awkwardly in the air. Finally, he began talking, but not about the question, but about something that had nothing to do with my question. That was cute. But it was also a fail.
“You didn’t answer my question. What’s the common thread with the genocide and rape of Native Americans? What’s the common thread in the enslavement, rape, murder, lynchings, legal racism & discrimination, and fraud of Black Americans? What’s the common thread with the internment of Asian Americans? And what is the common thread denying Latin Americans from coming into the US?” — I was amused by the fact that he either didn’t know the answer or that he was determined that he was not going to answer. So, I told him the answer. “Middle-aged white men.”
Throughout US history, the common thread of the source causing horrific trauma to people of color are, without exception, middle-aged white men. Go ahead and prove me wrong if you care to try. As a prosecuting attorney, my case before a judge and jury would be absolutely bulletproof, unless, of course, the jury was middle-aged white men. Huh?
