Thoughts on Racism: a Facebook Post Inspired Response

One of my friends posted a clip on his Facebook page with the following comment: “I salute his response to the fullest.”
The clip can be found at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10203392826771428&fref=nf
The clip is of a young man who was convicted of murdering two individuals.  Upon his conviction he was given the opportunity to express remorse.  He used the time and media coverage instead to express solidarity.  He ends his statement by raising his hands and stating: “Black lives matter.” 
I was disturbed with my friend’s stance.  The following is my response.  It has been slightly edited to make it more blog-format-friendly, to give it a little context, and to create some clarity (keep in mind that it was written with spontaneity and informality). It, however, mostly remains in the original Facebook comment style in which it was first written.  My friend respects me in general and has left my comments up on his page unchallenged.  

All lives matter.

Hey guys, he killed humans and showed no remorse. He instead shifted the blame by talking about a separate injustice. 

Two wrongs don't make a right.

If he judges the white man for murder, how does his murderous act suddenly become just? 

If this same man decided to balance the injustice by killing my Uriah, or my Theo (who undoubtedly would appear white to him), because somebody with dark skin was killed, would you still be saluting? Come on man, injustice is ugly and wrong regardless of to whom it is perpetrated. We ought not encourage anyone with such behavior. We ought not applaud anyone who continues the evil. Promote people who speak inspiration and who do Compassion + Justice + Righteousness.

Man, you know I love you. And you know my heart bleeds when racism is acted out. Holding bitterness doesn't change things. Holding bitterness makes sense, it seems kind of justified, but it isn't helpful. I fear that such bitterness is taking hold of the heart of Black America. 

If Black America is outraged (and rightfully so) at the unjust, racially motivated acts that take place, because unjust acts ought not take place, then Black America should rise up and create justice in our culture. Justice does not equal revenge- though they may be related, they are two entirely different things that ought never be confused. Black America certainly should not be using unjust acts to justify its own bloodlust. Black America ought not accuse others for being unjust while responding by acting unjustly.

I fully concede that America needs to continue to grow and evolve beyond racism. I am not claiming that there is no racism, or that I am comfortable with racism. But I am uncomfortable with what Black America is doing about it. 

Black America complains (again, rightfully so) that there is disunity and that its members are not treated fairly or equally. The elephant in the room though, about which we are not supposed to talk, is that I am not so sure that the majority of the members of the black subculture in America really want to live American lives. There is a confusion between "white" and "American." Acting civilized is not a white thing, it is a matter of dignity. It is American, because generally and historically speaking, America strives for the dignity of the individual. Where we get it wrong we evolve and change over time. So while many act out in subversive behavior (not knowing that they are acting out against human dignity and not against whiteness), and then accuse others of not showing empathy or sympathy, or full support, America is left baffled. Please allow me to talk freely for just a second, I mean no offense, I just want to keep dialogue open, and help expand perspective. I have the balls to talk and love, so let's talk... 

I am going to give you a real example of what I am talking about; an example that happened to me and that has become kind of a norm in our culture, something about which stand-up comics could easily joke because of its accepted prevalence (well, at least minus my response in the matter). I was once trying to watch a movie in New Orleans. It was an afternoon matinee so the theater was nearly empty. A black man decided to sit right in front of me. I don't care that he sat there or that he was black; I normally wouldn't even think to think to identify him as black over any other description, but it is pertinent here. The movie started. He took his phone out and for two hours he preached into the fucking phone. He ruined the movie. But he was black so its okay right? I am not supposed to get angry because the threatening black man has free license to act socially distastefully right? In our current social structure, I am not allowed to defend myself against a black aggressor who is causing harm because it will be framed as a racially motivated act of aggression on my part; I am not allowed to look at a black man in a way he doesn't like or I will be confronted because a white man should know his place of not even seeming disrespectful, I am supposed to just sit back and let a black man do whatever he wishes with no negative response or I am a bigot. The underlying assumption in such situations is that my response to bullshit is a response to race, and not bullshit. The underlying assumption is that my intolerance is predicated on the assumption that black people are a certain way and I, as a white man, am intrinsically judgmental. The funny thing is that I am not even white, so the black assumption of me is off (but that is okay, right?). What I am saying is that Black America wants its cake and wants to eat it too. Black America despises being misjudged, but hypocritically misevaluates the situation all the time (again, that's okay though because he's black). 

None of that is me though. I don't see black, I see man. I am a man. So I went up to the man after the movie. I confronted him as a man. I said, "Hey man, you ruined my movie, how about you reimburse my ticket?" He, assuming that I was white and had no right to be confronting him took an aggressive stance and said something about his girlfriend being in the hospital and he had to talk to her, and that I had no right... Me: "So go visit her, you still owe me a movie." Him: "Let's go get the manager." Me: "No let's talk this out man to man or fight this out man to man, because you are a man and I am a man, we don't need someone else arbitrating your bad behavior." Then he brought up the black thing, and how I was being racist... blah, blah, blah... Me: "Nope, I don't care who you are, you are a man and you ruined the movie, fix it." He ended up apologizing. My whole point, though, is that Black America has our culture by the balls, where we are not supposed to be able to talk about bullshit, we are supposed to accept bullshit, we are supposed to court mediocrity and distasteful behavior all because of that word racism. 

Now, there is racism. It is wrong. It rears its ugly head all too often. In these strange times, it is more important than ever to be specific, almost obsessive about getting things right. When it is actually racism it needs to be called such and needs to be eliminated in productive ways that include compassion+justice+righteousness. When it is not racism, it needs to not be treated as though it were. There is no such thing as fair and until we all deal with that we will not grow. We do, however, need to shoot for a little less hypocrisy. If a white man came on tv and said the same things that the guy in the youtube clip said under similar circumstances (except that he had killed black people) there would be hell to pay from the black community. But since we are in the culture in which we are, the black man gets saluted. 

How about we collectively (without regard for race one way or another) salute dignified men acting dignified with dignified causes!?

Newsflash: The American majority is ready to rally behind Black America against racism and knows that the black man is greater than bullshit behavior. Unfortunately, it seems Black America hasn't come to realize that yet though.  

I have one more thing to say. I appreciate the patience, endurance and careful consideration of anyone reading all of this. Please try to be objective about what I am saying and know that I have nothing but love in my heart, an interest in truth, and the hope that we can all get this better- together.

I am going to evidence (evidence is not proof, it's just evidence- but it needs to be considered) that America is less racist than it is currently being given credit for.

Fact: A white cop shot a young black man in Ferguson and killed him.

Fact: There was rioting in the streets.

Fact: There was rioting in the streets before all the evidence was out. There was rioting in the streets under the assumption of racism. (I am only stating facts at this point- before you get all argumentative, know that I am not saying anything, at this point, about whether or not it was actually racially motivated, just, unjust, defensive... etc.) The fact remains that assumption, at least originally, was enough to get violence out in the streets.

Fact: The white cop claimed that what he did was not racially motivated. (That does not make him innocent, and it does not mean that he was being truthful, but it does mean that his motive can't be immediately determined)

Fact: The guy in the above youtube video killed humans.

Fact: The guy in the video, with intent, and of his own volition, framed his act under racial pretenses. That is, he made it a racial issue (even if the murders themselves were not racially motivated. If a white man killed two black people in the same way it would be assumed to be racially motivated). One could easily argue that the murders were racially motivated, but that aside, his act(s) became racial the second he contrasted his murders the to allegedly racially motivated crimes perpetrated by white men.

Fact: With objective proof (as opposed to mere assumption) there is no white rioting in the streets over a proven racially motivated crime against white people. 

How about we broaden our horizons and be outraged at injustice period. How about we be outraged and post on Facebook about Christians being killed by Muslim extremists just 'cause they are Christian? How about we get outraged every time a black person is killed by a white person or a black person? How about we get outraged every time a white person is killed at the hand of a white person or black person? How about we get outraged at injustice because it is unjust, not because it falls into the category for which we root? How about the only team we all choose to rally behind is team dignity against team criminal? Or team Love as opposed to team factions?