Still racist boo…

I remember there was a report a few years ago. Britain is in its “post racist world” It was laughed at at the time and I will laugh at it now. It is complete, and utter rubbish.

I will cut to the chase. I met a bully at work… This is the person who led me to make so many calls to Samaritans, made me quit a job I love… and society’s expectations from the black community is “forgive and forget” “let God heal you.” What complete, utter, tripe.

The image of a black woman either being an “angry black woman” for asserting her rights, or “magnamonious in the face of hardship and abuse” are both racist. There exists a space in the middle where I am not expected to take your shit, but I don’t have to be a “hood rat” about it.

The truth is another internalised racist issue is that the person bullying me was white and there is an unspoken rule about letting white people get away with abusing us becuase we can’t take on “the patriarchy” and the “white supremcy” So rather than fight every battle that we can, we fight the ones we think we can win, when they have told us that we can’t win any. Then we wonder why the pace of change is so slow. Because we allow white people to get away with so much.

The truth is if I was being bullied by a black man and I said I wanted to take it up all the way, there would be a “How can you do this to a brother? We need to stick together” because black women are the biggest spoilers and coddlers of black men. But if it was a black woman, she would be seen as manipulative, and wicked and I should destory her. Hence, due to intersectionality, I, and my fellow black women are always nailed to the floor for anything we do… or not. We’re always “Held accountable” (read abused) and then white men, women are seen as either too stupid to know what they are doing, but is also the all knowing in terms of being spiteful and having the patriarchy have their back. Now I am all for duality. But they can’t be true at the same time.

Either black people and white people are equal and white people are intelligent enough to know that if you stab someone they’ll bleed. Or they are beasts of the land and we should cage them because they can’t be civilised and so are a danger to society. We are quite simply, either we are the same species or not.

Also, within that species, we are all adults. So if you haven’t been raised correctly, and you have been pulled up for it… then take it up with your parents. It is not my concern. Because if you were black we’d be taking it up with your parents.

The Patriarchy, racist institutions are all powerful. However, they are not God. They have the power you give them. I have stopped giving another person’s cruelty power over me.

I need people to understand another internalised racist concept.

When black people deal with white people, and we are have been wronged. Black people equate the word consequences with revenge.

Revenge is when I set fire to your house, publish your tax and personal finance details on the internet and tell your spouse I slept with you.

Revenge is according to Google.

“the action of hurting or harming someone in return for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands.”

Restitution is

“the restoration of something lost or stolen to its proper owner.”

If someone took your humanity from you, reclaiming your humanity is an act of restutitution, not revenge. Intrinsically we know this.

We redouble the systematic racism, entrench white privilage when we call restitution, revenge. Because, as humans, we know, taking revenge is wrong, but asking for your stuff back (even if that stuff is your humanity) is not. Because it disempowers us to take action when it is needed.

Discipline is another word I want to talk about

the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct behaviour.

In our stupid world, we have come to disown the word discipline. But rules were broken and so that is why discipline and order must be maintained. The world has and always been owned by the discipline. The West in the space of 400 years, disciplined and regulated the world. We have rules and regulations according to largely English customs, no matter where you are in the world. The Chinese have “disciplined” their entire nation into becoming workhorses and are now a global superpower. Japan another incredibly admirable culture, is owned by discipline. In this case, self discipline. The world is owned by disciplined people. When you break the rules, you face consequences. Immunity for consequences isn’t helping a person. It doesn’t help society. It just creates a cancer on society. In this case, bullies.

Consequence is another word that needed to be googled. it comes from the

“late Middle English: via Old French from Latin consequentia, from consequent- ‘following closely’, from the verb consequi .”

It means. “ The result of effect”

That means me making the person face consequences is not an action on my part. Consequences come from his actions, not mine. Removing consequences from the equation disturbs the natural order of the universe and leads to further, unintended consequences.

ALso, people think that it makes you more Godly, “You are magnamoniously forgiving the white person”

Nope. On several counts.

The first is that they don’t think they’ve hurt you. They ignore you when you cry. So you can’t forgive someone who hasn’t acknowledged a wrong has been committed? Its like giving money to a billionaire. You can… but its pointless.

Next. It doesn’t make you a good person. It is a form of arrogance. Definately racist. It implies that white people are lesser beasts who have to be forgiven of their transgressions just as you would forgive a dog for peeing on the carpet… They can’t help it… Get their name out of your mouth. You aren’t better.

I remember the first time I saw this. I was at work, they were talking about a black woman’s performance, when talking about sub-standard performance. Her name was synonymous with “poor performance” yet no one had made any attempt to correct this woman, have starter conversations with this woman on performance, let alone put her on an improvement plan. People instead preferred to use her name to beat her with…behind her back. Black people do this too. Use white people’s names “In vain” but “we’ve forgiven them” Bull have you. Just have the conversation… Be brave… and if the racist patriarchy beats you. At least you have chipped away at it. At least you have taken your stand and no one is in any doubt of how you feel. Don’t BS to someone’s face and call it “Christianity”

Also, its a “Pick me action”

“Look! I’m an easy to swallow black woman!” “Abuse me as you please!” Pick me’s ruin everything for everyone. I learnt that not all the slave supervisors where white. Many were black. The people not seeing the humanity of black people… were black people with serious Stockholm syndrome. They need help, but not from me. They need removal from my path because it is not my job to save everyone. It is my job to empower and equip those who want a stake in their own future. Not those clinging to the past. It doesn’t serve me.

I am tired of serving institutions that don’t serve me.

Grace and Courage.

Annetta Mother Smith.