I've heard this statement or something like it in response to the actions of the members of the #blacklivesmatter movement and other similar organizations in Ferguson, MO these last few days.
Blocking I-70? Rioting? Protests, no matter how peaceful? Interrupting political campaigns? Doesn't this just make people angry?
The answer is yes. Yes, people will get angry. People will be inconvenienced. Your life will be interrupted.
Drivers stuck behind a wall of human arms stretching across a major highway. Patrons of various businesses shut down by protesters. Progressives attending rallies for fill-in-blank-with-favorite-candidate.
YOU.
You will be inconvenienced. You might even get angry.
But you will be forced to THINK. You will be required to STOP and think.
You will lose a few seconds or minutes of your life to these space-occupying persons of color and their white supporters.
And in those few seconds or minutes will hopefully be a mental reckoning. For this issue, this problem, this discussion of race in America is IMPORTANT.
It's important enough to interrupt your life.
Privilege is this: being able to turn off the suffering of others and completely forget about it without a single consequence for yourself.
So this black movement is taking away your privilege.
You're no longer allowed to turn off their suffering.
You will be faced with it time and time again.
And you will have to think about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment