Patriotism?

I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councillor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically feels that he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time; and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.

—MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., “LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL,” APRIL 16, 1963

Since Trump was elected there has been a controversial feeling in the air, a lack of pride at being an American. It reminds me of when Bush was president, but fiercer. The xenophobia and racism is really obvious now. I grew up multi-racial, with an international family. I was always proud to be an American for some reason, perhaps because it set me apart from the rest of my family. But when you learn about American history there is shameful behavior there that hasn't been amended yet. That's not just in American history. That's present in every nation's history. Perhaps humans are just vicious and suffer from tribalistic mentalities that have yet to be overcome. 

Patriotism in America is defended with a religious vigor that is dangerous. It is not unpatriotic to take a stance against the government and the existing power structure. That is progress. We need to move forward in history, and those who are so proud that they fail to see the shortcomings of their country, their religion, or their race are going to stubbornly refuse to make amends.

Police brutality is real. Coupled with unconscious bias, the power that a police officer has will lead them to do horrible things. See the Stanford prison experiments. It is not possible for us to live separately anymore. We must coexist.

Until now I've never lived in a place such as this where conservatives and liberals live so closely together. I have not lived anywhere so white. Since white and middle-class people have so much privilege, it is their responsibility to help the lower-class and unprivileged people to thrive. Recognize that even though privilege is not something they asked for, yet have compassion for those who are discriminated against and to whom the deck is stacked against. Help them in whatever way possible, finding opportunities and passing the word along to appropriate connections. Give black people money for their services and never ask them to do work for free. That still happens. See the criticism that Safety Pin Box has received for being a business and not a non-profit.

Being privileged doesn't mean life doesn't contain hardship. Everyone has problems, it's true. But when defensiveness arises, it's not conducive to the conversation to point this out. Men don't have anything to add to conversations about women's rights, straight people don't have anything to add to conversations about LGBT rights, and white folks don't have anything to add to conversations about the black experience. The person in the demographic that is the beneficiary of current power structures needs to pipe down and listen. That's all.

Furthermore, when black people are taking a stance on police brutality or systemic injustice, it is not the place of the beneficiary of privilege to disagree with their tone of voice or tactic of protest. That was why I shared the quote from MLK at the beginning of this post.

Someday, when black lives matter and aren't treated any differently than white lives, then we can say all lives matter. Until then, white, pink, yellow, red, brown, and black folks who believe that we can create a post-racial world within our lifetime need to show up on the streets, put our bodies on the line, and do risky shit and be a full-on comrade, not just an ally... Not just add hashtags and share knowledge, which can be somewhat influential, but show up in real life. It's time to talk to your racist friends and neighbors and call them out/in to being a better fellow human... an actual patriot.