January 07, 2021

I'm seeing some people who are having some trouble differentiating what happened in Washington, D.C. last night from what happened in cities across the nation last spring and summer. Let me try to help.

Those protests last year came about because of racism. Because people of color were murdered (by police, in two of the more immediately preceding instances) with little to no consequence to the murderers. For us (the “white” folks) to let that “slide,” or expect people of color to keep quiet and calm about those incidents is ridiculous. It is white privilege. And you can miss me with the “I've busted my ass all my life” or “I've had it hard, too” bullshit.

No one is arguing that you haven't worked hard, or had it bad. Why is it so hard to understand that white privilege means those hard times weren't made harder by the pigment of your skin?

That privilege means that your child could play with a toy gun and not get shot for it. That privilege means that you could go for a jog in a developing neighborhood and not get shot for it. That privilege that you could survive a traffic stop. (And you can also miss me with the “more white people are killed by police bullshit," too Despite what xenophobes and racists might have you believe, as of 2019, white people make up 76.3% of the US population- per the US Census Bureau. By sheer numbers alone, whites will have more interactions with police, and- consequently-  more deaths. Proportionally, however, it is indisputable that people of color are much more likely to die in an encounter with law enforcement.)

That, dear reader is white privilege.

What happened in Washington yesterday demonstrates the ugliest version of that privilege on display, as millions around the world watched a group overwhelmingly white people¹ invade the United States Capitol. And only one of them died because they were shot². That, too, is white privilege.

But to argue that a group of people demanding their Constitutional rights be recognized and respected are the same as a group seeking to overturn the results of a valid election because their candidate lost? That  is asinine. Those two positions are as similar as a bowl of cereal is to a bowl of nails.

The actions undertaken yesterday afternoon in Washington were criminal, an act of war by a group of enemy combatants. Terrorism. It was open treason against the United States of America that was flagrantly committed by a bunch of white supremacists (or did you miss the giant Klan tattoo on the coyote-fur hat wearing guy?) who were egged on by a lunatic who's been making outlandish, discredited accusations regarding the election since November, and told lie after lie after lie- not just the four years he's been in office- but going back, literally, decades.

While some of last year's racial justice protests got ugly, they didn't all turn into riots. Not even close. I do not deny that some did, though- nor do I deny that property was destroyed, that people got hurt, or that, in some instances, the situation escalated. But property is just "things" and, in proven cases, there were plenty of instances of escalation being the result of the same types of people who committed yesterday's terrorist acts at the Capitol doing so with the sole intent of fomenting violence, looting, destruction, etc. and sowing distrust of the people protesting. But that is not what happened yesterday in Washington. My concessions aside, we are still talking about unrelated instances. Apples and oranges, as the saying goes.

Yesterday the “protesters” had the sole intention of revolt. They were actively and outwardly aggressive. They were seeking- this just can't be stressed enough- to overturn the results of a legitimate election. They were committing treason, committing an act of war as enemy combatants, and all of that while law enforcement responded in a way that can only in the most forgiving of terms can be described as passive. 

And, don't forget that some of those same officers posed for “selfies” with the traitors.

I will not make, or accept, any excuses as to why a single one of those terrorists did what they did yesterday. The failed campaign they are so hell bent on destroying the nation over has been given more than 60 opportunities to bring evidence before a court of law to support claims of malfeasance regarding the election. They have failed to produce a single document or witness to support those claims. Election officials and security experts across the country- including Republicans- have testified as to the validity and security of the 2020 election. The former Attorney General and the Vice President- who were pandering sycophants until they weren't- have proclaimed the 2020 election legitimate.

That the supporters of a petulant maniac who can't accept defeat were able to openly commit an act of war, treason, a federal crime- on camera- and not have to worry about being killed for it? 

That is the pinnacle of white privilege. And I will not apologize for being pissed about it. 

People of color have been decrying this iniquity for years. For too long into my adulthood, I was a part of the problem. But I learned. And one of the things I learned is it is never too late to try to be a better person. Another thing I've learned is that it is long past time for all of us who enjoy that privilege to reject it. 

It is up to us to scorn, shun, and unequivocally reject those who would exploit or expand it. It is up to us to speak out against and unequivocally reject those who would perpetuate and spread racism- be it personal or institutional. It is up to us to set right the sins of the nation's past.

All of that is up to us, the people who have the privilege, to destroy that privilege and demand equality and fair treatment for all. To make the words "We the People" live up to the ideals they embody. 

1. I'll concede there may have been some people of color among them, but I've yet to see one in any photos or video.

2. The other three fatalities, according to authorities, were due to “medical issues”.