Life Through 👓

PragerU got Larry Elder (author of “Stupid Black Men”) to make a video saying that racism is not a big deal anymore. They acknowledged that isolated instances of racism persist, but that America is the “least racist country in the world.” 

He used quite a few out of context, false, or cherry-picked statistics to make his argument. But my favorite was to do with interracial marriage. 

He put forward this thesis…

I always enjoy when they use such specific sources. How many sociologists? Which sociologists? In what context do they say this?

Let’s move past the dubious sourcing and pretend “assimilation” doesn’t sound like we want to make Black people into Borg drones. If interracial marriage is the benchmark for a minimally racist society, then I’m guessing they are about to blow us away with a statistic now. 

Well I’m convinced. 

If you’re on Twitter you’ll probably see this being shared, but I wanted to post it here too. 

Robert Horry explains the pain and anxiety involved when giving his sons the talk regarding police interactions while Black. This is a feeling that many white people have trouble relating to. And while we may not be able to truly understand–empathy does not require perfect understanding. It just requires closing our mouths, opening our ears, and being perceptive to the emotions of others.  

In my attempts to educate myself I have heard the pained voices of many Black parents discussing this very thing. They must educate their children how to survive police encounters. They must pass along their stories of dealing with the police so their children can learn from those experiences. 

If this isn’t happening consistently as some claim, why do so many Black folks have these stories? 

And when so many have these strikingly similar stories and it is rare to find someone without at least one to tell, that no longer makes it anecdotal. It is not something you can pass off as a rare occurrence. 

I see you, and in you, I see myself.