The Hard Truth… Don’t answer a racist…
6th August 2012 · 0 Comments
By Min. J. Kojo Livingston
Contributing Columnist
“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.”
—Proverbs 26:4-5
Gabby’s Hair. Trayvon’s Hoodie. Justice Johnson’s Status.
What they all have in common is that they are all smokescreens, diversions and distractions used by lying racists for various nefarious purposes. It is a mistake to engage in debates about these issues because in each case the real issue is white racism, and some may have a generous sprinkling of Black self-hatred, a historical by-product of white racism. That should be the only point of discussion…followed by action to defeat them.
Last week, Gabriel Douglas won the overall women’s gold for gymnastics in the Olympics, second-ever Black girl on the team and first Black person to take the overall. In the process, she kicked butt of all ethnicities, nationalities and classes. She is now the best in the world at what she does. You’d think that everyone would be on the same page in praising her accomplishment and the sacrifices it took to get her there. You’d think that U.S. patriots would be glad their country won. You’d be wrong.
It’s never the same when a Black person wins. Never. But this year racists and fools have found a new low…there is a national debate over her hair?
And we go for it? It is a mistake to even dignify this garbage with a justification or discussion of the child’s hair. That’s a distraction from the real issue, which is that white people (and possibly some Blacks) have trouble dealing with Black success. But this is not unique.
The same thing is playing out on the Louisiana State Supreme Court. As long as Justice Bernette Johnson was one of the gang there was reportedly an amicable relationship between the justices. Now that she is headed for the chief justice slot there is a problem. They claim that her seniority is not the issue but how she got on the bench. Poppycock! Balderdash!…and all those other sayings!!!
This is a continuation of an historical pattern. For many whites, race was not an issue as long as Blacks were “in our place,” meaning slavery. Some of them even loved us…as slaves. The hate came when freeing the slaves became a real possibility. Before that, things were just fine. That’s why so many white folks like to talk about the “good ole’ days.” Those days certainly were not good for us.
TRAYVON: A FASHION CAPITOL OFFENSE?
Recently I was in a discussion with someone who thought the real issue in the Trayvon Martin murder was people wearing hoodies in warm weather. In war this is called a diversion or distraction. The idea is to get you off the real point and onto something else. To get your focus off of a grown white racist man hunting and murdering a Black kid and on to blaming the kid for his attire. So we don’t need to focus energy on eliminating white racist violence, instead we need a campaign to get Black kids to wear apparel that won’t offend or scare white racists. The very breath and time spent refuting these arguments are a waste. It is a sign of sickness to even compare the importance of a murder to a youthful fashion trend, much less use one to justify or mitigate the other.
BEWARE INTERNET IMPOSTERS!
Some of Gabby’s “Black” critics probably weren’t Black. We need to realize that there are white people who pose as Black people on the internet, which has become a hive for cowards and liars of all stripes. Some racists use Black photos or Afrikan names and get on Black websites to push their philosophy. It’s usually not that difficult to identify them because their opinions sound so white and racist.
If they are evil and dishonest enough to justify the murder of one Black 16-year-old, or spit on the accomplishment of another Black 16-year-old then how much of a stretch will it be for them to lie about their identities? I believe I busted one of these imposters a few months ago in an Internet discussion/debate (which I usually avoid). The person was using an Afrikan name and image but their comments were so ridiculous that I challenged them on their real ethnicity and they suddenly disappeared.
Also disturbing are reports from last year that government spy agencies have taken to posting fake blogs to impact public opinion. You mean you did not know that public opinion was a threat to national security? Shame on you!
IT AIN’T HER HAIR, IT’S HER SKIN!!!
We should not answer the racists according to their arguments. We should stop chasing the shadows of the real issue which is their hatred and disdain for us. We have to identify and expose the conservative “blame the Black victim” or the “attack Black success” strategies. We should just cut to the chase, because for a liar, any argument you refute will only be replaced with another one.
Let’s not use energy defending Gabby’s hairstyle. Instead attack the real evil behind the insults and then dismiss the racists and fools pushing this. Let’s not back down from the truth. Just call Trayvon’s murder what it is, a racist lynching. Let’s be clear that the only problem with Justice Johnson is the color of her skin.
Some group of white racists is always sitting around a “think tank” asking, “How can we take the blame off the white assailant?” or “How can we detract from this Black person’s accomplishments?” “How can we shift the focus to something that will cast a shadow on the Black person or the Black community?”
We should simply stop trying to reason with racists and work to defeat them. They are clear about what they want and why. Most of us are not as clear.
Support Gabby with your words, thoughts and prayers. Boycott the companies that helped raise $130,000 to help George Zimmerman and any media that seem to support him. Let’s find out who supports the justices opposing Justice Johnson and hit them where it hurts…in their pockets. You can bet that many of them make their money off of our people, so let’s shut somebody down.
This system becomes more hostile towards us every day. Perhaps it’s time to start our own.
So, Whatchagonna DO?
This article was originally published in the August 6, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper
