Understanding Black Issues Is Much Easier When You Actually Try

“I just don’t understand why there has to be these riots and looters?” said some white person named Karen, on Facebook and Twitter, a million times in the last week.

I am so sick of hearing this.

But I’m going to tell you something. I’m going to answer your question. I’m going to tell you why there are protests, riots and looters.

Because of you.

If you are so dumb. If you are so obtuse. If you are so stubborn, you have refused to open your tiny brain just a little bit in the last year, two years, ten years or twenty years, then you sir or ma’am are the problem.

People have always said the root of racism is ignorance.

I’ve never known if that was true. Living in Paris, TN, I know a couple of card carrying racists. And while they are fools and ignorant. They are also crooked and vile. They are the kind of people who will steal from you, then smile and say you gave it to them. They are bad people.

Also a lot of them are old people. Old racist people are just the worst. You think you’re about to talk to a kindly old man, and all of a sudden N word this, N word that comes rolling out.

We have plenty of racism to go around. Plenty.

But truly the most widespread is Karen here, who just doesn’t understand the riots.

Karen doesn’t understand the protests.

Karen doesn’t understand why we can’t just forget about it.

Karen doesn’t understand why we can’t just move on.

Well Karen, we can’t do any of these things because our culture has become embedded with it! Until police departments weed out all of their loose cannons, all of their weak links, and until some of those weak links are not only prosecuted, but convicted, we aren’t having change!

There are some things more powerful than governments or armies or weapons or bombs.

One of those things I talk about frequently is “market forces.”

Market forces overwhelm us. Market forces left us short of toilet paper in April. It’s left us short of meat in May.

Market forces are most noticeable where consumers opinions shift, unexpectedly and/or unpredictably in a short period of time.

Market forces have to do with goods and services. It’s basic supply and demand.

But there are other uncontrollable forces out there. And we are seeing it at work here. Cultural forces, unfettered and ignored by government is moving even more independent of societal pressures.

It is supply and demand as well. There is a healthy supply of outrage, coupled with a high demand for justice.

This particular peaceful protest has now automatically grown an independent arm of violence. It’s here you have people who have been silent, who have endured year after year, decade after decade blatant mistreatment at the hands of a small proportion of our police officers.

It must amaze them some police officers aren’t aware of the 2014 shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.

But even more amazing to them must be how little has been done since the Rodney King incident in 1991!

So Karen, take all of this, then imagine you must tell your sweet quiet twelve year old boy, to be careful going to school or the store or when riding in a car with his older brother. Because he must watch out for the police!

He is your baby! But you know he mustn’t trust them! And so he must stay clear of them!

Then multiply that times a million Karens not understanding.

I do not know how my black friends and fellow citizens have maintained so well for so long. I pray with you. I pray for you. And now I must stand with you. We all must. It’s time for all of us to do just that.

It’s time for us to understand.