NOTE TO MY WHITE PEERS

Asa white person I do not experience racism but that doesn’t mean I SHOULDN’T BE FUCKING OUTRAGED ABOUT RACISM.

WHYAREN’T YOU FUCKING OUTRAGED? THERE ARE DEAD BODIES ON THE STREET AND NO THAT DEAD BODY WILL NEVER BE YOUR CHILD, YOUR LOVER, YOUR COUSIN, YOUR FRIEND – IS THAT WHY YOU CARE SO LITTLE, BECAUSE THIS ISN’T ABOUT YOU? BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOUR RAGE WON’T TAKE CENTER STAGE? AND FOR FUCKS SAKE DO NOT EXPECT IT TO TAKE CENTER STAGE. THIS ISN’T ABOUT YOU. YOU DON’T DESERVE SYMPATHY FOR BEING MAD THAT BLACK LIVES DON’T MATTER IN AMERIKKKA. YOU DON’T DESERVE SYMPATHY FOR BEING SICK OVER IT. YOU DON’T DESERVE SYMPATHY FOR BEING EMBARASSED TO BE WHITE. BE SICK ANYWAY. BE EMBARASSED. BE MAD.

I’ve had white feminists back-handedly critique me for expressing this outrage, implying that I think I am some sort of expert on race – to them I say FUCK YOU. NO SHIT I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON RACE. YOU ARE PROJECTING YOUR SHORT-GAME COMPETITION UPON ME AND UNLESS YOU HAVE A CRITICAL THOUGHT ABOUT SOMETHING I HAVE SAID, CHECK YOUR CAPITALIST HABITS AND INTERNALIZED MISOGYNY. I AM NOT HERE TO COMPETE WITH YOU. I DID NOT SPEAK UP TO COMPETE WITH YOU. IF I AM A THREAT TO YOU THAT IS ON YOU TO FIGURE OUT WHY. IF YOU HAVE A LEGITIMATE CRITICAL ARGUMENT ABOUT SOMETHING I’VE SAID, I WELCOME IT. OTHERWISE BACK THE FUCK OFF. 

TO THE POETS AND ARTISTS WHO INSIST ON DEFENDING ART WITH A CAPITAL A IN THE SERVICE OF ART WITH A CAPITAL A: THE STATE OF ART & POETRY FUNCTION SYSTEMATICALLY IN WAYS THAT ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM WHITE SUPREMACY BUT AN EXTENSION OF IT.

PUT YOUR FUCKING PEN DOWN AND PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ELITIST ART ASS. LOOK AT THE DEAD BODIES ON THE STREET. FEEL THAT. SEE THAT.

You don’t have to write about the dead bodies (those bodies are NOT yours for the taking) but for fucks sake STOP DEFENDING WHITE SUPREMACY IN THE NAME OF ART.

BEING AN ARTIST IS NOT A PASS FOR NOT CHECKING YOUR PRIVILEGE. THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL EVEN IF YOU THINK IT’S NOT. IF YOU FEEL YOUR PERSONAL IS NOT POLITICAL IT IS BECAUSE YOU ARE PRIVILEGED. WAKE UP.

As a white person I AM INHERENTLY RACIST. SO ARE YOU. AND YOU AND YOU AND YOU AND YOU. So don’t say you’re afraid to speak up because you might be called racist – LISTEN AND THINK BEOFRE YOU SPEAK. SPEAK ONLY WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN TO SPEAK, TO ECHO THE PAIN OF PEOPLE OF COLOR THAT YOU HAVE BEEN EMPHATICALLY  LISTENING TO i.e. DO NOT SPEAK OVER THE VOICES OF PEOPLE OF COLOR, DO NOT COMPARE BLACK PAIN TO YOUR PAIN, DO NOT COMPARE RACISM TO SEXISM AS IF WOMEN OF COLOR DON’T EXPERIENCE BOTH, DO NOT SPEAK ABOUT BLACK SEXUALITY – LEAVE. BEYONCE. ALONE. I’M SURE THERE ARE VALID CRITIQUES TO BE MADE ABOUT BEYONCE – IT IS NOT YOUR PLACE TO MAKE THEM. THAT’S LAZY. SIT DOWN. SHUT UP.  

DO THE HARD WORK: Speak out against your racist peers. Tell your white friends to check their white privilege. BURN YOUR BRIDGES, WHITE FRIENDS, BURN YOUR NETWORKS, BURN YOUR CAREER PATH, BURN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BURN YOU FOR MAKING THEM UNCOMFORTABLE. MAKE THEM UNCOMFORTABLE.  

Know that you might get called out for racism. ACCEPT THAT. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FUCK-UP. IF EMPATHY IS THE ROOT OF YOUR INTENTIONS, IT DOES NOT ABSOLVE YOU FROM WHITE PRIVILEGE. IF EMPATHY IS THE ROOT OF YOUR INTENTIONS, IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO FUCK UP. OWN IT. IF EMPATHY IS THE ROOT OF YOUR INTENTIONS, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. IF EMPATHY IS THE ROOT OF YOUR INTENTIONS, IT WILL SHOW.

Do NOT depend on people of color to call you out and check your privilege for you. STOP DEPENDING ON AND EXPLOITING BLACK LABOR.

Do NOT pretend to care about racism in the service of your public image.

Do NOT romanticize the work of anti-racism. Do NOT romanticize your own work of anti-racism. DO YOU SEE ANY FLOWERS HERE. I AM NOT FUCKING AROUND. Don’t expect a cookie for being a decent human being. Any cookies any white people try to offer me for saying this will be returned with a note that says

CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE. WHY ARE YOU THANKING ME? WHY DOES IT TAKE A WHITE PERSON TO SAY THIS TO GET YOU TO LISTEN? TO FEEL? WHY AREN’T THE DEAD BODIES ENOUGH FOR YOU?