You Said What You Said!

Times, they are a-changing.

In the wake of the recent protests in response to an overwhelming public display of racism and police brutality, the world is in a state of transformation. Criminal officers are being charged. New laws are being written. Investigations are being launched into cases once swept under the rug. And one of the greatest elements of the climate today: people are showing their true colors.

There hasn't been a single day in the past two weeks wherein I haven't discovered at least one person in my network who clearly has never been a "friend" to me, no matter what social media analytics say. From the racists who counter the movement with #AllLivesMatter, to the racists who minimize the true essence of the protests in favor of the more widely publicized looting and destruction narrative, it seems that far too much of the world would rather spread more hate and confusion than acknowledge their role in society's aggression toward blacks.

But today, there are CONSEQUENCES.

My new favorite thing is watching racists lose their careers, scholarships, and overall livelihoods over the vile rhetoric they spread out into the world. From the racist TikTokkers, to the audacious radio hosts, it seems everywhere you look people are getting fired for their public comments and attitudes. And the post-exposure apologies are always the same. "Please stop hating on me." "My future is ruined. I don't deserve this." And yet, each time I wonder the same thing. What exactly did you expect?

The internet is one long receipt. It is a catalog of all that is, has been, and potentially will be. So when you get on here and call for the deaths of innocent black people under your freedom of speech, what is so shocking about discovering that people no longer want to provide you a platform in which you profit off of them? When you mock an entire culture with racial slurs and offensive imagery, why is it so offensive to you that your company decides to exercise its freedom by not employing racists? It is the greatest form of entitlement to believe freedom of speech equates to freedom from consequence. As if you're given the freedom to say whatever you want, and your victim is to just sit there and listen. Well, not in this world. If queer people can get denied a wedding cake for simply being who they are, you can most certainly lose your job for disrespecting an entire race or inciting violence against them. You will find no sympathy with me.

The answer is NO.

Save the apologies. It only proves to us even more that our lives mean less to you than material goods. You said what you said. Your racist comments are the most authentic part of you, and we do not owe you forgiveness. In the world we live in today, it is impossible for you to not understand the weight those words and images carry.

People are out there fighting for a better world. A world that actually includes benefits for your racist asses too. Because equality means we all get a fair shot. We all get treated the same, and we all support one another. A united force that works to take humanity, as a whole, to its greatest heights. If you're not down with that then you can, and will, be left behind.

#BlackLivesMatter