are you my ally? am i yours?

remember in the beginning on this Rona epidemic, before it was a pandemic this Black guy on a New York subway treating that Asian guy horribly? and everyone was outraged? white people, Indians, Asians and Black people. everybody waited for Black people to denounce this guy. no? this is the video.

this was the caption.

horrible. make me wanna holla.

today we’re gonna talk about allies and friends.

this is going to piss some people off and i’m okay with that. comment under or hit my phone and we can discuss.

let’s start.

racism.

not everything that upsets you when it comes to race is racist. not every treatment of a different race that is less than friendly is a form of racism. i know, i know, we live in a society where that word gets thrown around as quickly as “the” and “like” but it’s not as it seems.

racism is not merely a feeling. sorry to burst your bubble. prejudicial behavior and comments and stereotyping are definitely normal prerequisites to racism but saying “He’s Black so he likes chicken” or “Asian people can’t drive” is not racist. it just isn’t. it’s rude. it’s mean. it’s stereotyping. it’s categorizing. it’s morally unacceptable. it’s not politically correct. it’s all of those things, but unless you hold power to uphold those feelings, it’s not racism.

me yelling I HATE ALL YOU ASIANS outside is unbelievably stupid and obnoxious but what will it do besides make people mad? it won’t make Black people run around tearing up stores or trying to build a wall. it won’t disrupt their income. it won’t hurt their future. it might hurt their feelings. but remember, racism is merely about feelings. in fact, me doing that will probably hurt MY future more than it would Asians.

racism is a systemic social power idea or building that is rooted in the love of money and land. it is more than “i hate you” to someone because they did something you didn’t like.

it’s exercising power AND privilege to enforce policies and practices in favor of the race an ideology considers superior & to the downfall of the races that are deemed inferior.

in short, racism is prejudice and power.

if tr*mp said “I HATE YOU ASIANS,” well, that’s powerful. that will invoke people to start looking at Asians another way. businesses and companies will start sinking because tr*mp has the power that others follow and will get behind. Barack didn’t have that power as president. if he did have the power people like to think he had, Black people would have been in a better predicament than we are now. if Barack had power to make decisions based on race, he would have been ousted. what makes me make that “unsubstantiated” claim? people urged to impeach him for wearing a tan colored suit. people called him a terrorist for doing a fist bump with his wife Michelle. these are non toxic, humane, decent acts. these have nothing to do with race. people urged to impeach tr*mp because of his racist comments because they know what can and did follow them… see.

adding something that is literally against an ethnic group or nationality, especially one that has whiter skin, would have beheaded Barack.

tr*mp has mobilized white people to commit hate crimes all over the world but especially this country (amerikkka) since the beginning of his presidency. his feelings come with power. before he was president, he owned businesses that discriminated against Black people. casinos, hotels and apartment complexes have turned down Black people from living and staying in them, signed off by him. power. click link.

(this is where youre going to get upset) Black people do not have the power to be racist. Black people can only hurt your feelings. which is wrong. that’s not excusable. nobody has the right to disrespect or attempt to oppress anyone. however, racism is prejudice WITH power. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr had influence and feelings but not power. he had the platform to talk poorly about white people. he didn’t have the power to mobilize Black people to act on that. how do i know? he was killed while doing the opposite. J.Edgar Hoover, the head of the FBI, hated Black people (feelings) and had the authority (power) to act on it. racism.

the government discredited MLK and knew about his assassination prior. they were found guilty in conspiring to kill Martin. power. for nearly a decade, the CIA spread cocaine and crack around Black cities in this country. ask the real Rick Ross that. power. a couple of searches and books will have you right but i added some links.

my point in bringing this is although some Black people might exhibit ridiculously disgusting and dangerous behavior, it cannot amount to power. it can only backfire.

everyone on my timeline called that Black dude in the video racist. understandably. hell, even i wrote something about doing the right moral job.

however, earlier this week, there has been videos and pictures circulating of Asians in states and cities in China saying Black people aren’t welcome in stores, buildings and even hotels. see. power. their feelings are “we don’t like or want Black people around us” and their power allows them to act on it.

who are you to me?

where was the outcry? i haven’t seen ANY condemnation from this on my timeline besides from Black people. i haven’t seen anybody come to the defense of Black people. and that’s a problem i’m not surprised by.

when the Oscars awards show was being held few years back, there was backlash for not having any people of color. all twenty actors nominated in the lead and supporting roles were white for two straight years. Chris Rock hosted the show in 2016. he brought up how they need to step it up with Black actors.

Asian and Indian people attacked him for “not including us in your monologue.” wait… he’s Black. you’re not. why can’t you defend yourself?

the issue is races wait to jump on the coattails of Black people and Black activists waves and say “DON’T FORGET ABOUT US” although they rarely if ever include us in their prayers or economic plans or sentiments. kinda like a #Latinx&Indian&AsianLivesMatterSinceBlackPeopleSaidItAndWeCanAddOurselvesSinceTheyGotThePotStirring.

i was talking to a very intelligent and often disgruntled about race relations between Black and non Black people woman yesterday about what’s going on in areas in China. she was highly upset and threw a subliminal at me because i wrote about how nobody but namely Asians are being disrespected all over the world now. she said “they don’t care about us. where are they now?” and that took me aback…

i have said many times (inspired by Malcolm X) and i’ll repeat it again:

i, julius, am for brotherhood. i desire brotherhood. but brotherhood is a two way street. i will not work for this if it’s not reciprocated. i don’t have to be disrespectful to you, but i will not continue to offer my brotherhood to you if you are not willing to do the same. and i’m okay with that.

let’s break it down.

an ally doesn’t have to be a friend. an ally doesn’t have to be friendly. an ally doesn’t have to like you. an ally’s purpose is to unite and support each other in times of need. countries have formed alliances plenty of times in times of war just to get the common enemy. that doesn’t make them friends. it makes them allies.

every ally you have might not be your friend. every friend you have might not be an ally. every friendly person in your life isn’t your friend.

i once came to the rescue of a fellow student in school. he was getting bullied. i didn’t know either person. i didn’t care to know the one getting bullied. but i helped him when he was getting bullied. the bullying stopped. we didn’t become friends. i don’t even remember his name. i was an ally to him.

considering yourself an ally comes with responsibility. understanding and acknowledging the predicament the person or group is in. not denying or downplaying their plight because you haven’t experienced it.

then you must be open minded enough to check your unconscious biases towards that person or group. you can see that this person is big, muscular, and tall but that doesnt mean that person can fight. this person is old, has an accent and different gender, that doesnt mean this person is useless for a certain task. we have to look in the mirror. really ask what is the bias i have for this group. where did it come from? how does it affect me and if its necessary to change it… and then change it. challenge yourself.

the reason you must challenge yourself is because if you decide to become an ally, that person or group needs an effective ally. not one who just does it because it looks good. if i’m going to a physical war with someone and you tag along but can’t physically harm or disturb my enemy in any way, you’re not effective. you might just get in my way. you might hurt me more than help because i’m now expecting you to do something and depend on it.

i have nothing but love in me. i’m proud of that. i pride myself on being loving. i have made a life of forming allies.

i will never be on the frontline of their fights. ever. however, the people who i’m an ally to know who they are and know who i am.

if brotherhood is a two way street, something’s gotta give. if i extend my hand to shake yours and you don’t extend yours, we have a problem. a problem that will be fixed instantly and won’t happen again because i learned my lesson by extending my hand, but a problem nonetheless.

who are my allies?

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