I'm sick....

I’m sick of all the talk about the Trayvon Martin case. I’m sick of talking heads and pundits, I’m sick of the protest marches, I’m sick of all the Facebook memes and petitions.  I’m sick of the whole thing.

 

I’m sick of it because we generate all this fuss about this dead child, while prostituting his memory for our own purposes.  It’s not news that racism is alive, well, and deeply embedded in the fabric of these United States.  It’s not news that lots of, if not most,  people routinely make daily decisions based on racial stereotypes.  It’s not news that the degradation and dehumanization of people occurs on a regular basis, with a large part of it (in these United States) disproportionately impacting blacks and other people of color.

 

I’m sick because none of this is going to prompt us to do any collective introspection – to work for peace on Earth by beginning with ourselves.  While there may be some attempts to launch a federal investigation into Mr. Martin’s death, the critical mass will fade out, our collective attention deficit disorder will kick in, and Americans will be enraged over global warming or littering or – all too likely – the death of another innocent black person.

 

I’m sick because it seems that we’re always reacting to our pervasive social issues once they reach crisis level, but until they do, we are content to sweep them under the carpet.  How do you sweep a dead child under the carpet?  Racism is one issue, but gun laws are another issue, our glorification of violence is another issue, our lack of spiritual undergirding is yet another.  There are issues of unemployment and education that enter into the mix.  There are gang issues and socialization issues, along with the whole culture of self-absorption.

 

I’m not sick because the issues exist; I’m sick because we will collectively fail to address them, and I’m sick because I fear for every child of color living in these United States.  I’m sick, I’m tired, and I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.  What will it take for us to realize that it’s never ok to kill a child – whether the murder happens at the hands of an adult of a different race of at the hands of a child of the same race?  What will it take for us to acknowledge the racial biases we bring to the table IN EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES, sit down with them, and unpack them?  What will it take for us to  realize that race is not a taboo subject, and that our thoughts about it only become distorted when we try to pretend they don’t exist?

 

But all of that is quasi-intellectual ruminating, which is what I have to do in order not to give way to the anger, outrage and pain I feel.  It all makes me sick.

 

The logical question, of course, is “so whatcha gonna do?”  What I’ve done is to preach Jesus and to pray my brothers’ strength.  That is a start, and I believe it’s a very good start.  But we need to do more.  How do you change centuries of stereotypes, embedded into not only the dominant culture’s psyche, but into your own?  While white racism is alive and well, I’m more concerned with black racism, black-on-black violence, and black disrespect of other black people than I am with what white folks think or do. 

 

While there should be no correlation between how one dresses and how one is regarded, we all know there is.  How do I get the young brother on corner to realize that, while he’s sagging and may even start a fashion trend that reaches suburbia, at some point, the suburban white child will cease to be defined by his sagging pants (or his hoodie) while the sagging pants and/or hoodie will mysteriously come to epitomize the image of a “dangerous” or “antisocial” black male?  This phenomenon isn't limited to clothing, or to smoking weed -- these are simply symptoms of something much more insidious.  How do we get the young brother on the corner to realize that many of the behaviors he may pioneer, which may very well be appropriated by the larger society, will ultimately be turned around and used to oppress him?  And what does this mean for the young brother?  That he should cease to express himself?  No.  But it does perhaps mean that he should become better acquainted with his oppressor/enemy.  And it means that his knowledge of his enemy should come methodically and proactively.  Young brothers should not see a unilaterally negative image of their enemy (because that downplays the enemy's strengths, strengths that could ultimately destroy a brother), but conversely, young brothers should not begin to learn about the enemy only after they have been subdued by that enemy and put in physical, mental or spiritual bondage. 

So that's it.  I'm sick.  Am I the only one?  Unlikely.  Will the sickness motivate me to change my own attitudes and behaviors, thereby beginning to change the attitudes and behaviors of those around me? Prayerfully.

 

I know what I’d like for the answers to be, but at the end of the day, all really I know is that I’m sick.  I’m sick for all the Trayvons who have and who will die because of our selfishness, insensitivity, and self-absorption.  I'm sick for all the parents whose sons are snatched away from them senselessly, and for all the young men whose vitality will be mitigated by the fear that results from living inside their skin in America.  And while he's hardly the victim, I'm just as sick for George Zimmerman who lives, not freely, but trapped inside a prison of his own stupidity.