If anyone ever wants to shove the "prosperity" of the U.S. down your throat vis-a-vis, ("Well, it's a prosperous nation, it must be doing something right!"), don't let them. IT. IS. STOLEN.
ALL OF IT.
We stole Mexican & Native American land, we stole black PEOPLE.
ALL OF IT.
We stole Mexican & Native American land, we stole black PEOPLE.
We are rich because we are thieves.
So whenever someone's having a conversation about resources and immigrants, and not having enough to support everyone (untrue), never for a second forget that America and Europe aren't rich by chance.
We are rich because we STOLE.
So whenever someone's having a conversation about resources and immigrants, and not having enough to support everyone (untrue), never for a second forget that America and Europe aren't rich by chance.
We are rich because we STOLE.
And we took much more than money. We took land, we took inventions, we took systems of government, we took children, we took culture, we took art, we took the muthafuckin' FUTURE of NATIONS and we took basic human dignity in myriad forms to create our "more perfect union."
Never let anyone trivialize the amount of shame and terror we've instilled in minorities in the U.S. Never let anyone minimize the amount we took when we told slaves for 300 years not to read or write.
P.S. The beneficiaries of such legacies are still very much alive.
P.S. The beneficiaries of such legacies are still very much alive.
Not ancient history at all.
What sonnets weren't written? What songs were unsung? How many died of diseases because the mind with the cure was picking cotton?
What sonnets weren't written? What songs were unsung? How many died of diseases because the mind with the cure was picking cotton?
These things were not historical footnotes. These were not speed bumps. These were not oopsies.
They. were. wrong.
They. were. wrong.
And you shouldn't be having political conversations with people that cannot, unequivocally, without qualification, without ("well, both sides"), without hedging, without pointing to other countries' faults...agree that these things were wrong to do.
People often say, "Use your privilege," but I know that's vague advice. So here's some real advice: Honor the dead & honor the oppressed by not hedging your bets.
- Slavery was wrong.
- Genocide was wrong.
- Family separation is wrong.
- Xenophobic furor over immigration is wrong.
- Genocide was wrong.
- Family separation is wrong.
- Xenophobic furor over immigration is wrong.
Do not equivocate. Do not say, "Well, given a certain context..." Do not say, "Well, what we have to understand about that time..." Do not run interference for evil.
Make them either admit that they believe these things are and were wrong, or that they don't.
The fact that our grandeur and splendor were stolen from other countries with conceivably just as much chance as becoming the superpower that we are today, with the privileges and benefits we enjoy, is not incidental.
It is the American story. It is the truth.
It is the American story. It is the truth.
Honor the dead by speaking that truth. Protect the living by speaking that truth.
Because, perhaps, if we can truly take to heart that we do not deserve all we have, and that we took most of what we have, we can be more forgiving towards those who want to share.
Especially after what we've taken from them.
Especially after what we've taken from them.
For anyone that has some real frustrating convos about immigration and prosperity (i.e. f***ing all of us)
@clapifyoulikeme @KaraCalavera @SarahLerner @DevonHandy @drexelheard @emrazz @HillaryWarnedUs @cjrtetz @cmclymer @feistybunnygirl @laurenduca
@clapifyoulikeme @KaraCalavera @SarahLerner @DevonHandy @drexelheard @emrazz @HillaryWarnedUs @cjrtetz @cmclymer @feistybunnygirl @laurenduca
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