couple things right fast...
1. remember the native americans who’ve fought for decades to change these names. i wore a funny t-shirt and it accidentally became a thing.
2. the response to me wearing that shirt...i remember it differently than many of you.
1. remember the native americans who’ve fought for decades to change these names. i wore a funny t-shirt and it accidentally became a thing.
2. the response to me wearing that shirt...i remember it differently than many of you.
as i recall, the majority of responses i got to that shirt were positive. a mix of “damn, you really wore that” and “thank you,” mostly. then lots of people making sure to tell me they were not offended. oh no they weren’t.
i say that to say that talking about how angry people were with me wearing that shirt kinda obscured a major point. i contend the angry folks weren’t that plentiful...yet they’ve been indulged all this time. they’ve been given too much power.
people have been changing their mascots from native american names for decades. some prominent ones that people under 40 don’t even know about or barely noticed when they changed (hello, st, john’s red storm!).
washington and cleveland are insanely late.
washington and cleveland are insanely late.
but they got away with being late because, per usual, loud racists were given too much respect. look at all that’s been done in the last two months just by ignoring loud racists. and while the world is kinda falling apart, it ain’t cuz of those changes.
really all they had to do was ignore the loud racists. but they couldn’t. and you know why they did...just couldn’t help giving white folks the benefit of the doubt. the ultimate unwritten rule. hold the constitution to the light and you’ll see it embossed or something.
also, stop buying bootleg shirts and cop the real. shelflifeclothing.com/caucasians.htm…
"it's some mad white folks outside" someone says to the manager and next thing you know, "the customer is always right."
that's something like seven people in that post. which is my point.
there wasn’t actually a controversy. i wasn’t in trouble or peril. there was no subsequent polarized discourse. there wasn’t much dispute about whether i was right.
and ppl still spent decades appeasing the racists. *that* is the issue.
and ppl still spent decades appeasing the racists. *that* is the issue.
i never had a moment wearing that shirt -- and i'd worn it a few times before that day on tv -- and felt stared at or anything. not even that day, walking through the airport. i think ppl inflate their stories on all the funny looks they get.
