Thread by @RealCandaceO

I’m not sure why I’m trending again (frankly, I’m sick of it after this week) but as I am about to embark on maternity leave, there are perhaps a few things I would like to say:

After a little over a year of producing my podcast, I would like to clarify who I am, and who I am not— the former of which I thought would have been obvious by now.

I started my career being maimed and attacked as being “anti-black” and “self-hating” for challenging the Black Lives Matter narrative and the lockstep commitment that corporations, politicians, Hollywood and media had in fostering a hysterical illusion that the no one had the right to challenge the movement because “slavery”.

I didn’t do this by telling the other side to shut up. In fact, I hosted the other side (BLM chapter leaders, and protesters) on my various platforms. I flew out to Atlanta and stood on stage with T.I and was disrespected for my unique stance at a hip-hop conference. I was similarly disrespected on the world stage by Dave Chapelle during a stand up he delivered following the death of George Floyd. I took all of this on the chin and was willing to become a punching bag and a laughing stock to many because reputation means little to me in the pursuit of truth.

I’m not here to make friends or be well-liked. Life is not a popularity contest. I’m here to differentiate between truth and fiction so that my kids can grow up in a more honest world.

Black Lives Matter, both as an organization and an ideology has been fundamentally exposed and is now recognized as fraudulent. This process took years plus more than a few good men that were willing to stand up to its lies—but it no longer holds any political significance. Frankly, because it never should have. Because BLM destroyed lives—chief among them BLACK lives and black neighborhoods.

It is stunning to me that people who applauded me as I stood up and had conversations and rightfully critiqued (and continue to critique) the flaws in my own community, do not think that I should or would muster up the same courage to ask simple questions or make basic observations about theirs.

There is no two-tier system in my mind. Your specific race, color, or creed does not make you above reproach. If you watch my podcast regularly you know how very true this is. I love and hate all of you with equal measure.

Some people are wondering why I had the nerve to sit down with Norman Finkelstein today on my podcast— Norman is an accomplished academic, whose parents both survived the Holocaust who has made a name for himself defending Palestine.

Lately, everything I tweet, say or don’t say has been under a microscope so rather then let people who think they are wizards and can magically “read between lines” invent something out of their own paranoid neuroses, let me clearly spell out the reason why for everyone here now:

Because last week I had a pro-Israel Jewish man, Ami Kozak on my podcast. And he was amazing and he was respectful and we had a great dialogue that everyone in the comment section applauded and loved. Because it is important that in the pursuit of truth we hear ALL sides so that we can learn and independently conduct our own research.

It really is that simple. So go listen to my podcast with Ami and go listen to my podcast with Norman and make an effort to make up your own mind.

Here is what I have learned in politics. Never, ever trust anyone who only presents to you one side. Never trust anyone who yells at you for wanting to hear both sides. Never trust people who call you stupid and put you down for admitting that you don’t know everything. These people are authoritarians, not experts or respectable journalists.

As just one example: the experts didn’t want to debate about Covid and vaccination for a reason. That’s because they were liars and frauds.

I want everyone to know that a willingness to listen, research and learn is enough. It will always bring you closer to truth

(Continued) …

My entire career I have been publicly put down and called stupid names. I have been caricatured as anti-vax, an Uncle Tom, a disgrace to my own black community, a Putin-Puppet, a transphobe, a homophobe, an inspiration to a New Zealand terrorist, a Zionist shill, an antisemite, a sell-out, an internalized misogynist. If you name it, I can probably produce the article in which I’ve been called it.

My entire career I’ve been told my 15 minutes would be up soon.

Needless to say, it’s been a long 15 minutes. Because people can see past these attempts to shut down conversation.

I’ve kept the hunger but more importantly I have earned people’s trust. I refuse to go “establishment” despite the very real truth that pressure surmounts the higher you climb.

I haven’t turned my back on friends along way, although I’ve gotten much clarity on the ones who were pretending to be my friends in order to manipulate my voice.

I still do not claim to know everything, but I do know that the world needs more speech, not less.

It really is that simple.