Monday, March 13, 2006

So I wandered over to the woman of color blog, and she had reposted black amazon's brave words, and I thought that these would be an inspiration, so I'm reposting them too:

Open Letter to the blogosphere:

We aren't going anywhere. What you do is not okay and it will NOT go unchallenged.

You think a dickslap will stop us? We're here not because we were bored and found blogger as a diversion. we're here because we believe.

We believe after gunshots,bombings,beatings,genocide,rapes,violence, and horrors you can only begin to imagine. Sure we fear these things but we fear a world left to them even more . So we keep going .THIS IS POWER AND COURAGE. So what does that make those who stand against us

We are the thrown out , kicked out, left out ,spat on,shat on.ignored,demonized, fetishized,and ostracized foundation your weak asses you try to stand on everyday.

Want to know why the earth shakes and you get so frightened everytime we even speak up?

We know you . You are not some great unsolveable mystery. You need us in our place because without us you have no idea what to do with yourselves without it . Identity forged on our silent acceptance gets very shaky as we get very loud .

We have made the world you flail so desperately in and we will remake it as we see fit. The fact that you are not ready is niether a deterrent or a propellent.

It is not about you. Now matter how much you try how far you regress it will NEVER.BE.ABOUT.YOU.

It is about Justice,it is about peace and it is about love .

They sound soft and easy but they are made of diamond and steel. They are made in fire and pressure, you do not even begin to comprehend the durability of us.

To those who would collude with violence and hatred .

How well as that worked ?

Have you become an honorary yet?

How does it feel to be a good one instead of a free one?

They don't respect you . They don't care about you . They tolerate you. They see you as what you are , willing to do almost anything to be a " not like them". Even destroy yourself

How does it feel to be a good one instead of a free one?

Finally to the half ass allies and silent bystanders


Picture us

Mythologize us

But never ask us , make no real oveture to include us .

Continue to wonder why we don't want a part of your goals.

Then continue to wonder why your goals keep slipping.

Ask yourselves where are we but never look. Sprikle a few in there for " Coloring"

Tell us how you'll save us while we continue to save ourselves when you retreat to privelege.

Make sure the battles of privilege are the most important ones you fight.

Wonder why we stop listening when you talk about high theories when even here we fight for existance.

Use your megaphones to degrade and destroy us lightly cavalierly and with no thought and with silence and ignorance.

All of you

Worry about us . For the first time in your lives worry about us. Worry about what's happening. Fight it with every breathe you breathe,wonder. This uncertaintity you now experience we have lived with all our lives.

We may greet you with love but understand we are fighting for our lives and understand WE WILL NOT LOSE!


This reminds me of the civility debate, and why liberal white men (mostly) don't get it. The line about us fighting for our lives is true. That's why I can't understand why certain of them allow trolls to transmit their vile ideas on their blogs. Maybe once or twice, but for years at a time? Simply because they don't use bad words doesn't mean that they are not using you as a platform to spread their ignorance and hate. And no, that does not simply 'tell everybody how stupid they are". No, they see you as agreeing, as enablers of their hate for anyone not a white male. That hate is not like me telling a racist to go fuck himself, as the racist goes back to his life, unharmed.

The lies these men spread about 'welfare mothers', about 'mothers who trick men', about women who 'lie about rape' get laws passed that hurt everybody. Those lies ruin lives. Sure, they might not be the lives of rich white males, but we count as people, too, you know. And everyday we have to fight to be considered human at all.

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