Lately, I've seen so many instances of people of color being abused, mistreated, or wrongfully accused. My heart broke watching the video of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody. The fact that some people in 2020 STILL have room in their hearts for hate and abuse just because of the color of someone's skin is sickening. In no way am I anti-police, but there is no excuse for the actions that led to the tragic death of George Floyd.
Over the past few days, a comedy sketch of Jimmy Fallon from 20 years ago in blackface began recirculating. After reading different news sites' articles about it, I took a look at some comments that readers were writing, just to see where people's heads were at. A lot of the comments were focused around the idea that it was so long ago and that back then, blackface didn't have the same connotations as it does today. Some compared this instance to the movie "White Chicks" and how that movie didn't cause a fuss so why should this? (These are comments that other people made and have no connection to my opinion). These comments came from all ethnicities, but what blew me away was that most of the people saying that the sketch was being taken too seriously were people who were not African American.
The fact is, I have no idea what it's like to be an African American person. I know what it's like to be a woman, a Gen Zer, a Hispanic, but I'm not qualified to have an opinion on what should or should not offend someone else. If anyone ever came up to me and told me that I should or shouldn't be offended by a racial slur against Spanish people, my blood would boil because it's not them who have to live with it.
The ideology should be simple: I'm not in your shoes, so I have no right to say what's OK and what's not.
I can be outraged at heartbreaking instances, but in no way am I able to sit back and say what's OK and what's not for different demographic groups, how far a joke can go before it becomes offensive, or anything else regarding the race of someone who is different than I am.
It blows my mind that racism and bigotry are still alive and well today but I wouldn't know first-hand because I don't have to live in fear of it every day. It's so twisted that anyone even has to. If you don't belong to a group of people that is being discriminated against, don't even dare give your opinion on what they should or should not feel. Focus on loving them, accepting them for who they are, and creating a safe haven for those who are hurting around you.
