Musings

Learning Your Parents Are Insane, Uneducated People Can Hurt

Honestly, with the current attention of Black Lives Matter, I think that some generations of white people are learning just how pervasive and exploitative racism and white supremacy are. A lot of white people (between ages 25-50) think that racism “isn’t that bad” or “is getting better.” They honestly think that most cops are “good cops” and that it is just the “bad seeds” that are hurting Black people. They honestly think, in America, everything isn’t about race. Well, as we know, with our struggles as African Americans, racism and white supremacy infect and infest every minuscule area of our lives; and that 95% of law enforcement are terrible human beings that to this day, I really do not understand where they karma is. 

But anyway, the crux is that white supremacy is learned. Sit with that. Sit with the idea that white supremacy is a learned activity. And where do you initially learn most things: at home, with your parents and guardians. 

Therefore, coming to terms with the fact that your parents are terrible people that perpetuate racism can not only be confusing, but it can disillusion a person into thinking that being racist and having a white supremacist* mindset is inherently okay. And that “Black people must have done something wrong to deserve my parents thinking this way.” Look, no one wants to accept that their parents are worthless pieces of shit. (And yes, being a racist makes you a worthless piece of shit.) No one wants to believe that their family members are uneducated, abysmal bottom feeders that continue to harm a whole group of people because God made their skin hue darker. This could disturb a person so much, they turn on the victim (Black people).

I remember talking to a former friend about her vocal support for the Occupy Wallstreet movement. As we talked more, I found out her dad was in complete opposition of the movement as well as a card-carrying Republican, who most likely had stereotypical thoughts about Black people. I always noted the hypocrisy of these types of “activists.” To me, it’s like, start with your own racist family. Talk to them about their destructive, racist mindsets before you start attempting to protest outwardly to change the world. 

Don’t stomp around causing trouble until you have eradicated racism from your own family. 

Anyway, bottom line is that there are a lot of people that cannot handle that their family members are the cause of racial oppression towards Black people. They cannot handle that their family members have in turn taught them how to treat another human being like garbage. They cannot handle that Black people have done NOTHING to warrant what America has made us endure. They cannot handle that they were, in fact, raised by crazy people. (You are crazy if you are racist.) They cannot handle that their “loving” parents are/were raging, hate-filled fiends that are/were simply wrong.*Please note that a white supremacist mindset is not relegated to just white people. Any non-Black person can have a white supremacist mindset.

Invest in Your Craft; Divest in Racism

I do not actively pay taxes. Yes, sometimes I end up with a tax bill, but I do everything I can to minimize it. Why? Because the American system is racist and I refuse to fund a system that does not support me and actively attempts to destroy me. Paying your taxes supports white supremacy.

A few days ago, my sister and I were discussing my Grandfather, who is a World War II veteran. Among the many stories we know of his service, one involved the Black soldiers protesting their inhumane treatment while servicing this disgraceful country (the United States of America) in Germany. His infantry actually had to get together and stump on tables to protest the white soldiers’ disgusting, evil actions against the Black soldiers; all while fighting a foreign enemy, in Germany, and dealing with the stressors of war.

Additionally, when my Grandfather returned home, the government he fought for didn’t gift him the luxuries he served for. So, this is why I don’t hesitate to not pay taxes. The American government uses taxes to pay police officers that are racist and will jail you at best, kill you at worst. The American government used taxes paid by your Black, familial predecessors to exclude “African Americans”* from education. (You should never have to fight to get an education based on your skin hue. Just saying that is ridiculous and anyone that believes that should automatically be dismissed.)

Anyway, one way I minimize my tax bill is that I started a business. If you have a job in which your employer takes out taxes, you can offset those taxes by starting a business. The majority of American businesses do not turn a profit (including Uber), and gingerly wait around until tax time to “profit”, or in the case of the tech industry, get monetary infusions from other white and asian venture capitalist friends that give to them because they are also white or asian led.

American society generally touts that those that start and run businesses are geniuses; they are not. They are people slick with money and tiptoeing around the edges of intricate tax laws.

So, by starting a business you can use the amount you invest in your business to offset the amount of taxes you have to pay based on your “regular” job income. If you have an interest in something, are not planning to leave your day job within the next 5 years or so; do your hobby, and file taxes in regards to how much you invest in it. I would suggest sole proprietorship, but of course, follow up with a tax professional. I am not one.  I do my own taxes and I am good at doing them. If you have questions, you can contact me directly and I can attempt to explain, but the idea is to get your tax bill down to zero by investing in your craft, hobby and/or passion.

* I have not addressed my use of the term African American, but hopefully will in the future. But for now, it denotes Black-skinned people in America whose ancestors were enslaved.

The Tech Facade

I live in a tech Mecca. People come from all over the world to live and work for tech companies in my region. However, places like Twitter, Google, Facebook, etc., do not hire Black Americans to cash in and cash out at these smoke-and-mirrors locations. They would rather support nonprofits that “help” you (because, of course, you can’t help yourself) instead of actually employing Black Americans.

I call tech companies smoke-and-mirrors because the idea of a tech company is very, very fickle. Basically, funders decide the type of people they want to invest in and provide start-up capital. Rarely, do these companies turn a profit and they end up coasting off of the public’s lack of understanding of what they actually provide. Uber had yet to turn a profit as of 3/2020, and at that time, they had to reveal their smoke-and-mirrors by laying off lots of people. Munchery never turned a profit, yet the CEO was able to get a million dollar severance package and stiffed (aka did not pay) local businesses when they had to go out of business because their model was simply unsustainable. But who cares about sustainability when you can float capital to your own kind and fool the general public into thinking your company is actually doing something while you play around in the “office”?

In my experience, I keep hearing that hardly no Black people work at these companies. Why? What I have heard is that Black Americans need more training in tech; we have to study hard and network to put themselves into positions where they will be considered for these positions. Wrong!

At last count, Google’s workforce was only about 20% tech-based. Meaning they have other job they could hire these “tech-less” Black people for: Human Resources, finance, marketing, product management, design, UX/UI design, etc. However, the bottom line is they do not want to hire Black Americans for a myriad of reasons: including they do not want to upset their culture, they are innately racists, they just don’t care… 

I have interfaced with people that work at tech companies; they are not that smart, even technologocally-speaking. They are simply white and asian (sub-continent Indians included). They want peaceful workplaces and work spaces without your Black face in the mix. It makes them uncomfortable and because they control the hiring, they simply do not hire you, whatever your skill level. 

They want to work with, and hire, people they want to hang out with and be around (non-Black American men and women). They want to hire the women they want to marry and date (white and asian women). They want to not have to deal with you and your Black issues. Bottomline is, they don’t want you around, and they attempt to pretend it is because you are not qualified. This is simply not true. It is also a very simple situation. People wish to complexify it; but white supremacy is simple to understand. 

Additionally, I think the biggest part of what people miss is that America is a white supremacist playground. White supremacy thrives in spaces where they can officially hide from you (like the “tech” industry) , as a Black-faced person. The tech secret is that they don’t do much behind those closed doors because the people that are giving them money and selling their product to, don’t know shit about technology. So the next time you feel inadequately overlooked for a job in the tech world, or any other field, simply know: your skin color is the only issue, not your skill level.

Social Construction

Reparations Library (RLib) is dedicated to the dissemination of information as it pertains to African American genealogical research. I believe reparations to African American descendants of slaves in the United States will occur at some point. The amount, the how, the when, the who must be led by knowledgeable African Americans, and informed, sensible and compassionate non-African Americans.

The African American as an ethnic group is a social construct; DNA testing will most likely serve of very little or no use in confirming the African American identify of those that seek reparations. This means that genealogy, documented lineage, traceable ancestry via public records and the like, will play a major role in proving access to monetary reparations. I strongly believe that public libraries and publically-funded librarians, genealogist and/or researchers should play a large part in assisting to trace lineage.