"Black people need to do this in order to earn White people's respect."
"Maybe if you pulled up your pants and respected yourself, then maybe White people won't kill you."
"Dr. Martin Luther King..."
If you do this shit, fuck you. Fuck you and respectability politics. The fucking point is that White people should be able to accept us the way we are. Not because we hold ourselves to their standards.
This only proves that we constantly have to prove ourselves. We have to prove that we are not worthy of mass genocide. Do you not realize how outrageous that sounds?
Let me tell you something...
White people are allowed to be whatever they want. They are allowed to be whoever they want. The shit they do is fucking condoned no matter what. They can wear box braids and get henna and they are "cultured". We wear our own shit and are "ghetto" and "terrorists".
Example:
White people: We have the rights to bare arms! Every American citizen should protect themselves.
Black people: Including us?
White people:......
Do you guys get that we do not have to have guns on us anymore to be considered criminals? Do you understand that? We get shot for "looking suspicious" or "looking like we had a gun". Apparently all cops need to get away with murdering us are imaginary weapons? Can you wrap your mind around that? This "we're all Americans" rhetoric is complete and utter bullshit.
We have to prove that we're the "good negros" and wear our hair a certain way, dress a certain way, speak a certain, and even live in a certain area for them to even fucking tolerate us. They probably will still hold us to stereotypes even after we prove that we can be just like them.
So tell me, what's the fucking point in "respecting ourselves"? What is "respecting myself"? Perming my hair, not listening to rap music, not doing "Black things"?
We could chase after White respect but they will never fucking accept you. Understand this very carefully and do not take this out of context. Let me put this in terms you will understand.
White supremacy is like an exclusive party that you were not invited to. This party has been going for centuries upon centuries. Inside of that party, there are beverages and snacks that you will never be able to taste. Why not? You are not white, you are not on the guest list, you are not eating the food they're eating and you never will be. Unless...you created a party for your fucking self.
This is what I'm trying to say, we have to stop trying to get their attention. Stop trying to chase after equality to white people. Chase for freedom from their system. As long as we continue to live underneath it we will never be equal.
Also... don't bring Dr. King's name into your respectability politics. Sure, he "respected himself" but where did he end up? The grave. Wait, we're not done yet. Who put Dr. King in the grave? The racist, white supremacist government. Yes, the U.S government was found guilty for the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is a fact too, you all can look this up. He even got death threats in letters he received from the government while he was still alive.
So in the end, is "respecting myself" going to get me anywhere?
Nope.
