"so you know exactly what you're standing for, and why you're standing." - Emmanuel Acho

There's so much going on at once right now, and I find it very difficult to put into words, myself. Being autistic, it's often difficult for me to properly compose my thoughts. It is not that I am not capable, as at least, I'd like to think that I can be eloquent through text, it takes much longer for me to do so compared to your average person. While neurotypical people seem to be able to form long, coherent responses on a regular and quick basis, it often takes me hours to write anything of substance. It's especially difficult when it comes to topics that are deeply personal and serious to me.

I've been told that I come off as abrasive because of my wording. However, that sentiment has not once come from good faith, actual concern of wanting to help me find faults for me to work on in order to better improve my message. While I'm not denying that may be true, and something that I have on a regular basis try to work with, it doesn't really help when the message only has ever come from people who are merely made uncomfortable by someone like me "not knowing my place" and speaking out in a world where we are taught from an early age to shut up and be docile. But, being a so-called "uppity negro" by nature, I will never stop speaking out against the injustices I see in the world, personal or otherwise. And if that makes you unwilling to engage because it makes you "uncomfortable", I question then, why is your level of comfort more important than our right to be treated fairly and with basic respect?

Despite my best efforts throughout the years, I find it incredibly, and I mean INCREDIBLY rare, for my serious concerns to actually be taken seriously. I hear so often, various wordings of "I refuse to discuss politics." Oh, that's cool, I guess you're fine with just living in your own little bubble of willful ignorance while people are being murdered for having the "nerve" to exist with the "wrong" skin color. While those who are transgender and gender nonconforming are groped, mocked and also killed for not being afraid to express themselves for who they actually are. While the mentally ill and developmentally disabled are murdered in their own homes from so-called "wellness checks". While poor neighborhoods are patrolled relentlessly, and regularly imprisoned for essentially nothing, specifically to tear apart families and ensure that they remain poor and in broken homes, all so that some suit can profit from prison slave-labor to buy their seventh yacht. When people who claim to be my friend adamantly refuse to engage with such issues that I am even personally affected by, they are saying that their determination to remain comfortable through ignorance is more important than my safety. When they refuse to educate themselves and speak out against these injustices. They're more comfortable spending their time with ignorant bigots because those people don't challenge their beliefs, instead they decorate their words with flowery language that SOUNDS nice, but are nothing more than dog whistles for hatred.

Even people within marginalized groups behave like this, willingly deciding to be ignorant and, often complicit in their own oppression due to that willful ignorance. Now, it's one thing to just simply be unaware, as those in power do not want you to know. They want you to think that 'this is just the way it is" and not make any effort to challenge the systems or protect yourself from it. They want you to be docile and easily exploited, to drown your sorrows with escapism through the capitalist system they created, and they want you to reject people like me who speak out so they can continue to oppress you and destroy your morale so you refuse to engage with the truths of your situation and can't fight back. People in this situation are the ones who it is MOST important to be educated, because it's not just a situation of helping to protect your fellow humans, but also the tools to protect yourself and remain resilient in the face of your oppression and not fall into the traps they set up for you, and not perpetuate the cycle of abuse they want you to be an active participant in through your silence.

I don't really like to talk too much about my minority status since identity politics are so often misused, and that my very existence is often treated as a strawman "joke" in regards to what the "sjws" want people to be. But as I am part of so many of these groups, my experiences in life and how I view things has heavily shaped my worldview, and thus, why the current events are personal to me. I am mixed-race, coming from both a white (irish/polish immigrants) and black american (slave decendants)), developmentally and physically disabled, AFAB (assigned female at birth) asexual, nonbinary trans person the experiences I have had as such a person I feel give me a fairly unique perspective on many things especially as someone who is very privileged in many ways despite being an extreme minority, which has allowed me to see the world through a wide spectrum (for an example, the differences in how I was treated when I would get my hair chemically straightened which allowed me to semi-pass as white, how appearing as more feminine after puberty lead to being treated better by authority figures as race and gender dynamics have a complex relationship, how not being diagnosed with autism until high school affected my development, and how I have had tastes of both poverty and wealth for a variety of reasons)

Anyway, enough about me, though I'd be willing to elaborate on anything via notes for those who are curious, this isn't about me. This is about the many who have suffered and died under an oppressive society. George Floyd was just one of many people who were openly and violently murdered, suffocated to death, by an institution that, on paper, says that they exist to protect its citizens. We must thank the accessibility of modern technology, because it is shining a light on an issue that black people have been aware of but were silenced when we speak out. If you are white - think of how often you hear about the exact same story, over these last several years where the majority of people have high quality cameras in their phones, and now think about how for most of the existence of modern society, such things did not even exist. Now think about the loathing and fear you might have seen from your black peers towards the police, why they seemed "hypersensitive" to racism despite how they seem to be treated "just fine" to you. Now, you know why.

Apologizes for the long-winded rant, but I felt it was necessary to put my words in. I will now give a list of links that, hopefully, will help others educate themselves on the topics I have often spoken on but fell on deaf ears. Most of these are youtube videos as they tend to be the most accessible format, as well as allowing the viewer exposure to similar content. These does not just relate exclusively to racism, as once educated, you will see that the various forms of discrimination are often intertwined, often from a desperate attempt from those in power to maintain the status quo, as our current system is built upon the exploitation of others and the made-up justifications to do so, and if enough people become wise to the truth, the oppressive system that they benefit from will collapse. This collapse is inevitable and I may even see it within my lifetime, however, education is key to whether the next system will be replaced by authoritarian facism, or one in which human rights are respected and upheld. People in power are aggressively fighting for the former. What side of history do you want to be on?

Emmanuel Acho; "Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man Pt:1": https://twitter.com/thEMANacho/stat.....09472589090816

Angie Speaks; "Black Radical Leftism vs Black Liberalism": https://youtu.be/B2GXCs_XtYY

Three Arrows; "Fox News: How To Whitewash an Atrocity": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC4sAaV1eBs

Kat Blaque; "Pewdiepie and The Rebranding of White Nationalism": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H94mfxMTmc4

Ask A Mortician; "Why Are Black & White Funeral Homes STILL Separate?": https://youtu.be/W4-0iAzFIcI

Carlos Maza; "Coronavirus and America's death cult" https://youtu.be/vG37wwhbS88

Philisophy Tube; "Witchcrat, Gender, & Marxism": https://youtu.be/tmk47kh7fiE

Warning: the videos produced by the creators below have a tendency to contain more swearing and edgy humor (including overtly sexual jokes) as well as satire where the intent may be missed if you aren't aware of the issues they criticize. While I don't think this at all lessens the points they produce at all and believe their arguments are just as valid, I am aware that such things may make people uncomfortable, and want to let people know beforehand so they can make informed choices. Nevertheless they are some of my favorite youtubers out there.

Vaush; "Want to See What a REAL Terrorist Group Looks Like?": https://youtu.be/KDwCLoo_5GA

Contrapoints; "Gender Critical": https://youtu.be/1pTPuoGjQsI

There's also a more lax tone in this John Oliver video from 4 years ago, a mainstream talk show that is designed to be entertaining through humor, while also talking about current events and putting spotlights on serious systematic issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaD84DTGULo

Most of these are video essays and/or can be understood with just listening without missing too much context. The content creators I have listed here provide great videos, helping to educate through their content in the fight for equality. I highly recommend perusing their videos beyond merely what I have listed here. In addition, there are other creators that I recommend checking out that either do similar videos, or videos more related to analyzing media while delving into some history- Innuendo Studios, hbomberguy, Clementine Productions, Jack Saint, and Dreamsounds.

I also recommend listening to this, from the perspective of a gaming youtuber, as it may help one see the importance of showing genuine solidarity and what that looks like as opposed to empty words, as well as also providing further resources in its description: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U71UuAJSW0E

That's all I have to say. I hope this will help shed a light on things that are so often disregarded. If you've managed to get through this far and are willing to listen, thank you.