Heyyyy White People

Let's talk about racism.

Seriously folks, it's time I addressed this.

Frankly, my blog is an excellent example of a white person being totally apathetic when it comes to taking action against racism. I pride myself in being socially conscious and politically active. Since I've started this blog, countless innocent black folks have been murdered by white folks with a shooter bias and I literally haven't said anything about it! That's really really terrible and I'm so sorry for not acknowledging this sooner.

Racism is a touchy subject for me and I think it is for a lot of white people. I grew up in a predominantly white, blue collar, suburb just south of Cleveland. I figured that since Jim Crow racism wasn't a thing anymore we were living in a post-race society. I grew up in a generation that didn't talk about race because we figured it wan't relevant. But if you acknowledge that there are still really harmful stereotypes surrounding black culture or like, watch the news, it's pretty clear that we're still living in a racist society.

I try to be a good white person. I recognize that I have privilege as a white person in this country just because of the color of my skin. I think about race constantly. I am very aware of the things I assume about people based on their race and when I catch myself making an assumption I work to undo that schema. After doing some research I came to the conclusion that reverse racism can't exist because us white folk aren't the minority group being prejudiced against. I'm not trying to sound superior. But I'll risk sounding superior to say that this should be our baseline, white people. Racism isn't about to fix itself. And we are part of the problem, so we need to be part of the solution.

It's come up more often recently, probably due to the death of Michael Brown, may he rest in peace, but so many of my friends have been talking about their experience with racism on a daily basis. White people assuming they're trying to steal a bike, making preacher jokes, shit about buying drugs. WHITE PEOPLE WHAT ARE WE DOING?! I am so angry that we consider ourselves to be a post race society but my friends are still getting racist comments on the daily?!

Okay what am I saying here. A few things:

Thing 1: Racism still exists. White people, it's time we acknowledge it.

Thing 2: More than acknowledge it, we need to actually do something about it.

Thing 3: What can we do? For starters, talk about it. I get SUPER uncomfortable talking about race because I am terrified that I will offend someone I care about, or say the wrong thing, or make an ass of myself BUT I've decided that the consequences of not having these discussions are way worse that the possible faux pas that will happen because of them. Like this post, I've re-written sentences so many times and I'm absolutely sure that a whole lot slipped though the cracks. Posting it anyway. Please call me out on things.

Thing 4: Black people, bear with me. Sometimes I am unintentionally inconsiderate. I really don't care what color your skin is, but old stereotypes die hard. Is that even a saying? I'm making it one.


So this has been the first of many blogs to come addressing racism. Mostly it's serving as a "this is a thing we're going to talk about and it could get ugly but at least we're talking." There will be more detail soon, but I was sick of putting this off so I decided to post it as it is.

Have a good rest of your Sunday,

Kaitlyn

Thoughts for a Thursday night.

Hey there internet.

My laundry's drying and I've got time to kill. The dryers in our basement take at least an hour and a half to dry clothes. On the upside, they take my weeks worth of laundry in one go. Convenience.

Problem is, I can't come up with a unified topic to write on tonight so this might just be a splattering of thoughts.

We've been discussing racism and prejudice in literally all but 1 of my classes this week (that one class is jazz incase you were wondering). I think our generation's challenge is to meld this post-structuralist "beyond race" ideology, with the realities of society. Also, I don't know that I personally am ready to give up race as it pertains to culture. That said, I was raised in a predominantly causation  middle class suburb with my cultural ties limited to a few Polish songs, Hungarian recipes, and stories from my grandparents about the ethnic communities they grew up in. Any connection I had to my ethnicity has been absorbed into the meld of American suburbanism. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate (and envy) other people's connection to their culture. I feel like if we actually made the societal shift to a post-racial society, we would all meld into these people without culture or a sense of history. And I am far too nostalgic to handle that. But on that same token, race gives people such a visible trait to discriminate against. And that is unacceptable. But is it worth giving up your culture to eliminate prejudice? Is that even possible?

My solution: Everybody just be nice to one another.

I know we say that's an easy one, but people are mean sometimes. Usually in groups. And always for some very legitimate reason or other. But I think we need to learn to look out for our buddies a little. This doesn't mean eliminating all negative happenings from the world, but we can do better. And you know it.

Not sorry for preaching. Let that old sense of Catholic guilt permeate your thoughts. Haunt your dreams. Turn those dreams into nightmares and resolve in your awkwardly confessing them to a man of the clergy. Job well done.

On a lighter note, the temperature was in the mid 50s today in Chicago! Fucking finally! It doesn't quite feel like spring yet, but things have definitely started to thaw. And the classrooms still blast the heat, so they're hot as balls.

As a lady, I don't actually know how hot balls are. Men, you can fill me in here. I'll amend later if the consensus is that it is inaccurate.

Alternate suggestions:

Hotter than a cat on a hot tin roof.
Hotter than the love child of Tegan Quinn and Adam Levine. Just imagine the bone structure. Ugh.
Hotter than freshly brewed coffee that you want to spit out but choke down only to have it scald your tongue and impaire your taste buds for the next 24 hours.
Hotter than pergatory. Didn't see that one coming didja?

These are getting lame fast. And my laundry might be done. One can dream. SO I'm going to leave you with that.

Hasta Luego (shit, this reminded me that I need to take my Espanol placement test... or my preguntas determinar que clase de Espanol I will take. I don't think any of that was real Spanish. Feelin confident.)

Kaitlyn