Jeff Tiedrich uses his privilege to say what no black person could get away with saying

[StarfishSaver]

Link to tweet

[MontanaMama]

1. I've wondered the same thing. eom

[NoMoreRepugs]

2. Serious TRUTH.

[2naSalit]

3. It's simply amazing.

Really.

[Solly Mack]

4. Have been for decades. Appealing to logic and emotion

to reason and to humanity instead of acting out of decades of hurt, anger, and frustration.

And then treated to a no win situation.

Peaceful appeals or displays of raw emotion, both get attacked.

[StarfishSaver]

5. True

And then we get blamed when white people continue to ignore us - because if only we explained it in just the right way, they wouldn't reject what we're saying.

[Solly Mack]

6. And by that they mean don't accuse us, no matter how

guilty.

Don't offend us. By pointing out white privilege, white space or white fragility, or expressing anger over 401 years of oppression.

Frame all sentences on the premise that the evils of racism are in the abstract and not the concrete, life or death, soul crushing experience that it is for the victims of racism.

And the list goes on...use safe language, broad concepts, and only the most egregious examples. The day to day struggles of living with racism might hit too close to home, thereby offending the beneficiaries of white privilege.

[StarfishSaver]

7. Everything you said

[tblue37]

14. And above all, watch your tone. You don't want to sound angry.

: :

[Solly Mack]

17. And people use that as a mechanism for control

I won't listen to you as long as you take that tone.

I can't reason with you if you're angry.

Sounds reasonable but it really isnt. A person can simply be stating facts and be told they're angry or taking a "tone".

It's the so-called listener who wants to control what is being said and how it is said. If the listener bristles at what is being said they attack the speaker without ever addressing the substance.

You're angry. You're taking a tone.


People want to take your experiences and then tell you how you should feel about it - using the emotions they think you should be feeling and using the words they want you to use to express those feelings.

And they want you to distance them from it all.

Exampled by the constant refrain of don't say white people. Say some white people.

[Danascot]

20. It seemed like Obama was very careful

not to appear angry or to be taking a tone lest he be framed as the angry, unreasonable black man.

There were so many times when I would have loved to see him blow up at how he was treated by the GOP. It's unfortunate he had to always be so in control.

[KS Toronado]

27. The very fact of Obama being in complete control of his emotions painted him

as a very intelligent and articulate person the likes of which people wanted in the W.H. Any person who didn't like him as POTUS
was simply an uneducated racist.

[wnylib]

34. True, and I noticed that. But I also think

that calmness is an intrinsic part of Obama's temperament.

I remember, though, in one of his debates with Romney (the second one, I think), that Obama let some anger show. I don't remember the exact topic. now, but Romney had just pushed some ridiculously slanted, untrue point and Obama called him on it with an angry no-nonsense response. I was watching it with some other Obama phone bankers, and one of them said, "Man, he is really angry." It was controlled, focused anger to make his point.

[cayugafalls]

8. When white people feel threatened they have no problem with violent reactions.

Look at the magats at the State Capitals carrying guns.

Look at the bikers and violent counter protesters in Bethel, Ohio.

Look at the violent New Mexico Civil Guard protecting the violent White man who shot a protester.

Look at the Tulsa Race Massacre.

And on and on and on...ad infinitum

[cilla4progress]

9. Totally

Here's a copy of a thread of mine here from the other day.

I want to live in an America where

African Americans are lifted up for their sacrifices building this nation's wealth while enslaved, with no free will or choice in the matter, and their grace and tenacity and patience and persistence, and not pursuing righteous revenge on their oppressors.

Where Latinx are lifted up for their toil in toxic deadly fields to fill the white bellies of those who for centuries have oppressed and excluded them from all the fruits of their labor - especially citizenship, in the very land that would starve without their labors.

Where indigenous people are lifted up for their generosity, kindness and vast welcome when first Europeans came ashore here only to murder, overpower, and ultimately delegitimize their culture and very humanity, only to live in peace side by side with, forgiving, or at the very least abiding our lies of history about our brutality and cruelty waged against them.

LIFT THEM UP!!

[Dem2theMax]

16. Your words need to be posted everywhere.

I am humbled in reading them.

[cilla4progress]

18. Thank you.

Straight from the heart. Reflects some of what I'm seeing.

I love how Joy Reid features almost all AA guests in some segments, for example. Black women are having a moment. Well deserved and I hope it endures. The rest of us will be better for it,

[Dem2theMax]

19. I can tell they came straight from your heart.

I know, because I know how deeply your words touched my heart. I saved them. I'd like to put them up somewhere in my house, with your permission.

It truly is the America I want to live in. This is the goal we have. We need to reach it.

[cilla4progress]

23. Of course!

We truly need to lift up and recognize their gifts and long suffering at the hands of the dominant culture.

Replace every confederate statue!

Have a beautiful day!

[KS Toronado]

28. Not only should we replace every confederate statue, we should melt them down in case

a repug governor/president wants to re erect them in the future. Plus everywhere a confederate statue is taken down, it should be
replaced with a famous black person from our history, of which there are plenty to choose from.

[crickets]

26. Powerful words. That's the America I want to live in too.

The responses to Jeff's tweet and the responses in this thread give me hope that maybe one day we will.

[Skraxx]

29. That's Very Good!

[mountain grammy]

10. So true.

[Leith]

11. I've noticed that, too

The patience of a saint, we used to say.

[NBachers]

12. I'm always at a loss to understand how reasonable, measured and sensible their responses are when

their son, father, husband, brother, sister, daughter - have been killed in some atrocious way.

I'm sorry, but if something like that happened to me, my response would be sputtering rage and uncontrolled spit-flying screaming for vengeance and destruction. I'd be out of control and out for blood. I'm just not a as good of a person.

[StarfishSaver]

13. They probably don't want to get shot, too

Black people can't get away with displaying that kind of rage.

[aikoaiko]

15. I don't know if you know Kimberly Jones -- but she said something similar recently.

It takes 7 minutes to get there, but it is a righteous rant.

"They [White people] are lucky that what Black people are looking for is equality and not revenge"

[Wounded Bear]

21. K & R...for truth...nt

[Glaisne]

22. I think most black people don't want to burn everything to the ground,

they want to make things better. For everyone.

[FakeNoose]

24. Yes they're leading by example

... or at least trying to, which is more than can be said of the Repuke "leaders" these days.

Who gains when everything is burned to the ground? None of us do, that's for sure. Black leaders recognize this because they've been around a long time, and they've fought these battles all their lives.

[PatrickforO]

25. Yeah. If I were black, I suspect I'd be dead because I'd be so militant.

My son has said that, as well.

But that's all the more reason why we need to get on board and help create the tipping point for some social justice.

[jacobfloyd]

30. I'm black, but not sure I understand the thread title

I have absolutely no problem saying what Jeff said and wouldn't be concerned about pushback from racist whites.

[uponit7771]

31. K&R

[llashram]

32. great thread

[SpankMe]

33. I've said exactly the same thing!

Some time ago, a few of my coworkers were carrying on about how blacks are more prone to anger and criminality, and that's why they're disproportionately represented in prison populations. The words "hotheads" and "uppity" came up.

I countered that the opposite was likely true because of the restraint that has been shown by the African-American community over the last century. If I was subjected to the same daily discrimination that black Americans are subjected to, I'd probably have retaliated violently by now. I wouldn't put up with it - to my own detriment.

Make no mistake - our minority brothers and sisters and fellow citizens are comporting themselves with grace and restraint. None of us should rest until we're all equal.