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So this topic of the day has given me some thoughts on my/our whitness.
Now before I start let me just say if you comment hoping to defend whitness I will block. (take a deep breath and step back from yourself, your better than that) by all means ask questions though #AmyCooper
Now before I start let me just say if you comment hoping to defend whitness I will block. (take a deep breath and step back from yourself, your better than that) by all means ask questions though #AmyCooper
BIPOC critisms of this thread would be greatly appreciated, listening to others with much different experiences is the main way I learn.
However as always you labour is your own to do with as you please.
However as always you labour is your own to do with as you please.
So I live in the uk, but I do not consider myself british, I live north of the border but I dont call myself scottish.
I think of myself as 60% weegie and 40% islander cause that's where I live and where I come from, those are the cultures that imprinted on me.
I think of myself as 60% weegie and 40% islander cause that's where I live and where I come from, those are the cultures that imprinted on me.
But in a sense is that really fair, the British state backed arms companies sell bombs all over the world there is probably a/many BIPOC child dying from british made weaponry as I type this.
These arms companies Pay tax I do benefit from these genocides in small ways.
These arms companies Pay tax I do benefit from these genocides in small ways.
Now within that context can I really say "I am not British" while I still benefit. I cannot leave britishness in good conscience that way I must destroy it as I leave.
This here is the main reason I support independence; Death to all Empires everywhere.
This here is the main reason I support independence; Death to all Empires everywhere.
The same can be applied to my whitness.
Whitness was created to aid in industrialised slavery to create a category of non-whites (itself built up of a hierarchy of different levels of oppression.)
In order to become white we abandoned our ancestors and we abandoned our souls.
Whitness was created to aid in industrialised slavery to create a category of non-whites (itself built up of a hierarchy of different levels of oppression.)
In order to become white we abandoned our ancestors and we abandoned our souls.
This goes way back the Roman's suppressed the british pagan/animist religion/s so well we cant actually say with any accuracy what it was actually like.
This started before the empire was christened although it took till afterwards to be fully completed.
This started before the empire was christened although it took till afterwards to be fully completed.
But still we weren't really Roman's.
We were celts and picts and so many more varied clans and tribes with similarities and huge differences between them.
And then we finished the job.
We were celts and picts and so many more varied clans and tribes with similarities and huge differences between them.
And then we finished the job.
We abandoned our ancestors and our souls.
We made ourselves "white" in order to force another group of vibrant diverse peoples into the category "black"
Whitness is oppressive.
To be white you have to actually destroy the things that make you unique.
We made ourselves "white" in order to force another group of vibrant diverse peoples into the category "black"
Whitness is oppressive.
To be white you have to actually destroy the things that make you unique.
Clearly our oppression of BIPOC is worse than any oppression of ourselves.
But we had to oppress ourselves in order to carry out that oppression of others.
But we had to oppress ourselves in order to carry out that oppression of others.
You see this with the irish diaspora in america, excluded from whitness until they started to side with the black underclass then allowed in to prevent just that.
Hell you see it in the uk with the Roma and Eastern european communities, excluded from whitness.
Hell you see it in the uk with the Roma and Eastern european communities, excluded from whitness.
Hell scottish, irish and Welsh people occupy a precarious britishness. Included when useful, excluded when not.
Ask yourself please are you ok with that? Is that what you want?
Ask yourself please are you ok with that? Is that what you want?
I desperately want to say "I am not white, i am glaswegian."
But I cannot do that while I still benefit from whitness.
Truly this work will last longer than I live, I take the baton from those that came before to pass it to those that come after.
But I cannot do that while I still benefit from whitness.
Truly this work will last longer than I live, I take the baton from those that came before to pass it to those that come after.
So white people reading this that agree with me. We are left with a question; How do we do this?
The first step for me is stepping back from yourself. Forget your individuality for a while.
The first step for me is stepping back from yourself. Forget your individuality for a while.
Yes you are a special snowflake but that snowflake cannot exist withought every other special snowflake.
Understand you require other people, you require the plants and the trees and the animals.
Understand you require other people, you require the plants and the trees and the animals.
Please do me a favour go outside and pick up some dirt, smell the grass sit under a tree.
Understand those living things are you and you are them, one cannot exist withought the other.
Thank that tree for the shade the grass for carbon capture and oxygen production.
Understand those living things are you and you are them, one cannot exist withought the other.
Thank that tree for the shade the grass for carbon capture and oxygen production.
Thank the dirt for keeping you fed withought it you will die.
Practice that thankfulness daily (I could do more of this myself)
We practice that thankfulness both because it is worth it and because it will be important later.
Practice that thankfulness daily (I could do more of this myself)
We practice that thankfulness both because it is worth it and because it will be important later.
The second is being aware of your privilege.
Yes life is hard mine is to, but does that justify ignoring the plight of those worse of than us?
Can you do that and call yourself a good person?
Can you do that and be happy with yourself?
Yes life is hard mine is to, but does that justify ignoring the plight of those worse of than us?
Can you do that and call yourself a good person?
Can you do that and be happy with yourself?
[T.W everything] Understand that our siblings the world over are being raped murdered and brutalised to force then into indentured servitude.
These are the people that make all our clothes and grow most of our food.
These are the people that make all our clothes and grow most of our food.
Understand I will not allow us to wash our hand of this not while we benefit from this.
To do so is inhuman, disgusting and enraging.
I Will Not Allow It.
To do so is inhuman, disgusting and enraging.
I Will Not Allow It.
The third is listening to BIPOC they are not a monolith, they have different and diverse views.
I'm not even asking you to agree with any BIPOC person that says something to you.
I am asking you to listen, we have stood above them to long, minimise yourself let them go first.
I'm not even asking you to agree with any BIPOC person that says something to you.
I am asking you to listen, we have stood above them to long, minimise yourself let them go first.
You are 1 out of 7 to 8 billion.
Why do you want to put youself first?
Why do you need to?
Lift those below you up and they will never let you fall.
Swallow your discomfort when they criticise you sit with a belly full of uncomfortable and digest it. Some medicines taste bad.
Why do you want to put youself first?
Why do you need to?
Lift those below you up and they will never let you fall.
Swallow your discomfort when they criticise you sit with a belly full of uncomfortable and digest it. Some medicines taste bad.
Understand that dosent make them bad for you.
Remember when I said practice your thankfulness?
Remember when I said listen to BIPOC?
Maybe you should thank them for doing such hard and often dangerous, deadly work for you.
Remember when I said practice your thankfulness?
Remember when I said listen to BIPOC?
Maybe you should thank them for doing such hard and often dangerous, deadly work for you.
Some will rightly be a pissed at those thanks especially if that's all you provide
Even so you can practice that thankfulness internally and use it to spur you onto further action.
To liberate ourselves we must liberate others and to liberate others we must liberate ourselves
Even so you can practice that thankfulness internally and use it to spur you onto further action.
To liberate ourselves we must liberate others and to liberate others we must liberate ourselves
I'm kinda running out of steam right now I'm gonna come back later and add links to different people who I personally have learnt from.
But until then I will leave you with a line I shamelessly nicked from
https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/wielder-of-names-5-99/
But until then I will leave you with a line I shamelessly nicked from
https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/wielder-of-names-5-99/
"Murder the Gods and Topple their Thrones"
https://twitter.com/ellle_em/status/1265236259494125568?s=20
Your more likely to have read this thread than mine but still incase you haven't.
Your more likely to have read this thread than mine but still incase you haven't.
https://twitter.com/quatoria/status/1265308608159461377?s=20
@quatoria is a gem of modern queer theory
@quatoria is a gem of modern queer theory
This is more from a queer perspective but you should be applying a lot of what I've said to your interactions with us queers aswell
