What do these two things have in common?

Well, here's the deal. How many times have black men who've suffered the indignities (or worse!) of DWB episodes heard something like this:

"Of course it's not right. But it happens. Deal with it appropriately. Be respectful of the officer and don't make it worse. Have common sense, for heavens' sakes. One of these days we'll get around to ensuring that our law enforcement personnel don't feel free to abuse their power and use racist assumptions in doing their jobs. We'll get around to it. We're winning the fight against racism, you know. It just takes time. We'll get there. In the mean time, yeah, it's not fair and it's not right, but hey, just have some common sense, don't make it worse for yourself, deal with the realities."

And how many times have women who've suffered the indignities (or worse!) of sexual harassment or assault heard something like this:

"Of course it's not right. But it happens. Deal with it appropriately. Make your wardrobe choices sensibly. Have common sense, for heavens' sakes. One of these days we'll get around to making it absolutely unacceptable for men to make creepy assumptions about a woman based on what meaning they assign to her clothing. We'll get around to it. We're winning the fight against sexism, you know. It just takes time. We'll get there. In the mean time, yeah, it's not fair and it's not right, but hey, just have some common sense, don't make it worse for yourself, deal with the realities."

May I very humbly suggest that the time has come to stop spewing platitudinous blather like this in the face of manifest racism and sexism, and to start MAKING NOISE, kicking ass, and taking names?

It's time to demand that we stop excusing our law enforcement officers who use intimidation, abuse of power, and racist assumptions, based on our respect for the difficult job they do and the public trust they hold (and continue abusing!)

It's time to demand that we stop excusing men (and other women!) who perpetuate sexist assumptions about women based on their clothing and appearance, because after all, 'boys will be boys' and there's millions of years of evolutionary urges behind cretinous behavior (or whatever lame excuse you want to offer.)

If we all stop putting up with it, the 'time' when it goes away will come sooner than we think.



wearily,
Bright