#Justise4All No. 12

⟦Guest Post: From the Desk of Netic⟧

*NOTE: Artist and Colleague Netic certainly lives up to the term, “Jack of All Trades,” having made a name for himself in various areas of creativity and public life. But even though we share mutual friends in the business, it’s his uncompromising worldview that I have found to be extremely poignant as well as ridiculously accurate, and not just because I agree with his perspective. That said, the following is his response to a racist picture taken recently, shown here. As I’ve said before, I am no longer here to pander to anyone’s fragility, so while no one person is going to agree 100% with another on even the most comparable of issues, my disclaimer of Netic’s views being his own is with the primary hope that you will engage his thought process, or, at the very least, consider what he has to say as opposed to dismissing it because of its strong verbiage. With this in mind, this is probably *NSFW* and should be read on your lunch break if you’re on the clock. Enjoy


(Edited for Syntax)

Dear White People:


Why?

IF YOU DO NOTHING, THEN YOU HAVE DONE EVERYTHING.

Racism is not a Black/Brown problem. We have other problems, we have shit we gotta fix on our end, but racism isn't our issue.

This is on y'all.

This is your legacy of savagery, and when you stay quiet, you're letting it [become] your present savagery. If you don't stand up and take issue, that shit is gonna be your undoing. People think focusing on race issues is dividing the country. I've even heard White people whisper [about their] fear of a Race War.

Well guess what?
Can't be a “Race War" if White people are standing up against racist White people with everyone else. Punch ya friend in the face if he says some racist shit, I've punched my friends in their face for crossing lines. This is how we learn…If your friend is racist/sexist, you're most likely racist/sexist too. If your friend beats women and you don't step up against that action, you beat women. If you do nothing then you did everything.

BE THE TYPE OF PERSON THE DEVIL FEARS.

I'm not easy, people are cautious around me because they know I ride for what's right and I don't care who it is, where I am, or what it jeopardizes. If it feels wrong to me, if it feels like the Devil, I'll slay it. Fuck your comfort, fuck my comfort, fuck it all. I'm not compromising my integrity because you chose to compromise yours. Don't cheat on your wife around me. Don't lie in my presence. Don't let you inner devil out in front of me. I will take a Devil’s head because by doing so, it removes the Devil in Self.

I am no better than anyone else. I have just committed my self to slaying the Devil within. White people, slay this Devil that grows in you and your people. We have our own demons from racism and sexism and gender shit we gotta deal with. [We’ve] got a slave [and] religious mentality that we have to fight, we have work to do.

But don't burden us with your work, too.

We got our own shit.
Clean up your shit.

---

Original Post 3.9.16: Click Here

#Justise4All No. 11 [Facebook Redux]

*NOTE: Similar to my Instagram redux, the following are pulled from my closed personal Facebook account. Rather than relegate my prior thoughts to digital antiquity, I've decided to trot out some of my ideas that still hold relevance in current narratives. I hope you enjoy.



⟦On the US partisan binary⟧


Reality Check: Partisan politics will not save America. I don't care which party you feel has better ideas, is on higher moral ground, or whose socio-economic history better suits your concept of how a functioning government should operate. We as a Nation have been too caught up in the grandstanding, half-truths, and outright lies that have been purported by both major political factions and filtered down to the lowest common denominator via the horrifically biased mainstream media. Parse w/me if you wish, but it is pretty clear that neither the Democratic nor Republican regimes are properly equipped to bring about the "restoration" of this country, if for nothing else, because both sides have staunchly refused to take responsibility for their actions and replaced culpability with vilification. If all our elected officials care about is vindication for the basis of their beliefs - and it would certainly seem that's all this has become; a popularity contest - then baby, we all should grab some paddles and see how fast we can row before we find ourselves any further up Shit's Creek. Think for yourself, be present, and believe what you learn for yourself; not the hype.



⟦On the importance of historical context⟧


People get confused as to why I bring up so much historical context when I talk politics, especially when it comes to social justice. The reason is because we love to forget certain parts of our past, while glorifying others. You want people to "get over" slavery and its effects still present in society today, but you'll have no problem going on about the oppression of the Western European working poor, both here and across the pond. You have so much to say about how Islam specifically instructs its followers to destroy non-believers & establish a Muslim caliphate, but act as if the Roman Catholic Church and its Imperial Will wasn't responsible (directly & indirectly) for the unjust subjugation and, in cases, obliteration of whole groups of civilizations from the planet. You want the American Government to keep its hands out of American business, suggesting that it can balance itself out using its own financial/moral compass, but when facts dictate that its most prominent leaders & investors have deliberately swindled hard-working citizens out of their living wages, instead of holding the appropriate parties responsible, you point your fingers to the very Government whom your colleagues fought tooth & nail to try and keep out of the process; a Government which has now made this economic disaster twice as contemptible by forcing those same citizens to compensate for the mistakes of greedy men who they would otherwise have nothing to do with. If folks don't appreciate when people like me bring up parts of our past that aren't as pretty, then maybe we should do a better job of looking at the past objectively, and make a real effort to learn from it. Til then, deal.



⟦On a racial police encounter⟧


*NOTE: This this post chronicles an event that occurred in November of 2013 to my close friend, who is a NYPD Captain. I have left his name out for legal reasons and out of respect for his job security, but the incident is no less true. I wanted to highlight it earlier but couldn't find it, and am posting it now to point out that racism in all its ugliness does not stop once a marginalized citizen puts on a police badge. This small story is a microcosm of why I will never disown any Person of Color in the US who holds a position in law enforcement, simply because i.m.o. that attitude serves no purpose outside of Supremacy's dismissive, propagandized agenda. If Black Lives Matter, then my friend's life matters too, whether he is on or off the job.

"Last night I decided to take a cab to the gym instead of waiting in the chill for the bus. The following occurred. As [the] cab approached the intersection of Fordham [Road] and University [Place], there were two NYPD officers on the street. As we passed them, I...happened to be looking out the window at the same time [they were looking in the vehicle], and made eye contact with one of them. Thinking nothing of it, I went back to social networking on my phone. The cab then stopped at the red light at the above mentioned intersection. 5 seconds later, the same two officers start banging on the cab for the driver to turn off the car and unlock the doors. The White officer instructs the driver to speak to the other officer...he starts with the question, "Where did you pick this gentleman up from?" The driver, of course, has no idea what the cop is saying [because] his English is next to none. The White officer now pulls open my door and instructs me to step out if the car...I replied, "Are you serious?" His response...was, "Of course I'm f**king serious." I take one step out the cab with one foot still inside, step up, reach into my pocket, open my wallet, show shield and ID, and simply reply, "well I'm serious too." [I] place [my] wallet back in [my] pocket and sit...back in the cab. Shocked and pissed off now, the officer shouts, "Well you don't have to have a f**king attitude!" And slams the door! His partner - dumbfounded as to his partner slamming the door - says, "Wussup?" The White officer replies, "That @sshole is PD." Tells the driver have a good night and they walk away. WTF!!!!"