It's Not Trayvon Martin's Fault You're Scared of Boys Like Him (Role/Reboot blog post)

[OneGrassRoot]

Here's the thing about privilege, it’s like oxygen: constant and life-giving and the fundamental enabler of everything else. It's the net that catches you when you’re irresponsible. It's the comforting blanket of knowing that the rules apply to you when you want them to, and don't when you don't want them to. It's the trust you have in the law and its executors being on your side. Until someone or some experience exposes all of the thousands of glowing threads that hold you up, it's easy to think that life is glorious because you have earned the right to glory in it.

When I came back from a trip to India, I relayed to a friend how strange it was to suddenly not trust people in uniforms. My host family had drilled into me that I was to avoid police officers at all costs; they would probably just make the situation worse. "It was just so strange," I said to my friend, "Because here in the U.S., I would always go straight to cops or security guards if I needed help."

"How nice for you,” he said quietly, “I don't feel that way.” Oh. Right. Of course. He is black. He doesn’t assume that the cops are there to serve and protect him. People do not go out of their way to help him. They cross the street. They do not make eye contact. They do not assume the best intentions. He and I, we are not playing by the same rules.

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Women are not responsible for your desire. Black men are not responsible for your fear. You are entitled to feel what you feel, but how you express it has consequences. Or, with your cloak of privilege, perhaps you’ll be back in your watch car, gun at your side, in no time at all.


COMPLETE POST: http://www.rolereboot.org/culture-and-politics/details/2013-07-its-not-trayvon-martins-fault-you-are-scared-of-boys