Silence is Not Golden

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last two weeks, you know that racist tensions in the U.S. have yet again come to a head, this time in Charlottesville, Virginia.

I'm not going to go into the whole story of what happened in Virginia, you can read about that event here. Instead, I want to talk about how that event, and events like it, is perpetuating a state of intolerance in the U.S., and what can possibly be done to combat those feelings.Anyone that knows me already knows that I sway towards the liberal side of politics, ESPECIALLY when it comes to social justice issues. However, I don't have to tell anyone that the events that occurred in Virginia were awful, but what I do feel the need to say is: what did you expect?

SO many people think racism is dead in America. They think there are no more marginalized groups, they honestly believe that discrimination and prejudice are ideals of the past. And then events like Charlottesville pop up, and people are SHOCKED that something like this could occur in their country, and you know what? THOSE are the people I'm most appalled at. Unlike those people, I knew that racism wasn't dead, I knew that there were alt-right extremists out there congregating and planning because I paid attention.While I absolutely condemn white-supremacy and anybody who decides it is their right to decide that certain lives are worth more than others, I also want to take this moment to call out those Americans who have committed a different kind of act worthy of condemnation: Willful Ignorance.

Too many Americans have decided that these issues don't concern them, too many Americans have decided not to educate themselves on current events, and WAY too many Americans base their viewpoints on perception and false rhetoric rather than facts and information.

Racism in America is an issue in which it is not acceptable to not take a side anymore. You can't just say 'Oh I never gave it much thought' because events like Charlottesville are plastered EVERYWHERE. You don't get to pretend hatred and intolerance don't occur in your very own backyard, and you certainly don't get to pretend that you're not a part of the larger issue. In case you were wondering what this kind of pretending looks like, take a look at how our woefully incompetent, PR disaster of a president responded, here.

Not all issues have the ability to feed on indifference, but unfortunately, this one does. Because as a white person, if you stay silent on these issues and think to yourself 'Well this doesn't affect me', even if you're not a white supremacist, you are helping their agenda. Because by staying silent, you are no longer standing up for what is right and what is just, and what America is SUPPOSED to stand for. You either believe every person has the same rights as every other person, or you don't. There really isn't an in-between section on this one.All I would like to ask each and every American to do is simple: educate yourself. And educate yourself on both sides of the argument. Don't get all your information from one source, and don't believe authority figures just because of their position. Check your work, check my work, check the media's work. Ignorance is how we got in this mess of a presidency in the first place, don't let it become part of the fabric of our society. Don't let extremist rhetoric, and outlandish opinion pieces dictate our views. Do the research and make up your own mind, it's not that hard.

"You are NOT entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your INFORMED opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant." -- Harlan Ellison

Shoutout to my sister for the title of this post. To watch her video on the same topic, click here!