Tomi Lahren is simply stating something many are too scared to say out loud.
Tomi Lahren is wrong, but she opens the door for real dialogue
I like Tomi Lahren because she says what many are thinking which is necessary to have a conversation to correct damaging myths. Many see her as a racist. I don’t. I see her simply as the victim of systemic racism. You see, racism does not only affect people of color. It also damages white people.
In Tomi’s parlance, ‘let me go ahead and eviscerate this mouth diarrhea for you sentence by sentence. Here we go.’
- This country that allows you to speak your mind.
- Theoretically, that is true. Economically it is not. While Kaepernick may have been cut anyway, because he exercised his free speech, like Muhammad Ali and others, he will pay for speaking out against the system financially. It is good that he has that $19 million financial cushion that others don’t have. Many athletes, actors, engineers, lawyers, and other folks of color would love to speak up but can’t because of the price. To be sure, this reality is not race bases, but gender based, class based, etc.
- The National Anthem is color blind.
- That could not be further from the truth. How can we blame Tomi Lahren for this faux pas? Most of us do not know the genesis of the Star Spangle Banner. One should read the article “Colin Kaepernick Is Righter Than You Know: The National Anthem Is a Celebration of Slavery.” In short Francis Scott Key, a slave owner himself wrote this in the third verse, “No refuge could save the hireling and slave, “From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave, And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave. O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” He was referring to the freedom-seeking slaves.
- There are patriots of every race that died for this country.
- True to that. But do remember that when blacks, natives, and other people of color returned they were faced with the same racism they left after spilling blood for their country. They were redlined into creditless neighborhoods. They were lynched for wearing the uniform they served under. Many of today’s Iraq and Afghanistan Patriots still suffer the discrimination when applying for certain jobs. It is real and saying it does not exist does not make it so.
- If this country disgusts you so much, leave.
- The Right are generally the ones complaining the most about this country yet are never asked to leave. Why? Because there is a nativist trend of people who believe there are some that have the legitimate right to be here while others are ‘lucky’ to be here. Those ‘lucky’ ones should simply accept the country as it is. Hell no. The country belongs to us all and protests about its shortcomings are the way to effect change.
- Those that don’t live under this flag are banging on the door to get in.
- Net illegal immigration from Mexico, the biggest source of the Right’s angst, is negative. In other words, folks are leaving. When foreigners from Canada, Europe, and countries with solid safety nets find out about the inhumane state of our social safety net, they don’t leave home. Who leaves secure health care, and the ability to survive with dignity during hard times? Yes, people who come from the other countries are banging on our doors for an opportunity where they have none. But many times we are banging on their doors for something else. But that is for another blog.
- What have you done to make it better?
- Kaepernick spoke out, putting future wealth at risk. When someone who has the spotlight speaks out about systemic problems, they bring awareness. They wake people up. And he did that.
- What is your biggest message to black kids, people of color?
- First of all, his message is not solely to black kids and people of color. Is Tomi Lahren implying that he can only speak to or will only be listened to by a subset of Americans? How condescending to ‘white America.’ His message to all America is that we should all take risks to help bring light to what afflicts some of our American brothers and sisters. It is not about parading with the victimhood chip. It is about opening eyes. It is about shocking Americans to reflect within and without.
- How can you blame white people for the problems of the minority community
- First of all, all minority communities are not aggrieve though all suffer from the injustices of systemic racism. The problems are not caused by white people in the aggregate. It is caused by the culture of systemic racism. White people are simply a tool of the plutocracy to maintain the structure. As I have mentioned before, systemic racism is a necessary tool in America to ensure that Americans keep their eyes off of the ball, those who are really screwing them. If they can fight among each other, they have no resources to fight against those that are extracting from them, the real pilferers, the plutocracy.
- Aren’t you half white and raised by parents who took you in after yours abandoned you?
- Low blow, but expected. And I bet he has the blessing of his white parents because they had to have seen through their son’s eyes what it means to be a black person in America.
- Maybe you should decline your earnings from white fans and the white owner of the team
- Why? Athletes, actors, or anyone working for someone else represents a profitable transaction that has little to do with love or color. That is why many of his fans instead of maybe disagreeing with him have developed an immediate hate. A hate that have them burning his jerseys. You see, they love what they thought he represented. They hate that he is a man that can have a differing opinion. As long as he is their puppy doing the things they like. That is OK.
- Who is getting away with murder?
- This one is hard to crack because many Americans refuse to accept the reality that people of color are over policed, profiled, and unjustifiably killed by police. Even when it is on video, some refuse to believe their eyes. The studies are irrefutable.
- Obama and liberals should be blamed for the plight of people of color.
- Only one who does not understand government can make that claim. When an obstructive Congress refuses to pass bills that solve problems, a president or an entire administration has little recourse. That is why elections matter and people need to believe that their vote can make a difference.
- Black people need to take responsibility for their own problems and stop blaming white people.
- Again the vast majority of black people are doing fine in spite of the headwinds of systemic racism. That said, black people need white allies to solve the problems that were created by our white forefathers that linger to this day. The good thing is that slowly people are not only saying the politically correct thing, they are feeling from within that there is a problem that needs to be solved. And many more white people are understanding systemic racism for what it is, a metastasized cancer in this country created from its inception that has never been extricated.
As I write this, Tomi Lahren has been viewed over 25 million times, shared over 785,00 times, and liked over 403,000 times. Many buy into her willfully uninformed arguments. We must push back with impunity. But we thank her for saying what many are thinking, for being one that necessarily opens up the scab a bit wider to help us get to the infection.
Please check out my article “Trump ripped the scab off our country’s racism. Let’s get to work at eradicating the infection” which adds to this story.