All ‘Racist’ Monuments Are Not Created Equal
Before we demolish U.S. history, we need to face U.S. history.
An old classmate from my school days in Kissimmee, Florida, recently shared something on Facebook that switched on a light bulb in my head. In the post, he compared anyone’s being offended by Confederate monuments to his being offended by men walking around wearing baggy pants hanging so low their underwear shows.
It was impossible not to miss the racist implication of the post. What does one have to do with the other? Confederate monuments glorify men who tried to take down the country, the same one the people who defend them tend to claim is so sacred. In defending Confederate statues, they conveniently set aside the staunch, unforgiving patriotism they use to crucify anyone who kneels during the national anthem.
Low-hanging trousers, on the other hand, are just a (bad) fashion statement. They have nothing to do with historic oppression and degradation of an entire race of people. Those men flashing underwear could easily pull up their trousers. Problem solved? Of course not. How they wear their pants doesn’t mean anything to my old classmate. It’s the men in general. Most of them are Black and Latino, and that’s their real offense. He didn’t have to say it to scream it.
