Moment With Mel: Positive Things From Protests
I have a big mouth. I always express how I feel about things, and sometimes that doesn’t sit well with others.. This weekend I decided to shut my big mouth and listen, after posting something on social media.
On Saturday morning I woke up at 2 AM and saw stories of people in pain. I saw people, of all colors, injured. Protestors, reporters, police officers…hurt. My heart felt heavy so on my Facebook page I questioned why violence was being used to protest senseless violence. Someone I know, who is white, called me out and said that I wasn’t “helping” questioning what was happening. She said that I was displaying my “white privilege” and that I should go back to posting dog pictures.
This did not sit well with me. I guess in her mind, since she’s posted memes about the death of George Floyd, she was not as “white” as me. The death of George Floyd should never have happened. The deaths of many black men before him should not have happened. The officers responsible for his death should all be arrested and prosecuted.
When I posted on my Facebook page about what was going on in the world, I was questioning things, as many of us are doing. I am not black. I do not go through the same things that black people go through daily. I have experienced hatred and racism personally because I am Jewish, but in no way do I compare my experiences to those who suffer daily.
For someone else to judge my character and soul based on social media posts is ridiculous. I deal with things using humor. I always have. There’s no question in my mind that I am still alive because of humor. When there are things happening in the world that are hurtful, sad, and cause many people to be anxious, I fill my social media pages with funny stuff and dog pics to make people smile.
The person that made comments to me doesn’t know me. She has no idea what charities I contribute to or what I try to do to help my community. I don’t post things like that on Facebook. Those are things I do because I want to help. I don’t do things for FB likes.
I learned a lot this weekend. I took my anger towards the girl that made comments about me and used it to try and understand different aspects of the protests that happened in our area and around the country. Instead of speaking, I listened. I thought about the term “white privilege” and tried to grasp how others deal with life day to day.
I do not condone the violence and destruction happening around our country….from protestors and from the police. More innocent people are getting hurt and their lives are being destroyed. I do understand the anger that is felt around the world though. Understanding and listening are two things I am going to try and do more of in my life. I don’t have answers and I realize that because I am white, I will NEVER fully grasp what others go through because of the color of their skin. All I can do is listen. And help where I can. All I can do is be a better human.
I have also learned to be real careful about judging someone. Just because some folks don’t post about current events on social media doesn’t mean they don’t care. Nor does it mean they aren’t paying attention and feeling outraged. Some people, like myself, feel that their job is to give people a smile. To give people a break from the real world. To make someone laugh.
I wrote this to get some feelings out. I wanted to share. Without question, there are other people struggling to understand some things going on in the world.
As humans, we must do better. No matter what your religion, political affiliation or skin color is, we must be better people. All of us. You may have missed some of the positive moments from protests around the world. Most of the news pictures we see are of negative things happening. Here are some positives. They helped my anxiety and maybe they can help yours as well.
Stay safe!
