Riot

This is an essay I wrote days after the Charlotte Riots of 2016

Today, my fair-skinned father went grocery shopping for the family. He was met with uncalled for hostility and bullying because people believe that he's a racist, that he represents the problem, that he represents social injustices and that he takes advantage of white privilege over those less fortunate than he. To categorize my hard-working father into an oppressive group because of his skin tone is idiotic, self-destructive, and immature. You see a middle-aged white male; I see a selfless father who has struggled his whole life to keep those he cares about afloat. You see his fair skin and the perfect smile he offers to all of those he lays his eyes upon; I see through it to the hard times that he's battled against. I know he takes care of my mother, who's been incapable of taking care of herself for four years. I know he takes care of me, and as hard as I try not to be a burden, simply living in his house and being a homeschooled minor means that I tax him more than he's willing to admit. He supports his whole family unit off of his one, extremely hard-earned income. My father comes home from work exhausted, the kind smile he offers to me is forced and doesn't reach his eyes, he needs time to recover before he can “turn back into a human”, as he puts it, but he still does everything in his power to be kind to others, even when he is completely spent.

And yet, he loves and supports his Cuban wife and Cuban daughter selflessly, never admitting that he needs support too. He goes to great lengths to constantly demonstrate goodwill to everyone, regardless of race, gender, religion, or past. Anyone who cares to get to know him loves him, because he's a fantastic human being, a representation of what's possible to become should one choose to try to better oneself. But all many see is a white male, and they treat him as if he as an individual is personally seeing to their life problems. He's treated as if he is a monster, he's treated as if he's a bully, he's treated as if he causes problems for everyone. My father, who has spent his whole life selflessly ensuring positivity in the lives of those around him. He deserves better than that, and so do those who seek to belittle him.

People think that they're affecting change by taking their aggression to the streets and demonstrating their destructive emotions. The only change they're affecting is creating fear and hostility in those who would ordinarily be happy and kind toward them.

Think of the media. Think of the government. Think of what they have to gain, by stirring the people into a fear-induced frenzy, by making the people believe that the cause of their problems are other citizens rather than the media or the government. The media earns money the more viewers it has, and it earns more viewers by reporting horrific things that are captivating. Social injustices are perfectly horrific and captivating, and without the individuals realizing it, they find themselves supporting these media outlets with viewership, ratings, and profits.

Those in power don't want free-thinking, calm, healthy citizens. If they did, our food would be better, our water would be better, our school systems would be better, and social injustices would occur far less. Instead, the powerful wish for a society crippled by fear, because fractured societies are easier to control and manipulate, and less likely to unify and revolt.

Although it is true that relative to population, black individuals are more likely to be viewed as criminal, it is also irrefutably true that more white individuals have been shot and killed by police than members of any other race, and yet, conveniently, the media overwhelmingly reports the death of minorities. More than twice as many whites have been killed by police than blacks, but we consistently see mostly the deaths of blacks reported. Before destroying cars and businesses of innocents and creating fear in those who would otherwise be kind, maybe consider that this is exactly what those in power want. Don't let them win.

There are individuals who understand and accept that they will be met with animosity because of their race, despite the positivities that they promote. Such people are small-scale yet admirable heroes. If you as an individual want to positively change and impact the way that society views race, start by promoting positivity. We have the power to change society, not by rioting, not by creating fear, but by creating love, and demonstrating goodwill. If we feel peer pressure to negatively impact or hurt another individual, then it's time to find a new peer group, it's time to surround ourselves with people wanting to change things for the better through peace and love. To believe that there are only two sides of the argument is unnecessarily limiting. If we really want to create change, we need to stop pointing fingers and start creating the change within ourselves.

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” - Martin Luther King Junior

Author's Note

My family and I were affected by the Charlotte Riot of 2016, which happened when I was fifteen years old. Black Lives Matter activists were stirred into action because a black man was killed by a police officer, and those actions led to the total destruction of the cars and businesses and streets of innocents. Hostility and animosity ran amok between all kinds of different races. I felt fairly powerless to the events that were occurring, so I decided to exercise one of the few powers I have: My words. Thus, this essay was born.