Something appalling

Normalization of Black Death In America

Memes

It’s so very interesting how my generation created memes. It’s so very interesting to me to see the evolution of human behavior in this new digital world that is increasingly seeming to blend with our reality. Memes are so unique to my generation and it’s really quite interesting and worth studying the psychological reason for memes. It’s a way for people to connect and laugh, sure. I can only guess the thousands of memes shared between friends and family throughout the years. This seemingly harmless social practice has become our norm. And now when anything huge happens culturally I find myself anticipating what the next viral meme will be. And I find it so very interesting how most anything has been turned to a meme. In the year 2020 there has been countless memes about the misfortunes of our seemingly dystopian society. What I often reflect on is how my generation has used memes as a coping mechanism for trauma. I often wonder if this is a healthy way to deal with our emotions. They say laughter is the best medicine. But it’s okay to be afraid and confused and scared and lonely. Not everything has to be this performative display of human emotion wrapped into a fun easily digestible laugh. But maybe I’m just overly analytical, and maybe they’re just memes.

What would you magically remove all traces of from the internet?

I’d magically remove all remnants of colonization from the internet

Colonization on the internet looks like racism and misogyny, transphobia and xenophobia

fatphobia and anti blackness

I’d magically remove these systems that have been so maniacally crafted into every inch of our

world

What a revolution it would be to have just one aspect of life not have any remnants of this filth

To have one public space in which my marginalized body could exhale

To exist and not be burdened with the unsightly blemish that is bigotry

To know that there is a space that does not tolerate the kind of colonization our world does.

A pattern you’ve noticed in the world

A pattern I’ve noticed in the world is unjustifiable Black Death. Coupled with non black people simply not caring enough. There comes a time when silence is betrayal when black people are sick of becoming martyrs to fuel the justified rage for generations to come. I’m sick of having to fight all the time but I must. So I take no pity on non black people who feel the fight for our freedom is too much to bear. Imagine how tired we are. Expected to go about our days as if our own genocide isn’t taking place underneath everyone's noses. Everyone has the power to do more, they just don’t. We need more than repost and hashtags we need action. We need nonblack people to not tolerate racism and bigotry. And we also need non black people to accept they once were and to some degrees still are racist. As racism is a vastly complex evil, to be a non black person and to have never in your life contributed to these systems is nearly impossible. If I am still unlearning internalized racism there is no way you are just magically not racist. I’m still unraveling the wicked depths of this system as a black person. And most non black people don’t even have to think about racism in the ways in which we do. So mainly I’m just tired. Of remembering new names on the ever growing list of black death, I’m tired of being asked why it's important, I’m sick of explaining why all lives matter is another manifestation if white supremacy. I’m sick of writing poems about the sorrow of my people.

So what do you want to do today?

I mainly just want

to curl up in a ball and

Inaudibly weep