For What it’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
Get up, Stand Up (Bob Marley)
Volunteers (Jefferson Airplane)
We didn’t start the fire (Billy Joel)
Revolution (Beatles–single edition)
Anarchy in the UK (Sex Pistols)
Life During Wartime (Talking Heads)
Killing in the name of (Rage Against the Machine)
Fight the power (Public Enemy)
The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5)
What’s going on (Marvin Gaye)
What’s so funny bout peace love and understanding (Elvis Costello)
Get Together (Youngbloods)
Zombie (Cranberries)
As things begin to unravel here in LA, in the US, around the world: it’s hard to know who to listen to. It’s hard to know friend from foe. That seemingly safe protest image may be someone else’s strategy to point our own weapons at us.
First of all, anyone putting protest messages on FB or IG is a fool. We all know who runs those platforms.
facebook warning about black squares; click to enlarge
I also had a thought, one that I debated stating publicly: I wondered to my self why there weren’t more demonstrations in the suburbs? Aren’t the suburbs the places that racists flee to? Would’t that make a bigger impact?
Terrified of the ramifications of posting this thought on FB/IG, I turned to Twitter. A very dear friend (whom I’ve always known was a conservative, and we’ve always been able to respectfully disagree on our political views) posted this reply to my musing:
a twitter exchange with a conservative friend (also POC)
I thought about my response, I thought about deleting it, and then eventually chose to leave it up.
The reply speaks for itself. As for my friend, I thought (given our relationship, and for literally no other reason) she deserved a reply. I said, “Fair enough”.
Seems like every three years I’m back with an “I’m back!” post.
Well, let me tell you: I haven’t seen anything like this in Los Angeles since 1992.
There is some crazy shit going on; but it’s not only here–it’s all over the country. Observe: the chickens, as Malcolm X once said, have come home to roost.
