So focused on teams we ignore the game

To all my white friends, I need you to question your team. Yes, I know I talked a lot about teams last time, but I just keep seeing their problems everywhere I look. It’s as though this country only thinks in absolutist, binary bullshit terms.

Like, we got the president over here talking shit about his attorney general. It could prove to be a big problem, but who do we root for? The racist who left to his own devices would absolutely ruin the country? Or the racist who left to his own devices would absolutely ruin the country? My money is on the racist who left to his own devices would absolutely ruin the country.

I mean, we’ve got the president in one corner and the Mueller investigation and the Comey book tour and the FBI in the other corner. While that may sound comforting to some of you and yes, the president is just an absolute piece of shit, Mueller is a Republican, Comey ain’t no homey, and the FBI is not now, nor has it ever been interested in defending my rights or any other citizen who looks even remotely like me.

And if you’re hoping to be saved by the blue wave, you might want to find out how many Dr. Mai Khanh Trans are out there running for office.

Answer: Both too many and not enough.

And I’m not just talking about political candidates either. Last week the entire country was either rooting for a racist comedian or a goddamn pharmaceutical company. More on that later, but seriously, WTF is happening in the world?

We’re so focused on the teams that we’re forgetting about the game. Also, we’re not really on the teams. Sure, we’ve got the jerseys and yes, some people came here together, shirtless with letters painted on their chests and yes, they’re on live TV drunk, standing in the wrong order and everyone watching at home sees “RUMPT” but they’re not really on the team. They just really love the concept of the team.

The problem with that is when your only priority is the concept of the team, the actual team can cease to exist. It’s not being evaluated. The people you were once rooting for eventually cease to matter and all that matters is the other team’s loss. And not even that so much as the other team’s perceived loss.

That’s how you end up with right wing TV like the Roseanne reboot, or Tim Allen’s dumb shit, or, ugh, goddamned Sinclair, while at the same time Black shows are getting censored.

As my white friends, you should know this because, though you may have heard otherwise, there are still racist problems with restrooms.

And restaurants.

And resting.

Where does it stop? Maybe they’ll reboot segregation.

The point is that if you don’t stop this binary bullshit thinking, we may get rid of our current president, but we will most certainly only be making an easier path for one much, much worse.

Yeah, right now he’s the fuckin’ worst. And, yeah, so are the Russians, but all they did was exploit the problems we already had.

And you know what else? It was easy. Our president isn’t smart and neither is Putin. All they did was poke at the country’s festering, unbandaged wound. A monkey could do that.

But, white friends, you’re still the majority.

You can tend to your wounds.

You can question your team.

You can start here.


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3 thoughts on “So focused on teams we ignore the game”

  1. I’m a faithful follower of your writing, but may I suggest dialing back on the profanity a bit. I am no stranger to using profanity for emphasis, but eventually it becomes a distraction, overwhelming the very point being made. Also, while it is true that the Russians used our own deep divisions, hate and tribalism against us, climbing onto the big bad Russian train is unwise. The divisions are there and very deep and the Russian meddling did nothing more than we are already doing to ourselves. The nation is unwisely and blindly pushing us further and further into conflict with Russia and by and large the US and west are in great measure responsible for the escalating conflict. If you don’t believe me, review the history of NATO, the EU and the US in western Europe since the end of the cold war. It has been very provocative to a country that sees itself as being encircled more and more by US military bases and troop deployments. Your comment may have been offhand, but it only adds to the drumbeat of Russia bashing being pursued largely by the so called liberals who still cannot accept that Hillary lost to the orange monster.

  2. Oops need an editor….or another cup of coffee… meant the “powers” making those with darker skin inferior to those with lighter skin. Not even going to say white since skin color is nothing but the product of your DNA . Another thought, Europeans like myself have a small amount of their DNA (1- 5 %) coming from their Neanderthal ancestors—- those hairy, savage beasts that ruled in the dark ages of Europe with stone age clubs. But no African shows any Neanderthal ancestral DNA. So whom is the hairy savage here ? But oops….. team division !

  3. Just a part of the plan is not it ? Divide the people into “teams” and the “powers” can do what ever they want…… in the case of still so immature USA …. this has been going on since its very inception. An example would be the Jim Crow laws — laws in the south, covertly seen in the north… now seen universal if hidden under the fabric of both north and south Make one group of people— in this case those with darker skins inferior to those with darker skins. You have to admit that the “powers” did a super job here !

    By the way if any of Shay’s buddies are around Lynn, MA on Sat., June 23. A celebration of Juneteenth is planned on her Commons from 1-5 pm. A little light in the dark for real !

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