The Diary Room Side-Eye; Week Three

 Week three in the Big Brother house saw Memphis winning HOH and putting Nicole Anthony and David on the block. He was looking to gun for Ian but Christmas derailed that plan when she won Safety Suite and decided to make Ian her "plus one" keeping him safe for the week.

His alliance (Christmas, Cody, Dani, Nicole Franzel and Tyler) were wanting either Kaysar or Janelle to go up on the block. However, Memphis said it was too early for big moves.

I believe he chose Nicole A because he really doesn't feel she deserves to be there. It should be noted she made it to the Final Four last season. He made it clear he doesn't think David deserves to be there. In fact, he has been rather rude to David from the beginning. Let me state here I don't think David is an all-star and the boy seems a bit clueless. However, there was no reason for Memphis to be the ass he has been to him.

David and Nicole A still had the Veto comp as a lifeline. But, Nicole A was out of the comp almost from the start. David, on the other hand, came to play. He lasted until the final three along with Tyler and Memphis before dropping out.

Although Tyler is in an alliance with Memphis he kept battling for the veto. Tyler likes David and wanted to take him off the block which would've possibly forced Memphis to replace him with Janelle or Kaysar. Something that Memphis seemed very reluctant to do. But, in the end it didn't matter because Memphis won veto keeping noms the same.

I imagine being on the block is hella stressful. I know I would be anxious as hell. But, it is interesting to see what it does to some people.

Nicole A really began panicking and getting in her own head. Thanks largely to Kevin she began believing Janelle and Kaysar (especially Janelle) were lying to her and actually working against her. Kevin was filling her head with all sorts of nonsense. That dude thinks he knows what is going on but doesn't know anything.

Nicole A was going to other people in the house to verify if her suspicions and what she was being told were true. Her two biggest confidants were Dani and Nicole F, whom of course were more than willing to trash Janelle. Dani sees Janelle as a threat which she should. "The Rat", Nicole F, has this irrational envy and jealousy of Janelle. Well, maybe it's not that irrational. Janelle is The Queen and is prettier, smarter, more well liked and just a better human being than Nicole. I am sure Nicole stans are triggered and will come after me but we have plenty experience seeing how Nicole F is about other females who garner more attention than she does. See Big Brother 16 with her attitude toward Brittany and Amber and Big Brother 18 with every woman in that house.

Anyway, Nicole A was convinced Janelle was backstabbing her and wanted to call a house meeting to call out The Queen. We all know whether it's Big Brother or The Real World house meetings never go well for the person who calls them. But, she was considering it and Tyler was encouraging her because he wanted to see a show. I can't say if it were me I wouldn't have been encouraging it also, but I would like to think my humanity would have stepped in and not allowed that girl to go into the lion's den. Janelle would stripped every bit of dignity and self-worth she had.

Thankfully for her sake she decided not to call the meeting. It would have been dumb anyway since Janelle and Kaysar were busting their asses to save her placing their own games in jeopardy.

While NicA was making an ass of herself David was busy doing his best to prove Memphis was right about him. I like the boy. I do. But, he seems a little.........touched. It doesn't appear he is the brightest bulb.

The  alliance wanted David to stay. But, that is only five votes since Memphis would only vote in case of a tiebreaker. So, David needed to secure one more vote and probably two since Memphis really doesn't seem to like him. Enter Da'Vonne and Bayleigh.

Da'Vonne made it clear she didn't want to vote against David because he's African-American and she wants to see an African-American make history and win. (Spoiler: David isn't the one. The boy ain't bright!) Bayleigh more or less agreed with this sentiment. Now, as a black person who is still salty af about Danielle Reyes (BB3) I totally understand where Da is coming from. I get it. Because,  black people do seem to get shit on in this game. That said I think this stance is a bit shortsighted and misguided. As NicA pointed out to Da why can't Da be that person to make history. In the short term keeping NicA is better for Da's game because she is a number for her and Bayleigh.

Well, Da'Vonne approached David and explained this to him. She opened up saying she was conflicted because she loves Nicole but didn't want to be responsible for evicting an African-American so early in the game. She wanted assurance from him that going with her moral center over her heart was the right move.

So, she asked him if he was in an alliance because NicA was aware Tyler and Christmas in particular wanted to keep him. This fool looks at her and says, "I don't want to answer that right now." Um, bruh, you  just did answer it. Exasperated Da retorted, "What does that mean?" He proceeds to tell her he has everything under control and to "bring it down". Visibly pissed Da'Vonne says, "Ok." Note: As Bay said in the diary room, Bro, never tell a woman to  "dial it down" and especially don't do it when that woman is Da'Vonne Rogers!

She expresses her frustration to Bay telling her she is really rethinking her vote.

Alas, Eviction night arrives. In her speech NicA lowkey calls out the alliance. She calls out Memphis by name. 

By a vote of 10-2 NicA is evicted from the Big Brother house. Enzo and Kevin were the two votes to keep her.

When she sat to talk with Julie she realized what kind of a dumbass she had been. Julie told her about the alliance and basically laid it out there what Nicole F said about Janelle was bullshit. Julie point blank told her Janelle and Kaysar spent the entire week attempting to save her.

I like NicA alot, but she was way too neurotic. Her bullshit detector isn't great. Listening to Kevin, Nicole F, Christmas and Dani likely got her evicted.

Next, it was time to crown a new HOH. It was the beer stein comp which I like. Enzo jumped out to the early lead. But, midway through Tyler took first place and never relinquished it making Tyler the new Head of Household.

It was pretty clear who Tyler was targeting, Janelle and Kaysar. First, they are two of, if not the best players in the house. Second, they had four of the  alliance figured out (Tyler, Cody, Dani and Nicole F). Third, with the exception of maybe Memphis the alliance wanted them out week one.

But, before noms was the final Safety Suite. Dani, Memphis, Nicole and Enzo  competed. Janelle asked Memphis if he won it would he save her. Memphis said he would but it was obvious he wasn't interested. In fact, in the diary room Memphis said he would throw it.

Memphis did indeed throw it. Nicole was awful. Dani did really well but Enzo beat her out by 20 seconds. As his "plus one" Enzo chose Christmas.

So, that led up to nominations. In the most predictable noms ever Tyler chose Kaysar and Janelle.

It is pretty clear they have to win Veto. One of them will be going home.

Before I wrap this week's blog up I have to mention Nicole and her bullshit. She nominated Janelle as a "have not". When she did she made a snide comment about Janelle talking about her. In true Nicole fashion she then acted apologetic for allowing her "inner voice" to slip and insisted she didn't mean to say it. Of course, she did though. She made a weak ass attempt to apologize but Janelle called her out on her bs.

It is true Janelle threw her name out for nominations last week. Janelle is not a fake person and knows Nicole is fraudulent af and has earned her rat moniker. It was clear on opening night that Janelle wasn't interested in Nicole's fake ass "innocent farm girl" routine.

Nicole is obviously jealous of Janelle as I mentioned earlier in the blog. Let's keep it 100 here. Nicole is jealous of every woman.

The fact is I know the Janelle haters and Nicole stans will come at me but whatevs. Nicole is pathetically insecure and fake.

She has spent the last few days crying because Janelle has been "mean" to her. By The Queen's standards she has actually taken it easy on The Rat. The Janelle from seasons 6 and 7 would've gone all in and made that ridiculous child self-evict.

Say what you want about The Queen but she's real. One of the reasons Janelle is, always has been and always will be my favorite is because she doesn't stand for bullshit, frontin and weakness. Janelle has always been a down ass chick and love or hate her you know what you're getting.

Nicole, on the other hand, slithers around stabbing people in the back and then plays the victim when she's called out. Da'Vonne knows that better than anyone.

Janelle is likely going home Thursday which will suck. I just hope the old Janelle comes back for a couple of days and blows Nicole's game up.

I will cover it in next week's blog but Nicole has already set her sights on her next target playing the victim while being a whiny manipulator. The problem this time she is in a house full of real legends and queens. Although they are in her alliance Christmas and Dani are already seeing right through The Rat's ratchetness. If God is smiling down on me that chick will not be long for this game.

I don't want to see Kaysar go but I hope my Big Brother crush for the last 16 years can pull off some magic and stay. Regardless which of Kaysar or Janelle stay the rest of the house may be in for a turbulent summer.

The Diary Room Side-Eye: Week Two

 This past week in the Big Brother house started off rather uneventfully.

Cody, the HOH, had nominated Kevin and Keesha for nominations. It was a typical first week nomination. Cody stated he didn't have a connection with either Kev or Keesh. And, if you remember, his original targets (Kaysar and Janelle) were safe thanks to Kaysar's win in the Safety Suite.

Both nominees decided to save themselves by floating around the house. They also knew Veto was still to be played which winning was the only way to ensure safety.

Keesha turned to her social game. Kevin, on the other hand, decided to grovel and whine. He went to Enzo, Ian, David and the HOH Cody to help him stay. It was a bit pathetic if you ask me.

Anyway, the Veto comp was played. Enzo won the comp, which consisted of stacking as much plastic fruit as possible without the stack falling. Kevin literally had the comp won with 19 pieces but instead of hitting the buzzer he decided to continue stacking. His stack fell which allowed Enzo to win with 18 pieces.

Predictably Enzo did not use the Power of Veto. As he stated, it was too early in the game to be making big moves. Besides, Cody didn't want the Veto used because understandably he didn't want anymore blood on his hands.

After Veto it became pretty apparent Keesha was the target for eviction. Her allies, Kaysar and Janelle, tried to sway some votes but were unsuccessful.

So, Thursday night came, which is eviction night. Am I the only one who gets excited for eviction night even when I know what is going to happen? Maybe it's just my weird ass.

Well, I did know what was going to happen. The gorgeous Keesha, who just happened to be one of my picks for Final Three and one of the true queens of Big Brother, was evicted. What somewhat surprised me that is was 13-0. I figured Kaysar or Janelle would throw her a sympathy vote. Hell, I thought Memphis maybe would. He didn't.

I hate Keesha left so early. Personally, I would've much rather seen Kevin go. And, no, not just because of my prediction but because I think Keesha would've added so much more than Kevin will. By the way I will get into Kevin's dunbfuckery in next week's blog.

It came time for the HOH comp. Janelle and Kaysar believed they had to win it to keep from going on the block.

The comp was close. Janelle was on her game, but it wasn't enough. Memphis became the new HOH.

With Memphis as the HOH it was unclear to me whom he would put on the block. My initial thought was Kaysar and The Queen.

Considering it's only the second week he could go with safer choices. For example, no reason Kevin couldn't go up again.

It was pretty clear who wasn't going up. Cody, Christmas, The Rat Nicole F, Dani and Tyler are all in an alliance with Memphis. But, Memphis was wanting everyone to play Safety Suite which Nicole F, Dani and Tyler rightfully balked. They didn't want their pass wasted. They all saw right through the bs and knew Memphis was trying to keep his ass safe for next week.

However, Christmas and Cody decided to play. In fact, most of the house played.

Christmas came out the winner. She chose Ian as her "plus one". She wanted to protect someone who isn't in her alliance so that she doesn't give away any clues whom she is an alliance with. It also gives her another ally in Ian whom will owe her because Memphis is gunning for him. That said Memphis was okay with Ian being safe because he feels he will have the opportunity to get Ian.

Well, with Ian not an option Memphis decided to put up David and Nicole A. Memphis' speech to David was a bit harsh and unnecessary. He obviously doesn't think David deserves to be there. He had named David a "have not" citing he thinks David "will break".

When this all actually took place Friday night Facebook and Twitter were abuzz about what Memphis had said. Actually watching it what Memphis said wasn't exactly in the realm of what it was being portrayed. Of course, it was also edited to put Memphis in a better light.  However, I thought he was out of line. Of course, David isn't an all-star, but he hasn't done anything while in the house that deserved Memphis being such a dick to him.

It is somewhat unclear who the target for eviction is. I think Memphis would rather see Nicole A go because he views her as more of a threat and she didn't obey him about playing in the Safety Suite. Whereas with David he acts like he is some frat brother teaching a pledge he doesn't particularly care for a lesson.

It will be interesting to see how Veto plays out. I hope David can pull it off. I like the dude. He seems goodhearted and laid back.

Let me just say Memphis rubs me the wrong way. I can't quite put my finger on it but something about that guy doesn't sit well. He seems arrogant and entitled for no real reason. I mean, Bruh, you lost to Dan Gheesling 7-0 in season 10! He took you to the Final Two. While you're shitting on David some would say you're not an all-star but I digress.

Before I go let me say something the live feeders and daily blog followers are well aware of. I like Nicole A. She seems like a sweet chick and very down to earth. But, homegirl needs to check herself wanting to go after Janelle. I know some folks are about to be triggered but triggered you'll have to be. Janelle just isn't a queen. She is THE QUEEN! The Queen is the master of the side-eye, throwing shade, dragging a mf'er and snatchin wigs. This silly girl better tread lightly. She will go somewhere she will not come back from. I hope somebody in that house snatches her silly ass up and talks some sense into her. Gurlllllll,  you don't want that smoke! Trust and believe that!

Systemic Racism Should Be The Movement's Focus

 Along with the Covid pandemic the anti-racist movement has been at the forefront of the news cycle this summer.

It was late May when the murder of George Floyd ignited a powder keg of frustrations and was the culmination of a series of racially motivated murders and incidents that sparked what has become daily protests demanding an end to racial injustice and police brutality. The protests began in Minneapolis, the site of the George Floyd murder, but quickly spread to cities and towns all across America. Because of the protests more attention was brought to the Ahmaud Arbery murder at the hands of racist "vigilantes in Georgia, the Louisville police murder of first responder Breonna Taylor while she slept her home and an incident in Central Park featuring a white jogger, Amy Cooper, calling the police on a black bird watcher, Christian Cooper, falsely telling the police he was "threatening" her and her dog all because she was offended he politely asked her to leash her dog because the dog was scaring away the birds.

These protests brought forth a national reckoning on police brutality, police interaction and attitude toward people of color, racial injustice, racial inequality and racism as a whole. For the first time in a long time Americans were forced to look at the way poc (particularly black people) were treated in this country and acknowledge racism is a bit more prevalent than they wanna admit.

As people took their grievances and demands to the streets (the vast majority peacefully protesting) and to social media it became clear that this wasn't going away anytime soon. People were demanding change take place now. However, the direction the demand for change should go wasn't so clear.

The woke types seemed to be more focused on interpersonal racism and racist symbols. Confederate statues were being forcibly taken down. The Confederate flag became a pointed debate topic. In fact, NASCAR decided to enforce a rule that had actually been decided in 2015 banning the Confederate flag from all races. Racist stereotypes and images such as Aunt Jemima came under scrutiny eventually being removed. Several white animated voice over actors who were voicing black characters stepped down from their roles. The Dixie Chicks and Lady Antebellum changed their names to The Chicks and Lady A respectively. And, of course, there was the cringey annoying white liberal folks (especially Hollywood peeps and the brie cheese eating/Starbucks chai tea sippin types) who decided they needed to yet again reevaluate checking their privilege further bastardizing and watering down the term.

Now, there has also been the more earnest sincere anti-racist allies who feel they must work on individuals in their orbit to be more aware, self-reflective and less bigoted. People who feel ending interpersonal racism and bigotry is the key ending inequality and injustice.

While fighting interpersonal racism and holding each other accountable is something we should all definitely do it is not where our focus should be.

For us to competently fight racism we have to end systemic racism and discrimination.

The fact is we are never going to rid ourselves of the scourge that is interpersonal racism. Sadly, there will always be bigots, racists and supremacists. Human beings are what they are. Again, that doesn't mean we don't stop trying to change people because we do. Just understand if your end game is to totally eradicate people hating or judging others based upon their race or ethnicity your efforts are in vain. Besides, changing individuals doesn't solve the material problems.

Ending racial inequality and injustice has to be done at their roots, the system.

Now, many people on the right and the center and frankly, the neoliberal left of center will tell you systemic racism isn't actually a thing. All of these different groups have slightly nuanced versions of why systemic racism is not the problem. But, they share the same core reason for making these assertions, which are so obviously asinine, which is they are protecting their power.

People on the right will tell you the stroke of the pen signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act, 1965 Voting Rights Act (which the Supreme Court gutted in 2012) and the 1968 Fair Housing Act eradicated systemic racism. They  insist because those laws forbade anyone from discriminating against poc systemic racism was ended forever. You know, because people never break the law and there are never loopholes or entities that simply don't enforce the law. So, the system is fine and only infrequently needs a tweak or two.

Centrists and Neoliberals take a slightly different tact. They are very willing to concede there are racists and there is even some systemic racism. However, they insist the solution isn't to look at the system but to focus on the individuals within the system.

Here is where pseudo-woke culture and corporate wokism were born. Their approach is to have workshops and training that focus on telling white folks  that they are inherently racist while instructing poc to check white folks' privilege and obsess over micro-aggressions. This culture also encourages white folks to constantly reevaluate their attitudes and behavior toward poc which isn't necessarily a bad thing except that the premise is these white folks can never really achieve true wokeness. Because, if they did, these corporate trainers would see their revenue streams dry up and corporations could not constantly push the narrative of how "down" and woke they are.

Does it sound like I am being too cynical? Good! You should be too! All of this bullshit is used to distract and divert away from the fact that these companies don't pay their employees (of any color) anywhere near well enough or that poc and members of marginalized groups are sprinkled throughout management but their representation isn't usually close to adequate or the fact many of these bigger companies and corporations are purveyors of gentrification which disproportionately negatively affects poc and hiring practices are often racist and multiple studies have proven it so.

The system is the problem. I know this triggers people but some of y'all really have to stop being effin snowflakes! Generational wealth is such a major factor. Black people literally are 225 years behind.

 I bring this up because banking is another systemic issue. African-Americans with the same exact financial credentials as their white counterparts are approved for loans at substantially lower rates.

There are fewer banks located in predominantly black areas and those banks are given less capital from the federal government.

Because fewer banks are located in areas predominantly of color and it's fundamentally more difficult for poc to establish bank accounts many poc are forced to utilize payday lenders. These payday lenders are predatory and woefully under regulated.

Housing is another issue where systemic racism is prevalent. Despite the 1968 Fair Housing Act African-Americans are purchasing houses at the same rate they did in 1951! And, while the 1968 Fair Housing Act was supposed to eliminate redlining, a systematic tool used by loan and mortgage companies to deny black people bank loans and the ability to purchase homes as well as devaluing property value in predominantly neighborhoods of color, as recently as 2015 companies were cited by the federal government for using redlining and their is no indication it has stopped. In fact, the Trump Administration has eased regulations and rules designed to prevent any redlining from taking place.

Earlier I mentioned hiring practices. Numerous studies within the last couple of years have shown that employers are almost 1/3 less likely to give online job applicants with  "urban" or ethnic sounding names a first interview and applicants of color are over 1/3 less likely to receive a second interview than their white counterparts. Those same studies have shown felons of color and with "non traditional sounding names" are 2/3 less likely to receive an interview.

Systemic racism and classism exist in  education. I would argue besides the justice system there is no more explicit example of the prevalence of systemic racism than what exists in this country's educational system.

It seems with every passing day education is becoming more and more devalued in our society. Frankly, the right doesn't appear to care about education at all. And, Democrats don't care enough. Whenever it's time to slash state and federal budgets one of the first items placed on the chopping block is education spending. Everyone says education "is essential" but apparently not essential enough to fund.

These constant budget reductions affect innercity and urban areas, which are usually largely of color, the most. These school systems are already fighting from behind because of the asinine means test of how schools are funded. Funding is based upon property taxes.

Needless to say, lower income areas are going to have less tax revenue which means less money for schools. By the way rural area schools are also negatively affected by this nonsense.

Because of the shortage in funding both innercity and rural schools don't have enough books for classes. It causes a shortage in teachers which subsequently leads to larger classrooms. Of course, the more students per class means less time teachers have to give students individually. The resources schools have not only for teachers but "extracurricular activities" that have proven to be instrumental in children's development are scarce and in some cases nonexistent. The school buildings and the equipment inside is usually out of date or inferior which, of course, becomes a hindrance in providing a quality education and positive environment.

As I stated this affects rural schools but often has a devastating affect on many students of color. Receiving a basic education preparing one for college or vocational school or going straight into the workplace is right along with housing, food and medical care as things that are not only rights but inarguably vital to one's survival.

Finally, there is the justice system. Look, I have really tired of arguing with disingenuous rightwingers who pretend there is no bias in the judicial system. Their arguments are frankly stupid and wrong and they know it. They simply don't want to admit it.

I could sit here listing numerous...copious examples of racial bias within the judicial system. But, like I said I have no more space for bullshit.

The fact is despite the tropes and not so thinly veiled racist narratives some love to spin the majority of black people aren't committing crimes nor are the majority of crimes committed by black people. For example,black and white people use/sell drugs at the same rate. However, black people (especially black men) are arrested and convicted more than their white counterparts. In addition with the same parameters being involved black people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses are routinely given harsher sentences than their white counterparts.

These sentence patterns exist for other crimes as well. The darker the skin the harsher the sentence is likely to be. This is partially why mass incarceration is such an issue.
Now, the right will have you believe this is all the fault of Joe Biden and the Clintons. Without question Biden wrote the crime bill; Hillary Clinton provided massive input and Bill Clinton, as president, signed the 1994 crime bill. What rightwingers fail to mention is they, too, supported the bill and in fact, didn't think it went far enough. They along with corporatist Democrats have continuously propped up the private prison industry which of course targets poc.

Oh, and lest I mention explicitly the  "War on Drugs" that has specifically targeted poc and the poor. The war on drugs has been a bi-partisan effort. Do not allow anyone to tell you differently.

So, there is a laundry list of examples highlighting systemic racism in this country. For us to see true material equality come to poc the system must be held to account and restructured.

Tweaking and reforming aren't enough. The people in power want us to believe it is and they're the ones to do it. No! Because, they will do what they have always done and simply make aesthetic changes with a few (very few) substantive changes. Changes you can be assured will not in any meaningful way affect their power and status and most certainly will not positively affect our lives.

Time for some folks to be triggered. You were warned. Our system was built upon white supremacy, racism and classism. Full stop. If you can't acknowledge that or wanna get in your feelings here's some lemons to go along with your salty tears.

While things have improved from where they once were this system hasn't fundamentally changed. It does everything it can to predetermine winners and losers. Truth is your family name and the zip code you are born in has as much in determining your destiny as anything.

Sure, there are some poc who are immensely successful. That has always been the case. We just have more now than, say, 50 years ago. But, judging poc's status by pointing to Oprah, Jo-Lo and LeBron James is idiotic! Because, how many poc who are "doing well" that aren't singers or media moguls or elite athletes? How many poc are in management positions? How many poc are in  corporations with realistic chances of advancement?

And, make no mistake there are poc who are heavily invested in maintaining the current system. They have made it so to hell with everyone else.

Look no further than the Congressional Black Caucus to see this illustrated. I am not saying there aren't good people in that caucus who haven't done some good things. But, let's keep it real. Almost all of those Congress people are corporatists and Neoliberals. They worry more about their donors and financial interests than the people they serve. If this weren't true they would be wielding their power and influence to reshape this system and put a real end to racial inequality and injustice.

I no longer have time to fuck around here. None of us who are actually committed to the anti-racist and anti-classism movement can afford to be passive or misguided.

I mentioned the symbolic gestures earlier. There is a reason these people applaud these things. Again to pick on the CBC but surely you noticed their relative silence during the first couple of weeks of protests but their "approval" of those dusty ass Confederate statues being taken down. Why do you think that is? Taking down those shitty ass statues doesn't change anything. It is all aesthetic. But, the actual protests were focused (mostly) on changing this system and calling to the carpet any and everyone upholding it. Changing the system is effin with their power and money!

We have to be focused and remained focus on the system. The way to do that is pay attention. Partake in electoral politics. Support groups and factions that are truly interested in seeing folks' lives materially changed for the better.

Local politics are vital. Support the most progressive candidates for the PTA, school board, city councils, district attorney, local judges and mayor. Get people who have your best interest into positions of power. When it comes to state politics do the same thing. If there are no progressive candidates support the ones who will have the most harm reduction and work on getting them to the right position. If they don't do it, find  more progressive people for the next election.

Look, this exactly how Republicans took over state and local governments. They focused on getting their people in and working from the grassroots. We must do the same.

Elections have consequences. Pay attention. Vote!

This system is going to change itself. If we want change, this broad multiracial multiethnic multi-faith coalition has to work together. Systemic racism, racial inequality and police brutality will end when we get people into power whom actually give a shit about ending these scourges.

Our issues are systemic! As Public Enemy said, "Fight the powers that be!"

Diary Room Side-Eye: Week One

 Big Brother 22 All-Stars kicked off this past Wednesday, August 5th. It was so good to have our summer pastime back!

Before I get to deep into night one's happenings let's talk about the cast. Overall I like the cast. A few I could do without. And, frankly, the term "all-star" might have been stretched with a few of them but they did assemble an eclectic group.

Let's begin with whom off the bat I don't like. As far as I am concerned public enemy #1 is Nicole F. I didn't like her in #BB17 and I despised her in #BB18. Her "just down home girl on the farm" routine was bs the first time I saw it and is just trite bs now! She is as sneaky and fake as anyone who played the game. She was whining about how nobody felt she earned her BB18 win. Uh, Boo, that is because you didn't!
Others on my not so favorite list are Ian, Enzo, Memphis, Bayleigh, Kevin and Ian.

I give Ian mad props because he is one of the best to play the game. Along with Nicole he is the only actual winner on the cast. The fact he is on "the spectrum" and navigated that house with such precision is not only admirable but highly impressive. He is just someone I could never get into. I don't hate him. I just don't necessarily care for the guy.

I have to be honest in saying I wasn't completely keyed in on Enzo's season (BB12) nor Kevin's (BB11). I had two sons playing baseball every night. But, Enzo acts like one would think a guy named Enzo would act. I am not huge into the whole self-aggrandizing thing unless you are THE QUEEN who I will get to momentarily.

As for Kevin, I get a serious Frankie vibe off of him and that is a huge turnoff for me. It is all a bit too much pretentiousness for my taste.

I could be wrong about these two and they could grow on me. I remember Jason and James from BB17 and I couldn't stand them initially. But, I really learned to like James and Jason is one of my all-time favorites.

That leaves Memphis and Bayleigh. Honestly, I don't dislike Memphis really. I just don't vibe with the dude. He seems to have this preppy jock quality about him. And, despite the fact he hates hearing it, he got to the Final 2 on Season 10 because of Dan.

I want to like Bayleigh. She was the victim of some disgusting behavior last year. However, she is a bit too fake for me. Her modern day Whitley Gilbert act doesn't do it for me.

Next, are the people I am somewhat ambivalent about. Tyler, David, Nicole Anthony and Dani. Tyler is an excellent player. Nicole A is also very good. David is not an all-star, but I understand why he is there. He didn't receive an actual opportunity last season and was evicted without a vote.

Then, there is Dani. Dani is a star. She is one of the best players to play the game. She is smart and cunning. She just has never been someone whom evokes strong feelings (good or bad).

Next, are people I like (but not necessarily love). Christmas and Keesha are BB princesses but for different reasons.

I like Christmas and did from day one of BB19. However, she had no business in the Final Three. The narrative about her finishing third bothers her but the fact is her breaking her leg was a blessing in disguise. She was no longer seen as a target when before the injury she was a legitimate threat. Paul dragged her with him because he knew he would beat her in Final Two.

Keesha is awesome too. She has a great social game which is key in that house. Yes, she is stunningly gorgeous but she was able to disarm people because she is just likeable.

Finally, my favorites. Kaysar is the best player to never win the game. I said what I said. Kaysar is as intelligent and crafty as anyone whom has ever played. The numbers always get him.

I don't care what anyone says Cody is a beast too. Yes, Derrick was the mastermind in Season 16. But, he doesn't get to end without Cody. Cody has a terrific social game and is a comp beast. It will be interesting to see how he plays without Derrick but I have a feeling he will be just fine.

A lot of people hate Da'Vonne and I am not completely sure why. Da is real. Maybe that's the issue. That realness and what I believe is some really jacked up insecurity from certain folks caused her to have early exits in her two appearances (BB17, BB18). But, she seems different this time. She is calmer. I believe she realizes she has to stay under the radar.

Last but Lawd knows certainly isn't least is THE QUEEN, Janelle. I already know the hate is coming. Don't care. Janelle is the Big Brother Queen and Goddess. Nobody has been able to play the game with the brains, beauty and cunningness Janelle has all while throwing mad shade and not giving one f***! What I have always appreciated about Janelle is she is as real as they come. She is drop dead gorgeous and doesn't mind telling you so. She is a diva without question. But,  that realness gives her an edge that makes her a boss! Unfortunately, I think that edge will do what it has always done which is get her far but not far enough. From what I saw on night one she is not going to change which is why I love her! She was giving all sorts of side-eyes to Nicole F because Janelle sees right through her fake crap.

For the rest of night one the houseguests were introduced in groups of four. Immediately upon entering the house they played a comp. The comp determined who played in the season's first Head of Household  (HOH) comp.

Cody, Memphis, Christmas, Nicole A, Kevin and Ian advanced.

The comp was each player had to go across these pods without falling until they reached the other side hitting their buzzer. The fastest time wins HOH.

Memphis went first with a time just over a minute. Next, was Cody who finished the comp in 22 seconds. Nicole A, Kev and Ian didn't come close. Christmas gave it a good effort but she fell short as well making Cody the first HOH.

Cody immediately looked at Janelle and Kaysar as potential nominations. While I don't want to see either of those two go especially not this early it was a very wise decision on Cody's part. Along with Dani, Kaysar and Janelle are old school players. They think long term. And, they are the smartest people in the house.

However, a wrench was thrown into Cody's plans because the first twist of the season, the Safety Suite. Kaysar was the beneficiary and he was able to take a "plus one". He chose Janelle so Cody had to come up with a new plan.

He began focusing on Keesha. Which by the way is problematic for a prediction of mine that I will get to here in a moment.

An assumption going around the house was that Cody would put up Keesha and Memphis with Keesha as the pawn. However, that was not the case. Cody put up Keesha and Kevin with Kevin as the pawn.

So, now we'll have to see what happens with the Veto comp, which actually took place Saturday, August 8th. The Veto Ceremony will take place sometime Monday afternoon, August 10th. Both events will air on CBS Wednesday, August 12th. Out of respect for those who don't have the live feeds or read spoilers I will do my level best to not give anything away. I want to adhere to the television scheduled airings.

I hate to see Keesha on the block. One, I like her but more importantly it could throw a huge wrench into my predictions. I was going to predict Keesha, Cody and Da'Vonne will be the Final Three. Of course, now, this prediction could blow up in my face. But, I will be principled and stick with it. The Veto could give Keesha life or she might be able to talk her way out of eviction. She has turned on her social game.

I would love to see Kaysar and Janelle who have already teamed up get to the end but I really think that is a long shot. I would hope they just make it to jury. My hope is they'll team up with Da and either Memphis or Christmas because that would be a helluva an alliance.

I am so ecstatic Big Brother is on! The year 2020 has been crazy and awful for a myriad of reasons, but having BB in my life for the next three months will hopefully bring some normalcy and much needed drama that isn't my own. I may write a short blog after Veto Wednesday night but if not I will definitely be back next Sunday.

Continuing Michael Brooks' Project

 Since Michael Brooks' untimely death much discussion has taken place regarding his legacy and his project. Most of Michael's supporters and fans have bantered about how best to keep his memory alive and move the project forward.

The Michael Brooks Show (TMBS) producers, Matt Lech and David Griscom, along with his sister, Lisha Brooks have vowed to continue the show and do so in its original format. They have stated a few times within the last 10 days or so that TMBS will be back to airing on Patreon and YouTube within the next couple of weeks.

Without question Matt, David and Lisha will pick up torch and be our leaders. It should go without saying their efforts will be buttressed by Progressive and Leftist voices like Ana Kasparian, Nando Vila, Nomiki Konst, Wosny Lambre (Big Wos), Ben Burgis, Alyona Minkovski, Brandon Sutton, Milton Allimadi Joshua Kahn Russell and so many more. But, where does that leave the thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Michael's patrons, subscribers, listeners and viewers? What is our role?

Well, as TMBS community member, Jay Whitcher put it "We are Michael's project."

Michael's project is multifaceted but at its core is the people. Perhaps more specifically it is those of us on the Left who believe in what Mike believed in.

Of course, he believed in the staple Progressive/Democratic Socialist policies such as Medicare For All, universal housing, a living wage, criminal justice reform, food security, a broad social safety net, and an economic system that works for each and every person instead of a select few. But, he believed these things must not only come to fruition for Americans but everyone across the globe. Michael was a true left internationalist.

The Michael Brooks project goal is to see solidarity among the American Left and for that solidarity to extend universally across the world from Brazil to the UK to India to South Africa to Australia. He believed for the Left to be truly strong their must be solidarity among the many movements across the globe and for those movements to unite into a cohesive coalition. Now, that doesn't mean we become a monolith because he understood there will be disagreements and each country's politics has nuances. However, we should all have common goals and an end game of seeing a Democratic Socialist economic and foreign policy structure put in motion that sees a multiracial multiethnic multi-faith multinational working class that is placed as the priority. Mike believed in a system that featured equality of opportunity whose foundation was bolstered by a broad social safety net that eliminated poverty and a working poor.

Brooks understood for this project to succeed it must center around regular working class people and not systems built to coddle and protect the top 1%, white supremacy and an elite class who is always looking to imisserate and disenfranchise.

So, where do we fit in? The answer is where we have always fit in. Doing our part to better this world. Looking out for each other. As Michael said, "Be ruthless with systems. But, be kind to people."

We have to be involved. Be informed. Be cognizant of our world. We have to support left independent media. That doesn't mean all left media because, frankly, some of it is woefully lacking and some of it is just reactionary rudderless hot garbage. I said what I said.

Support those we know have our back and our guiding us in good faith. Obviously, continue supporting TMBS giving Matt, Griscom and Lisha all the support we can and then some. Support people like Ana, Nomi, Wos, Krystal Ball, The Majority Report with Sam Seder, Kyle Kulinski, The Humanist Report, The Young Turks, The Damage Report, The Antifada, Useful Idiots with Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper, Milton Allimadi and the numerous other of good informative insightful left commentators. Please continue to obtain the wisdom of folks like Cornell West, Harvey Kaye, Daniel Bessner, Ben Burgis, Abby Martin, Richard Wolfe, and Dave Rubin. Joking about Rubin, of course.

Something I heard Michael, as well as Sam Seder, say often is politics is local.  So, pay attention to not only the presidency, the Senate and the House but your city and state politics. This is something I definitely need to infinitely get better at myself. If you are someone who feels the calling to run for office, do it. Canvas, phone bank and knock on doors for any Progressive or DSA or Justice Democrat in your area. For those people abroad do the same for any leftist candidates in your local and regional area elected offices.

  One of the reasons the rightwing has seemingly so much control is they focused on city councils, mayors offices, local judgeships and state houses. They obtained power locally and it filtered up. They have a project and for all their reactionary ways they are strategic and implement that strategy.

Mike often talked about the Left obtaining power and being strategic. Every week on TMBS and "Michael Thursdays" on The Majority Report he would emphatically stress the Left's need for gaining power and the importance of having a strategy and a broad view of the bigger picture. He would celebrate the victories but always kept in perspective that we have ahead of us substantially so much more hard work.

We must acquire and keep up that same laser focus and energy. Yes, naturally, celebrate victories like Cori Bush, Rashida Tlaib, AOC, Ayanna Pressley, Jamal Bowman and Mondaire Jones but understand we must press forward to ensure Ilhan Omar and Kara Eastman win. We have to increase our numbers. And, then continue to push Progressive candidates to continue to seek progressive policies that will materially affect positively the lives of working class and poor people and policies that will better our foreign policy.

Also, support our brothers and sisters to the north and the south and those abroad so their lives are bettered and lifted out of poverty. We all must become internationalists.

Because, the reality is we are all in this struggle together. We will only achieve victory and see the project through when we become selfless and pull for the person next to us and behind us. As Bernie Sanders said, "Not me. Us."

The Michael Brooks project is multiracial, multiethnic, multinational and spiritual. That includes those who aren't spiritual or who are atheist. Regardless of our faith or lack thereof or are identity we are in a global class struggle and our very existence is at stake. We don't have time or capacity for petty differences or disingenuous people. It is time we pull together and see the entire forest.

If we want to honor Mike's memory and legacy, we need...we MUST come together in solidarity. Further his project. Support each other. I recently heard the Queen, Ana Kasparian, say,"On the left it is like a family. Sometimes you feel so alone. It seems we are so isolated. It is why we have to pull together and become stronger." As often is the case, she is right. We are family.

The Left is a place of diverse opinion and nuance thought. Contrary to the vacuous narrative Conservatives and the rightwing frequently propagate the Left can be quite eclectic. Because of this we tend to have some nonsensical petty as fuck in-fighting.

But, we can no longer afford that. Michael said this often. We are fighting not only the onset of global clown fascism but wide ranging neoliberalism and corporatism. We are battling shitty corporate media narratives and an ever increasing cynicism and apathy among the citizenry that creates vacuums where shameless fake populist grifters like Trump, Bolsonaro and Johnson slide into power bringing austerity, crypto-racism and low rent authoritarianism with them. These menaces must be defeated.

This can be done with a broad internationalist sincere left agenda being pushed.

Let's get the fuckin shit done! For Michael! For Matt, David, and Lisha! For our other left and Democratic Socialist leaders and influencers. For each other!

LEFT IS BEST HERE AS IT IS EVERYWHERE!

SOLIDARITY! ✊

The Diary Room Side-Eye: Introduction

Welcome to the Diary Room Side-Eye!

This is the introductory post. Every Sunday evening (hopefully) I will post a new blog detailing the week's events, providing analysis and giving some predictions for Big Brother 22 All-Stars. I will cover the Veto comp and subsequent Veto ceremony which airs on Wednesday nights along with Thursday night's broadcast which features the weekly eviction. I also will go over the Head of Household comp and the possible implications from the results.

I am a Big Brother superfan and I love to write. So I decided what better way to combine two of my loves than to start a weekly blog.

I have been waiting years for an all-stars show. Finally it is here. I could do without some of the houseguests who will be there and would like to see others. I will provide my more specific critiques of the cast on Sunday. Allow me to say, however, I am elated Da'Vonne, Janelle, Cody and Kaysar will be in the house.

Big Brother is one of my favorite shows and is my undisputed #1 favorite reality show! I have been kicking around the idea of a weekly blog or YouTube channel for a few years. Now, I have finally decided to do it.

I hope to bring some sound critiques, insightful analysis and some humorous quasi diary room type takes. I love the game and find it along with the social experiment fascinating.

I hope you enjoy and keep coming back every week as a reader. I welcome comments and criticism. I want to do right by our summertime guilty pleasure and favorite show.

I will be back Sunday evening after the CBS broadcast.

Snowflakery

The discussion around cancel culture has been in the news a lot lately. It has overshadowed its brother, snowflakery.

These two things are closely adjacent. But, snowflkery is more this form of informal censorship than it is deeming someone "toxic" like cancel culture does.

Snowflake was the buzzword a couple of years ago. It is a term rightwingers and alt-righters use to describe anyone they view as liberal who become easily offended. Mostly they use it for college kids and people on social media who get triggered by certain words or attitudes. Of course, like so many other things, this is projection from the right. While they are mostly correct about the oversensitivity by some on the left they are also easily triggered by certain attitudes and groups of people themselves.

But, in my mind snowflakery has somewhat evolved into this attitude-a culture really- of people who don't feel they should ever be challenged and their opinions are exempt from any scrutiny or analysis. This isn't partisan or even generational. It has just become to some degree a norm.

This is most prevalent on social media, of course. Like many people I spend time (too much time honestly) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Many people express their opinions about an array of topics. A significant chunk espouse their political thoughts. Some of those thoughts and opinions are provocative and controversial. We live in a very polarized country.

However, here is what I have noticed occurring more and more. People will post an opinion or share a meme that is almost guaranteed to elicit a passionate response or at least stir some emotions within people. Somebody or somebodies will post an opposing comment and the author loses their shit over it. Often times other people who agree with the post will become angry with the opposing viewpoint also.

Now, if it ended there, while the anger at an opposing viewpoint could be problematic, it would be fine. It doesn't though. Way too frequently responses include telling the dissenters they have no right to speak or attacking the dissenters and not their arguments. A common refrain is "This is my page and I can say what I want! I don't want any arguments." Or, my personal favorite, people will just block or unfriend anyone who disagrees with them. So infantile.

Here is the issue. If you post a political or even sports related or cultural opinion or state something as fact (especially without corroboration or a cited reference) on a public platform in a public manner you should reasonably expect somebody may disagree and express that disagreement. 

A bigger issue for me is if you're stating an opinion that presumably you believe to be correct why is someone contradicting that opinion so triggering? Who cares? Listen to what their argument is and debunk it or counter it. 

Instead what I have witnessed several people do is essentially censor the comments. They will either attempt to bully people. Or, they might just delete the disagreeing comment or block the person. It is so childish and petty.

What I have learned is why the reason people who act this way do so. More often than not they won't defend whatever they said because they cannot. 

Their opinion isn't so much an conviction or value belief as it is reactionary. They comment on topics they haven't given more than two minutes thought. And, frankly, in some cases two minutes is way too generous. Their thoughts are purely based upon ideological pablum and groupthink.

Because of this they are unequipped to respond with any semblance of intelligence and analysis. And, when they see the person contradicting them came loaded with facts and forethought they become triggered.

I also believe some people who believe there should be no pushback on anything they say  are simply delusional. Especially the younger they are they've grown up in this era where they have had it drilled into them no matter what they say or think it's special because they are unique. They are told there are no stupid questions and adjacently no stupid statements. But, that is not true. There are plenty of stupid statements and questions. Just because you say something doesn't mean it is  "a truth" or special or above critique. Sorry. That is insane.

Are we really supposed to listen to Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) say that maybe his mask gave him the 'Rona and give that any credence? Of course not! That is an objectively stupid statement.

We have become this society where not only the slightest incident or actual innocent slip of the tongue triggers us but we believe that we should say whatever we want and offer any opinion with no pushback or disagreement or fact check. The art of dialogue and debate has been suppressed. This is not good for a healthy democracy.

 Debate and dissent were not only placed into the Constitution by the Founding Fathers but encouraged.

It astounds me how so many people are willing to freely offer up opinions but possess no desire to defend them. They babble on and on about free speech but are so quickly willing to stifle someone else's free speech. Whenever they comment on another individual's post and receive pushback they lament how civility and debate have been exorcised from society but will block a mofo in a hot second if they don't like what they say. Just mind-boggling.

It is pure snowflakery. They literally want to make their free public page on a free public platform a safe space. Almost as if it were a college campus or something.

Finally, the real rub of all this is people like this actually have means available to create the safe space they so obviously desire. This is especially true on Facebook. They can set the guidelines of their page to protect them from any mean people who dare to disagree with them.

First, they can  make their post private. They can set it up where only the people they think will agree with them will see it. If they want further insurance, they can disable comments. To really ensure they get stroked they can make the post unshareable.

Problem solved! They can create their own circle jerk and information bias loop.

But, most people won't do that. Why? Because, they want everyone to see their posts. They just don't want dissent. They want their ego stroked by receiving all positive comments and a plethora of  "likes" and "loves". Simple as that.

It is pathetic and sad. If people want to be liked, do what millions of other folks do and only post pics of their kids, pets and funny memes. But, if they step into these Facebook and Twitter political and sports streets, they better be prepared to start dodging bullets (metaphorically speaking of course) because I assure you they will be coming.

People have to stop being snowflakes about everything. Yes, we are all unique but their ass isn't special to everyone. Hate to be the bearer of bad news but most people don't give a f*** about most other people! These folks' narcissism isn't their friend. Just because they think the sun rises and sets on them doesn't mean everyone else thinks so.

Perhaps most importantly is just because someone disagrees about an idea or a policy doesn't mean it should be taken as a personal affront. Seriously! Grow the hell up! Not everyone is going to agree with you. That is life.

And, I can already hear some assclown right now, "Well, I don't care what other people think." Ok. Does it ever occur to these tools that maybe those other people don't care what they think but it doesn't stop these tools from publicly expressing their opinions? Lawd Jesus! People frustrate me!

Several reasons exist for the breakdown in public discourse currently taking place. One of them (and perhaps the most important) is people don't listen to each other nor do they want to. As the saying goes, "People don't want to hear your opinion. They want to hear their opinion coming out of your mouth." That is an issue.

Truth is the problems here are so layered. But, what it might all come down to is in the current society so many people are anti-intellectual and anti-learning. Some of this due to laziness. Some of it, frankly, is due to people thinking they know everything or enough so they don't want to learn. As a result they cannot see that having discussions and debates with other people provide the opportunity to learn and grow. Also, being challenged allows one to sharpen and strengthen their convictions and thoughts.

Again though, therein lies the rub. So many people aren't convicted. They are reactionary.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW What To SAY?

Over the last few weeks in the aftermath of the genesis of the George Floyd/anti-racist protests I have heard more times than I can count some white people say, "I don't know what to say [to poc]. I don't want to offend." People have said to me regarding my perception certain folks aren't acting the same with me or in some cases my clear ability to see they're either not talking to me or unfriending me on social media, "Well, maybe they just don't know what to say. They are afraid they will say something to offend you."

Initially my response was confusion and consternation. I like to think I  am someone who is easy to approach and have communication. My nature is to be non-confrontational so I am not combative or bellicose. Frankly, it really disturbed me to think people were afraid to talk to me. Me!

But, the more I thought about it the less distressed I became. I began to become annoyed. The side-eye was in overdrive. I began thinking to myself, "What do they mean some people are afraid to say anything because they don't want to offend?!"

As I put actual thought and insight into this I realized that folks saying they didn't know what to say was somewhat of a cop out. If they didn't say things that were offensive, racially insensitive or racist before George Floyd why would they say them now? It was nonsense.

It hit me this was just more pseudo wokeness (for some). For others it was an, I presume, unintentional unveiling of their token allyship with those fighting racism and racial injustice which in reality was in reality was a partial cloaking of what I call "crypto bigotry lite". And, in fairness, for a few  people it was a legit feeling of hesitancy and anxiety stemming from dealing with the more boisterous factions of the movement and individuals who always seem on edge. But, bluntly, the latter are few and far between. It is the first two groups who  are problematic.

Let's deal with the pseudo woke first.

Their entire approach is dripping with cynicism and narcissism. They would be the first (and I mean the first) to shout that they are allies of black people, poc and marginalized groups in general.

These are the folks trolling Twitter and Facebook all day and night looking for every instance of "racism" they can so they can call it out and virtue signal and cancel. They feed off every single microaggression and then gather a mob to go after whomever making sure they're the face of the "calling out racism".

But, when the struggle gets real and it's time to actually put some skin in the game and it's time to be that ally they stop talking to poc. They cite as their reason, "I don't know what to say." WTF! What do they mean? They don't have to say anything other than, "I am here beside you fighting for what is right."

But, the problem is these type of people aren't interested in actually providing material assistance. They are only interested in being seen.

For them there are no real stakes. Their politics aren't one of benevolence or deep seeded social conscience. It is not altruistic. It is narcissistic. That is not to say they don't broadly believe in fighting racism or inequality. But, for them style is more important than substance. Which is why they make statements such as "don't what to say" and then say nothing.

Think about the insanity of that. People are in the streets fighting for justice. Black people are getting hunted down in the streets by racists , getting mowed down in their own homes by the very people are supposed to protect them and still being forced to endure a system built on white supremacy that while it has been tweaked is still implicitly bias and their reaction is to just not talk to them. It is sheer lunacy!

Now, the other group is more infuriating than they are annoying. I call these people crypto-bigots lite. I am sure that term will be triggering but if the shoe fits...

They say the same trite nonsense about not knowing what to say to poc since the protests began. They claim fearing they'll say something offensive.  What a load of abject horseshit!

Here is why I say that. Unlike the pseudo woke they just quickly abandoned even the appearance of being an ally or concerned with racism and racial injustice. But, like the pseudo woke they love to virtue signal.

These folks aren't real interested in scouring social media looking for people to cancel and notches to place on their belt. But, what they are interested in is taking every instance of "reverse racism" they can find so they can say, "See, it happens on both sides" but then immediately point out they support black people. This approach would be okay I suppose if they did the same for white on poc racism but usually they are deafeningly silent.

This has become crystal clear during the last few weeks. When Ahmaud Arbery was murdered they were silent. When Breonna Taylor was murdered they were *crickets *. When the Amy Cooper/Christian Cooper incident in Central Park occurred quiet as a church mouse. When George Floyd was murdered they did say they were "disturbed" but no real outrage or anger. But, when some fools started looting and rioting during the largely peaceful protests they were all over social media expressing their "outrage" and "anger". They decried the  "violence" (which there certainly was some but mostly property damage) and lamented  "what about the property".

Now, do not misunderstand me. I am not condoning or excusing the looting and rioting nor am I denying it. I denounced it in real time and emphatically stated my frustration and opposition to it.

That said my issue with these subset of people is they were seemingly more upset with the loss of property than they were life.

Another problem that arose which in my mind directly points to their crypto-bigotry lite was their sudden position change. As soon as a small fraction of people  (most of whom weren't poc by the way) began looting and rioting their support of black people and fighting racism and racial inequality/injustice went right out the window. Many people expressed verbally and on social media they "could no longer support the fight against racism after the rioting began". That is pure insanity. Or, it was just very revealing how shallow their support for anti-racism was in the first place.

Then these nominal allies trotted out the tired often quickly debunked refrain  "I don't see color". This is perhaps my personal favorite because I love to debunk and watch people stick with it regardless. Look, it is not whether you see color or not. Unless you are physically color blind, of course you see color. And, even metaphorically it's a specious statement that the vast majority of people who actually say it can be exposed as not being so honest about it. It is not about seeing color but not allowing one's color (race, ethnicity, ect) affect the way you view and treat them. Identity is cynically used by lots of people and political parties but that doesn't mean identity isn't important in certain contexts. Instead of attempting to erase identity, which is often done cynically and perniciously, we should embrace our physical differences and celebrate the uniqueness.

Now, I attempted to explain these things to a few people. Their response? Well, some removed me from their social media while others essentially stopped talking to me. Again, that is where I heard generally (not just specifically regarding myself) they perhaps they just don't know what to say because they don't want to offend.

Bullshit! The problem with the nominal allies/crypto-bigots lite is everything that led up to that point gave away the game. Maybe I could accept the notion if they hadn't consciously chose to stay silent about black people being hunted down in the streets like mangy dogs but were beyond angry enough about a Wendy's getting torched to say something out loud. Perhaps, I could buy that if they offered the critique that rioting and looting are horrendous but black people being brutalized by the police (I know not all cops or most. Pretend to understand context and be somewhat of an adult) and being hunted down in the streets by racists is unacceptable but instead their critique was the opposite. I probably would be significantly warmer to the notion if they stopped acting like we should pretend color doesn't matter in a society where it clearly does. Of course, it shouldn't but it does.

Here's the thing. Not talking to poc is not a solution nor is it a coherent responsible response. If you have poc in your life you actually care about or love whether they are friends, co-workers, fellow parishioners or just acquaintances talk to them. I am telling you when you don't talk to them they are left with little choice but to begin assuming things about you I am sure you probably don't want assumed.

I understand there are some folks who are belligerent or surly. Go to the people who aren't. If you don't have any bigotry, ill-will or racism in your heart you shouldn't be worried about saying anything that would offend. If you do say something that you think the response was off just ask. Most people will politely tell you whether it's offensive or not. And, for those who are more abrasive just let them get it out but never be disrespected. From time to time we all say something that is amiss and nobody is above being checked but being disrespected is unacceptable if you genuinely unwittingly said something.

Now, for those folks who are little more disingenuous all I can really say is be better. The "I don't know what to say" line is really one more designed to shift blame and exercise this insatiable weird need some have to be aggrieved. Let's just call it what it is.

Saying you don't know what to say is a copout. It is the way of saying, "I would say something but people are so sensitive." Essentially it is the crude reductionist anti-political correctness argument. Even more it is an admission that you do say offensive things and are simply boycotting certain people because you don't want to be cognizant of what you say.

Communication is always the key. When it comes to interpersonal racism in this country the single biggest problem is we have never had frank raw conversations.

Now is not the time to shut down dialogue. It is the perfect time to open up the dialogue.

Remembering Michael Brooks (1983-2020)

Monday afternoon, July 20 2020, Progressives lost a stalwart voice and the world lost one of its funniest, kindest and most empathetic souls.

Michael Jamal Brooks passed away due to an unknown blood clot in his throat.

Micheal was the host of The Michael Brooks Show and co-host of The Majority Report With Sam Seder. Both shows are in podcast form and on YouTube. He also co-hosted Jacobin Weekend With Micheal Brooks and Ana Kasparian (also on YouTube) as well as hosting the podcast, Woke Bros, along side Wosny Lambte. In addition to his YouTube and podcast shows Micheal recently wrote his first solo book, Against The Web: A Cosmopolitan Look At The New Right, which was published and recently released by Zero Books.

Michael Brooks was arguably a rising star and one of the most sought after voices in independent left media.

He began his career in 2012 as a producer for Majority Report. A couple of years later he became the co-host. In early 2018 he started The Michael Brooks Show with Majority Report producer, Matt Lech. Later on David Griscom joined the show as a producer and contributor.

Michael rather quickly became known as one of the brightest and most knowledgeable hosts in left media. He displayed extensive knowledge of not only domestic policy but foreign policy and international affairs. He was an unashamed admitted internationalist.

In fact, The Michael Brooks Show (TMBS), became a vehicle for Brooks' vast international political and social knowledge. His show often focused on affairs abroad and he would brilliantly tie them into American policy showing why they were important. Nando Villa once said about Brooks, "He knows more about the politics of Ecuador than any CNN contributor knows about American politics." I would add Michael knew more about American politics as well.

I never met Michael. Though I wish I had. I wanted to get to Brooklyn some day and be able to meet him, Sam Seder and the rest of the crew.  I only know him through watching him on TMBS and MR. But, he was a huge inspiration and role model. I started writing a blog in 2018 due to the inspiration from him.

I actually discovered Michael in 2018 right before he began TMBS. I had grown weary of the incoherent nonsense coming from most of MSNBC. CNN was god-awful. I was looking for alternative media that would stimulate my desire for good intelligent political news and analysis from a left perspective. I had watched The Young Turks off and on in previous years, so I decided to get on YouTube and search around.

 I came across a Majority Report video about Alex Jones and decided to click on it. I was familiar with Sam Seder from his Air America and Keith Olbermann days. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. It was then I discovered the funniest most insightful political commentator I had ever seen. I had never laughed that hard in my life while receiving in-depth intelligent analysis . I mean who could resist an Alex Jones video and someone ingeniously mocking his grift and hustle.

Mike and Sam had me at that moment. I became an instant superfan. I spent the next seven hours watching MR and Micheal Brooks videos. I have always been a politics junkie but was never able to find a show or commentator that best aligned with my political beliefs. Until that time Bill Maher was the closest thing.

But, I found a niche between Sam and Micheal. It was Micheal who really captivated me. His takes on race, poverty and how to look at culture aligned with mine almost perfectly. I had never actually watched a political commentator who saw race and racism the way I did...until Michael Brooks.

It was a few weeks later I decided to begin my blog. On a "Michael Thursday" on MR he said the left needs voices. He was encouraging a caller and anyone else who was listening that if you really care about these issues and want a better world do whatever you can to get into the game. He said don't do it if you are only interested in clicks and internet fame but if you want to make change write, talk, produce, organize, canvas, whatever. When I heard that I thought, "I am wasting my talent. I need to get back to writing." Then, he said something to the caller that stuck with me and became a motto of sorts. He said if you change one person, make them think, you have done something significant. That touched me.

Brooks was one of the people who really shaped my politics. Like I said, I was a politics junkie, but what I learned through Micheal knowing things wasn't enough. Your politics must have a purpose and that purpose must center around working class and poor people especially if you consider yourself a Progressive or leftist, which I do.

Through him I learned to sharpen my vocabulary and speak intelligently using adult words but conveying it in an digestible way for everyone. I learned to voice my opinion clearly and respectfully but with authority. If that meant putting an edge on it so be it.

Until Micheal Brooks my mother was the only person I had ever known on the left who emphasized international politics because it all ties into US politics because ultimately we are a global community.

The brilliance of TMBS was that he could cover an array of domestic and foreign subjects with ease. Through TMBS I was introduced to brilliant important left voices like Milton Allimadi, Adolph Reed, Joshua Kahn Russell, Bill Fletcher Jr, Wosny Lambre, Nando Villa, Alyona Minkovski, Abby Martin and Ben Burgis.

It was TMBS that first exposed me to ContraPoints. She is now one of favorites. I am absolutely in love with her channel. Natalie Wynn is doing exceptionally important work. Michael was the first person to my knowledge to give her a broad platform.

And, Michael found it important to give relatively unknown left commentators a voice even as he was struggling to be recognized himself. He did it not only for Contrapoints but for people like Brandon Sutton and Benjamin Dixon.

Michael Brooks genuinely cared about people-normal regular ass people. It is what drove his politics. He was ambitious and had an ego but wasn't chasing money, clout or fame. He wanted a better world. Not in the metaphorical sense but in the actual tangible sense. He wanted the unknown person in the Sudan to have a good quality of life just like he did a dude like me in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He believed you must want good for more than just yourself or your family or friends but for people you don't know all over the world. He truly embodied empathy.

He often spoke of how poor he and his family were. Frequently he would mention the housing and food insecurity he and his sister experienced as a children. However, it didn't drive him to want wealth. He was driven to make sure other people didn't experience that. Let me tell you that is a rare quality in today's society.

You could see Michael Brooks' compassion and love for humanity shine through the screen when he talked. Issues like Medicare For All, a living wage, universal housing, universal jobs programs, poverty reduction,  criminal justice reform weren't just talking points progressives should mention. To him they were absolutes and nonnegotiable because people mattered.

His view on race always amazed me. He got it. Identity politics are garbage but that doesn't mean identity isn't important because for certain swaths of people recognizing it is an undeniable reality. But, class is the key to ending structural racism and imisseration.

I would be remised if I didn't mention his impressions and laugh. His laugh was infectious. His impressions were nothing less than creations of genius. His Bill Clinton, Nation of Islam Obama, Rightwing Nelson Mandela and Chris Matthews are better than anything Frank Caliendo ever did. No knock to Caliendo.

His ability to fluidly do political satire was genius. Matt Binder, former producer/co-host of MR, said in the Majority Report tribute that he has never known or seen anyone who in the spur of the moment can go into a character or do political satire without ever pausing or stuttering. Mike is the funniest person I have ever seen, comedians included.

I am heartbroken over his sudden passing. I have been upset since it happened and foresee I will be for a few more days. I spent my entire Monday night reading tributes on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I watched the MR tribute show yesterday. I cried with Sam Seder, his lovely sister Lisha, Ana Kasparian and Nomiki Konst. You could just see the pain in Nomi's face. But, it was Kelly Carey  and Joshua Kahn Russell who ripped my heart out.They were so visibly upset and cried throughout the entirety of their tributes.

I have cried off and on for two days now. Again, I didn't know Micheal Brooks personally but he was apart of my life. He was on my tv screen just about every day. Although I am older than him he is a role model and someone I looked up to.

I feel like I have lost a close friend. In so many ways I have. We all have. I know I don't mourn alone. I have seen people I never thought I'd see cry-didn't think ever cried because of the image they exuded. Not only Sam Seder but I heard emotion in the voices of John Idarola, Kyle Kulinski, Mike Figueroa, David Griscom, Brandon Sutton, Matt Lech. I literally cried with each of them.

I don't care how it looks to some. I lost an important person in my life. Just because I didn't know him personally doesn't mean he wasn't important and integral.

The left has lost an irreplaceable voice and influencer. That is unquestionable. But, each of us who loved and admired him and believed in what he believed must honor his legacy by moving forward. In whatever way we can we must carry on his work. The project is far from over and the best way I imagine to respect his life is to see that project through. Elect progressive candidates. Support left media whether it's MR, TYT, Nomi Konst, Kyle Kulinski, Jacobin, Megan Day, Matt Taibbi, Katie Halper, Chappo Trap House, The Intercept,  Benjamin Dixon, The Humanist Report, Brandon Sutton and countless others. Make certain those media outlets illuminate voices like Cornell West, Adolph Reed, Bill Fletcher Jr, Harvey Kaye, Richard Wolffe, Briahna Joy Gray, Malaika Jabali, Nando Vila, Aloyna Minkovsk, Noam Chomski and so the other authorative left voices.

Michael Brooks is loved and will be sorely missed! I love you, Brother!

Rest in power, Friend.

Left is best!

Dr. King Was Right

Dr. Martin Luther King once said: "I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice [...]"

He said this in a 1963 letter he wrote while sitting in a Birmingham, Alabama jail. He had been arrested for peacefully protesting. After Dr. King's arrest eight white clergymen (supposed allies of the Civil Rights Movement) criticized him for an "untimely and unwise" protest against racial inequality and injustice, which precipitated the letter.

Now, fast forward 57 years to today and King's words are just as pertinent now as they were then.

However, I would tweak a part of what Dr. King said. Instead of "white moderates" I would just say "moderates". Not because of some political correct "woke" nonsense but because it is true. It just isn't white moderates but moderates who are people of color who seem to be standing in the way of substantive progress regarding race (and a litany of other issues).
During the Civil Rights Movement there were multitudes of white allies who were truly down with the struggle. Some of them lost their lives over it. Others had their lives ruined for standing up for the right thing and against racial oppression. Sometimes I believe those of us who are younger and came along post Civil Rights Movement forget that and refuse to acknowledge it. But, I digress.

That said, unfortunately, there were many more white people who claimed to "believe in the cause" but were always uncomfortable with actual protest. They said, "Of course, black people should have equal rights. It's just...". It was just they wanted those black people and their white allies to be quiet and not ruffle feathers. "Can't y'all peacefully protest?" They were peacefully protesting. What became painfully obvious was that no protest the movement enacted was ever going to be peaceful enough.

And, let me be clear. White moderates weren't the only ones. Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement had plenty of black and brown detractors as well. I don't mean the Candace Owens and Ben Carson(s) of the day. I am referring to black people who were afraid Dr. King was going to cause a severe backlash. Some had finagled their way into a comfortable position and didn't want that position nor their status threatened.

So, here we are in 2020 with protests taking place all over the country initiated by the George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor murders. A multiracial coalition is in the streets and on social media bringing attention to the abhorrence of police brutality, which has been happening to poc since the police's inception in this country. Folks are speaking out and against racism, racial inequality and racial justice. As they did in the 1960s people are [rightfully] demanding a system whose foundation was built on white supremacy and oppression of people of color be overhauled and rebuilt into a system that truly works equally for everyone.

However, just as in the 1960s there is another coalition which is multiracial that is telling the anti-racist movement to just slow down, be quieter and ease into progress. This coalition is one of moderates but it is broader than what likely comes to mind when you think of the word "moderate" in today's political climate. It ranges from neoliberals to rightwingers.

These are people who would quickly say, "I am not racist." Their favorite phrase is seemingly, "I don't see color." They are always saying, "Can't we all just get along."
They acknowledge racism exists but just not as much as some of us say. Or, they recognize the pervasiveness but live in this fantasy world where if we just don't mention the problem it will magically go away.

Those who are more right leaning feel as long as they have a "friend" or two of color they're exempt from being racist or bigoted regardless their overall poc perceptions.

The ones in the middle and to the left love to get really upset and offended about microaggressions and memes and innocuous statements. These are the pseudo woke folks.

What is consistent with these moderates is they really do not want the power structure in this country fundamentally altered. They are perfectly ok with minute incremental change or any action that comes with minimal or no material loss. This is why many of them are not happy with the taking down of statues over the last few weeks, but ultimately they'll concede on it because they realize these actions are just symbolic. They change absolutely nothing.

Back in the 1950s and 1960s the same dynamic took place. The moderates of the time were ok with a Negro or two being integrated into the schools. They were ok with working with one or two black folks. "Separate but equal" was a fair-minded policy in their minds.

But, when MLK came along talking  "nonsense" about black people having true equal rights, voting rights, freedom to eat and drink wherever they wanted, being able to live wherever they wanted, date and marry whoever they wanted and attending college wherever they wanted some folks were like, "Whoa!" When Dr. King and so many others began marching in the streets and conducting sit-ins they were like, "Y'all doing too much." When King started truly critiquing the American system and pointing out this country's multiple massive failures and refusal or inability (depending on your view) to live up to the promise and standard it set some folks began to not be so sure if they were for Civil Rights.

I have mentioned this several times before and it needs to be said again. When he was assassinated Dr. King had a 33% approval rating among white Americans and it never rose above 35%. That speaks volumes.

We are in the same place now. Most people aren't racist. But, what they are is bigoted and/or have "hangups" they don't want to let go. If that is triggering, oh well. It is so obviously the truth.

People will scoff at the notions of white privilege and white fragility. But, they are real. No, it's not this corporatist neoliberal woke nonsense you might hear on MSNBC but it is not nonexistent either which you will hear on Fox News. Its existence is apparent when you see moments like the one we have been living in for the last eight weeks.

Again, let me emphasis it just isn't white moderates. It is moderates!
One of the things that have struck me but not surprised me is the relative silence from the Congressional Black Caucus and a lot of other establishment leaders of color. They haven't really supported the protestors.

Because, the protestors aren't just saying, "Racism bad". They are letting it be known platitudes and band-aids aren't acceptable this time. They are challenging the system, which threatens those politicians.
I will not get into the many complexities of systemic racism. That is for another blog. But, there are poc whom also benefit from a system built on white supremacy because that white supremacy is fueled by a class supremacy. If you can't disaggregate that I will have to explain it another time. Although it is not that hard to figure out.

True progress shouldn't be that hard to achieve but we never seem to achieve it. It is not the avowed racists who are holding it up. Of course, they're always fighting it but they are outnumbered. Truth is they have always been outnumbered.
It is the avowed white supremacists' sympathizers, enablers and the people who are beholden to the status quo who hold up progress. It is also the apathetic. It was true during slavery. It was true in the 1960s and it is true now.

Whether admitted or not there is a swath of people who are fully aware of the privilege they have. They might not ever use that privilege nefariously but they like knowing it's there in a glass case for an "emergency". We somewhat saw that with Amy Cooper and what she attempted to do to Christian Cooper in Central Park. (For those who are not familiar Christian Cooper, who is African-American, asked Amy Cooper, who is white, to leash her dog because the dog was frightening the birds. She took exception and decided to call the New York City Police lying that Christian Cooper was threatening her and her dog when the video clearly showed the opposite.)

Another aspect of this goes to the hang-ups I mentioned. Some people want to be  "a little bigoted" so anything or anyone that calls that out is a threat.
As King said, the issue is the moderate is often more concerned with  "order" than justice. They want everyone to pretend we are in this fantasy world instead of living in the real world. Of course, in an aspirational world color and race would play no role. But, we don't live in that world and have to work towards that world. We aren't getting there by pretending we are already there.
I keep hearing, "People should...". People should do a lot of things but don't. If you want to see that society do your part and quit telling those fighting for that type of society to be quiet.

We have tried over and over and over again the incremental approach. We have tried pretending everything is ok. We have tried being  "quieter". It is painfully obvious it doesn't work.

We must protest. We must speak out. We must demand the system is overhauled because it doesn't work for poc and large contingencies of white people either.
That is not going to be achieved by locking arms and singing  "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". Nor is it going to be achieved by poc pretending they are not poc. It is not going to be achieved by ignoring the problem and just not talking about it because it is uncomfortable. It is suppose to be uncomfortable.

Until more moderates begin understanding this I don't believe we are ever really going to arrive where we want. We gotta have uncomfortable conversations and do uncomfortable things to get shit done. That has always been the case. Always.
Order is important but there can be no tangible order without justice. And, for large swaths of people in this country justice is something they never receive. Until they do...No justice, no peace.

Dissent In America Is Almost Always Impugned

Inarguably the Boston Tea Party kicked off the American Revolution. The Colonists dissented against what they perceived as the British government instituting oppressive taxes upon them.

The event is essentially lionized in every public and private secondary educational history book. It is portrayed (I believe accurately) as the people rising up against a system that wass oppressing them.

The dissent was celebrated. Some 240 years later it was purported to be the inspiration and foundation of the Tea Party that was born out of what its founders considered a government suppressing their rights.

Dissent and protests are implicitly and explicitly encouraged in the United States Constitution. They are seen as essential to a healthy democracy and free republic.

However, since the Boston Tea Party and American Revolution most dissent in this country has been bemoaned and often demonized. And, it should be noted most of that dissent has come from left of the political center.

The notable exception is the South's attempted secession. We all know about the Civil War and the perceived fight over "state's rights". While it is true the South had many issues with the North (The United States government) the primary issue eventually became the South's use of slavery and their insistence it was their right to employ slavery as a means of production.

But, since the Civil War any dissent or protest in this country has come from the left. And, regardless how peaceful it has or hasn't been it has always been demonized and labeled in some way "un-American" and "violent". This has been true from women's suffrage to prohibition to Civil Rights to the LGBTQ movement for equality.

Unquestionably instances of violence have occurred with each movement. In the cases of the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Rights, LGBTQ Movement and Occupy Wall Street the vast majority of protests were peaceful. Yet, they were labeled as violent and aggressive.

The exact same thing is happening now with the protests that arose over the last five weeks or so in the wake of the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis. Yes, there has been rioting and looting. In the last couple of weeks there has been the taking down of several Confederate statues and statues of figures seen as having problematic histories with race. However, most of the protests have been peaceful. The peaceful protestors and most of the allies of the anti-racist movement have repeatedly denounced the looting and rioting.

But, that has made little difference to the detractors of the protests and rightwing media whom has generalized the protestors and lumped all of them into a single group labeling them "thugs", "criminals", "anarchists" and "America hating".

Antifa and Black Lives Matter have become the boogeymen. Anyone displaying support for the fight against racism, racial inequality and police brutality are accused of being apart of Antifa or #BLM whether they are or not.

The common retort anytime anyone pushes back against the broad stroking or demagoguery is, "I don't have an issue with the peaceful protestors. It is the people who are rioting, taking down statues and torching Targets." This retort or anything similar is specious though. Because, the common tactic has been to label all the protests as "rioting and looting" and then strawman it.

This approach isn't new. It is the exact same one that was used against Dr. Martin Luther King and the Freedom Fighters of the Civil Right Movement.

It is chic for people today to praise Dr. Kimg lauding him as the standard bearer for how peaceful protesting is conducted. They claim he is a hero. The problem is their parents, grandparents, ancestors and in some cases themselves stigmatized MLK and the allies of the Civil Rights Movement as "troublemakers" and "ungrateful". They disparaged and lied calling them and their protests "violent" when they weren't. They said the marches and sit-ins were "riots". They lamented why the protestors couldn't just be quieter and do things differently-"more peaceful". Some questioned why were they protesting or if those protesting even knew why and what they were protesting. They bemoaned the chanting and claimed to support the cause but asked, "Why can't they be more peaceful?" When Dr. King and the others refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem they cried, "Why are they disrespecting the country and are so 'un-American'"? You often heard people say, "We love black people. We love everyone. We don't see color. We just need to get along. Can't we all just go back to normal? Don't let these troublemakers make things uncomfortable. They are poisoning your minds and making you believe things are worse than they are. The races have been getting along just fine. Things are good they way they are. Why do we have to upend everything? Sure, there are problems, but most people are decent and treat each other decently." (Mind you there were separate water fountains and public bathrooms. Even in the North restaurants were segregated.) Anyway, all of those things and more were constantly said. Any of it sound familiar?

Now, just like then, the contention wasn't really with the method of protest and dissent. It was with the protest and dissent themselves. A swath of this country has always been against any progress or true equality. Of course, many will clutch their pearls and be "offended" at that being said but we all know it is true. It is empirical that it is true.

The goalposts are always being moved. As far as the swath is concerned peaceful protest and non-violent dissent are unicorns. The protests can never be peaceful enough.

And, the thing is it isn't just the vociferous antagonists. The actual issue is the "moderates" Dr. King talked about. I don't mean white moderates. I mean moderates. In the 1960s like now you had poc bucking against progress and racial equality and justice. Just like now some hedged because of fear. Others because of self-hate or it interferes with their revenue stream. I have mentioned thousands of times before there is a lane for poc who want to grift and fetishize themselves by shitting on other poc and demonizing them. A very narrow but lucrative lane exists for poc to regurgitate far rightwing and white nationalists talking points regarding poc and marginalized communities. So, they have incentive to demonize any protest or dissent against systemic racism.

As for those white moderates, they are often the biggest opponent against any substantive real structural change. Unlike hardcore bigots and avowed racists they want racial harmony but not if it comes with any type of real price tag. They don't think they are superior to poc and want equality but not actual true equality. They are aware the current system provides them certain privileges and advantages even though they pretend they don't see it. It is why they spew pseudo-woke bullshit and get a little bowed up whenever any protest or dissent espouses talk of material change to the system.

Some recoil at the removal of these Confederate statues and figures with problematic history regarding racist. But, most relent and reluctantly give up obvious racist horseshit like Aunt Jemima because they realize giving in on symbolic gestures is way better than giving in on actual structural change. Do not get triggered because you know it's true.

While way too many black folks were foolishly getting hung up about semantics over Bernie Sanders views on reparations the establishment which many moderates of all stripes support were freaking out and having meltdowns about Sanders winning the Democratic nomination because they knew he was serious about deconstructing the white supremacist system we have and instituting one that actually works for everyone.

Dissent and protest in this country will always be fought against and demonized when it comes from the left. Because, more often than not that dissent and protest are looking to shake up the system as opposed to just cementing the implicit biases and status quo of the current system.