On Dr. Davis, Domestic Terrorism, Misogynoir, and Wondering Where The Energy Went

TW: Mentions of murder, domestic terrorism, anti-Blackness, misogynoir, racism, xenophobia.

Dr. Linda Davis, a special education teacher in her first year at Herman W. Hesse K-8 School in Chatham County in Savannah, Georgia, was killed Monday morning on her commute to school by a person fleeing ICE agents in a high-speed chase. The Chatham County Police Department wasn’t part of—or aware of—the federal “immigration operation” happening in their county until after the crash.

Shocker.

This man, who crashed into and murdered Dr. Davis in an act obviously driven by fear and desperation, will bear the responsibility and burden of taking her life for the rest of his days. But this is not his burden and responsibility to carry alone. He shares that burden and responsibility equally with the ICE agents who initiated this high-speed chase and who have fomented over a year of violent domestic terrorism in this country disguised as immigration enforcement. But another group also bears some responsibility for this horrific incident: people who benefit from systems of pallor.

A whole bunch of y’all stormed the streets when ICE murdered Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Y’all marched and flooded your social media channels with every image and update you could muster.

But y’all are quiet as hell about Dr. Davis.

Where’s the outrage? Where’s the defiance, the marching in the streets? Where’s that “F--- ICE” energy now? Let me guess: most of y’all view Dr. Davis’ murder as something that was “ICE adjacent,” meaning that ICE didn’t directly kill her, so it “doesn’t count,” or you haven’t heard about Dr. Davis’ murder because your newscycle is somehow still centered on mainstream media outlets who have been practically silent about this incident.

Let’s say you didn’t know about Dr. Davis’ murder. Well, you know now. Where’s that anger you had when ICE murdered people of pallor? Does it not carry over to this? Is this not “directly ICE” enough for you to demand accountability like y’all did for Renee and Alex? Or is that your misogynoir and anti-Blackness talking?

Things that make you go hmm.

Rest well, Dr. Davis. I hope your family and community get the closure and justice they and you deserve.

[Image description: An image of Dr. Linda Davis, smiling while resting her face in her palms. A whimsical holiday wreath surrounds her.]

Image description: An image of Dr. Linda Davis, smiling while resting her face in her palms. A whimsical holiday wreath surrounds her.

On Y'all's President, Racist Depictions of the Only Non-White U.S. President and his Wife, and Apologists

“I think the president might be racist.”

Oh, really? Y’think so? What clued you in?

“I’m sure the president made a mistake in posting that video.”

You sure about that? Are you new to the world of this man posting hateful and racist memes online? Did you miss the two other times he posted pictures of Barack and Michelle as apes?

“I’m not sure if I can support this administration anymore after seeing this.”

Oh, I see. This was your breaking point, huh? THIS was your breaking point after giving this man your vote for 12 years and watching EVERYTHING he has done to the country. THIS was your breaking point?

Y’all make my brain tired.

[Image description: a montage of pictures of the legendary musician Prince giving the viewer the side-eye. These images are captioned with, “Me, watching people of pallor and pallor apologists responding to the video y’all’s president posted of Barack and Michelle Obama being depicted as primates say things like, “I think the president might be racist,” “I’m sure the president made a mistake on posting that video,” and “I’m not sure if I can continue to support this administration anymore after seeing that.”]

Image description: a montage of pictures of the legendary musician Prince giving the viewer the side-eye. These images are captioned with, “Me, watching people of pallor and pallor apologists responding to the video y’all’s president posted of Barack and Michelle Obama being depicted as primates say things like, “I think the president might be racist,” “I’m sure the president made a mistake on posting that video,” and “I’m not sure if I can continue to support this administration anymore after seeing that.”

On Genocidal Holidays, Pallor Fragility, and Willful Ignorance

I haven't wished people a "Happy Thanksgiving" for years. I don't think this federal holiday deserves well-wishes for obvious (terroristic, white supremacist, big colonizer energy) reasons. Instead, when people who celebrate the holiday wish me a Happy Thanksgiving or ask me what I'm doing for the holiday, I state that I don't observe the holiday - no extra context or nothing, because I expect most adults to get it without me spelling it out. I then mention that I hope they're celebrating this holiday with intentionality and an understanding of the historical context of the holiday and its branding.

And whew, y'all.

People of pallor do not like it when I say that. Not one bit.

You should see their reactions, y'all. They either say something like, "Well, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving anyway, Pharoah" with that Karen/Kevin energy with their face all contorted with derision or find a way to get away from me as soon as possible and end the conversation they initiated. And it's funny to me that they do this, because it proves that many people of pallor can only exist and operate in a space that caters to them willingly ignoring how harmful so many things in pallor culture, society, and history really are.

You know you can have some turkey on Thursday with your family while acknowledging how funky Thanksgiving as a holiday and concept really is, right? It doesn't have to take away from the meal.

You can be thankful for the blessings you have while also having the fortitude to digest and understand history and educate others on how harmful this week's festivities can be for Native and Indigenous communities and tribes.

It doesn't have to be one or the other.

Knowledge and empathy should always trump feeling cozy in ignorance.

Just sayin'.

And most of y'all's turkeys be dry anyway, so is being willfully ignorant and eatin' unmoisturized meat worth it?

On Olive Garden and White Supremacist Workplace Lunch

You wanna know a low-key bit of white supremacist workplace culture that most people don't think twice about?

When your supervisor or manager orders Olive Garden for a work lunch, when there are 85 freakin’ local restaurants making fantastic ethnocultural dishes in your area that would be better and supportive of your local economy. Hell, I guarantee you that there's a poppin' local Italian restaurant that is absolutely delicious and authentic as hell, but nope!

Olive Garden.

Olive Garden is basically the restaurant version of most people of pallor: safe, unremarkable basic b--- energy. Always talking about how we're a family while knowing we all know it's just a catchphrase (what, you forgot we work here and see how y'all act every day?). Not offensive to most people on the surface, but as you peel back the lasagna layers, you see there's more filler than substance. No evolution in who they are or what they have to offer others in decades.

No wonder it's the ultimate fallback lunch for most workplaces.

Guess that marinara sauce is more of a mirror than you probably thought.

On Megyn and White Apologism

TW: mentions of pedophilia, sex trafficking, harm.

"I know somebody very close to this case…Jeffrey Epstein, in this person's view, was not a pedophile…He was into the barely legal type, like he liked 15-year-old girls…He wasn’t into like 8-year-olds…There's a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old."

What you just read came out of the mouth of weak-sauce woman of pallor and faux investigative journalist Megyn Kelly. Megyn Kelly thought this morning that, after seeing the dozens of email excerpts floating around out there as well as the mountains of evidence showing that Jeffrey Epstein was a sex trafficker and pedophile, today was the day to grace the world with this horrific take on her raggedy-ass podcast.

This right here is an impeccable illustration of one of the many instances where white supremacy, as a concept, action, and movement, has always been absolutely bonkers to me.

You see, white supremacy is an exercise in apologism: whiteness traumatizes, hurts, or kills someone, then expects to be forgiven after a half-hearted apology. And when the forgiveness doesn't come because forgiveness hasn't been earned or deserved? That's when people of pallor and systems of pallor begin spinning the situation, making up excuses for why the pallor colonizer terrorism and violence someone has been on the receiving end of "isn't that bad" and pushing that we all agree with that narrative. And if you don't get on board with the narrative? Gaslighting and violence are in your future. Don't believe me?

Go and ask anyone who isn't a part of the white supremacist culture model due to their melanin or beliefs, and they'll tell you a story about how this has played out for them or someone they love. Hell, some of us could write you a whole book of our experiences.

Let's keep it 100: there is no difference between a 5-year-old girl, an 8-year-old girl, and a 15-year-old girl when we're discussing acts of sex trafficking and pedophilia. NONE. NADA. No difference. No excuse. It is all abuse of vulnerable underage people, people we are supposed to protect from predatory acts of any kind. Period. No discussion.

Anyone who thinks otherwise and tries to spin these clear facts that I keep hoping we can all agree on to protect themselves, their own best interests, the interests of wealthy people who could give two craps about them who happen to have been long-time friends with horrible human beings they deify and admire, or the person they voted for to be President of the United States is just as dangerous as those initiating these acts.

And I don't apologize for saying that because there's nothing to apologize for.

Supporting harmful and toxic behavior and trying to "rationalize" it or explain it away is vile, disgusting, and a clear and present danger to others.

And it's one of the engines that keeps white supremacy running.

And so many of y'all are literally more than willing to continue being the gasoline that keeps the old jalopy moving.