What In The Hell Is Wrong With This Country?: April 7, 2025, Edition

In today's edition of “What in the Hell is Wrong With This Country,” also knows as "People of Pallor Be Doin' The Most.:

A damn bouncy castle. 😑

Megan Gillman, a woman of pallor who considers herself a life coach and baby shaman (side note: that is some of the whitest sh-- I've heard in a minute) went viral in all the wrong ways yesterday on Threads after making the decision to write a review for her very first protest.

Yep, you read that right. Megan wrote a Yelp-style review FOR A PROTEST.

You see, Megan showed up to one of the Hands Off rallies this past weekend with her child in tow and decided to review the experience by stating her pale-ass child was "bored." Megan's suggestion?

"I don't think it would be too hard to arrange a bouncy castle or something..."

And this is exactly why y'all are on your own this go-round, easily-sunburned colonizer brethren. Y'all remain a part of the problem, even when you call yourselves not being a part of the problem.

Megan had an opportunity to be a role model for her child, to show them what it means to care about others. She could've engaged with her child, explaining what was going on and the significance of the moment. Hell, she coulda left that lil' mofo at home. But nope.

Megan wants to make sure any protests in the future consider having a bouncy house on hand, in case people or children "get bored."

Wouldn't want to bore you with activism and civil rights now, would we?

Megan has been gettin' dragged and read to filth, and rightfully so. But this kind of nonsense is why your "activism" means nothing, people of pallor. Y'all ain't about that life. Y'all are about capturing pictures and videos to show your friends. You're about reposting melanated voices then doing nothing those voices are telling y'all to do. And the moment you're even a little tired of fighting? You fall into your privilege and walk away, feeling like you've done your part when you've done nothing.

This is why you're on your own now. This is why we don't trust y'all.

A damn bounce house.

The caucasity.

[Image Description: A screenshot of a Threads post from a woman named Megan Gillman, who has a pale complexion. In the post, Megan reviews her experience at her first protest, one of the hundreds of Hands Off protests that occurred nationwide on April 5, 2025. In her post, she mentions that her young son was bored at the protest and expressed that she didn’t think it would be “too hard to arrange a bouncy castle or something” for the children present.]

Image Description: A screenshot of a Threads post from a woman named Megan Gillman, who has a pale complexion. In the post, Megan reviews her experience at her first protest, one of the hundreds of Hands Off protests that occurred nationwide on April 5, 2025. In her post, she mentions that her young son was bored at the protest and expressed that she didn’t think it would be “too hard to arrange a bouncy castle or something” for the children present.

On Protests and My Black Ass Not Being There

To the people of pallor, who I'm sure will happily tell me Monday morning that they were at one of the many protests that took place this past weekend:

No, I didn't show up for any of the protests.

No, that isn't symbolic of me not caring about the real sh-- happening all around us.

Yes, you're preposterous and ignorant for even thinking that I am an uncaring individual, even if you only know who I am based on what I talk about and openly stand for and against on social media.

Yes, you are pretty ill-informed about the plight of Black and Brown people and how hard we've fought for ourselves and ultimately you for a century-plus if you think me - any of us - not showing up for y'all's virtue signaling rally is somehow indicative of me or any Black or Brown person not caring about the rights and safety of our communities and even your communities.

Yes, it is your turn to stand for something other than getting kudos, gold stars, and participation trophies. We're tired of fighting for EVERYBODY ALL THE TIME.

Yes, it is time for y'all to take a few laps and do some of the heavy lifting, seeing how your communities, families, and friends are why we're knee-deep in this ever-evolving living nightmare.

Yes, you do need to show up for more than the moments you can record on your phone and post on social media before you can even be remotely viewed as an accomplice in dismantling white supremacy and oppression.

No, you are not an activist. Showing up to a protest every few years does not give you instant credibility. You even wanting to engage in this conversation with me and other melanated folx, trying to question our credibility and shame us or act like you're more of an activist than people whose whole lives are a form of activism, show just how much of an activist you aren't.

No, we will not be talking about this again.

*I'm so glad* we had this chat.

On An Election and A Country's True Identity

I'm not surprised. I'm saddened, but I’m not surprised.

I'm unsurprised that 59% of men of pallor and 52% of women of pallor voted the way they did. I'm sadly not surprised that after everything he said and will do to immigrants when he takes office, he still got 54% of the masculine-identifying and 37% of the feminine-identifying Latine and Hispanic vote.

I'm saddened, but I’m not surprised.

I am disheartened but unsurprised.

I didn’t need a reminder, but for those who did, this election was a firm reminder that the United States is precisely what it has always been: a country steeped in individualism and fear of moving forward, unwilling to be progressive and care for all its citizens, and legitimately uninterested in trying to be the country it likes to claim it is.

He won this election, and it wasn't even close in the popular or electoral vote. A party with a platform of hate, oppression, and regression will be in complete control of the Government come January 2025, and it wasn't even a fight.

And I know so many of y'all voted for this man and this party while playin’ in the faces of the people in your life who you know their policies and governance will do extreme harm to. Most of y'all are quick to bust out a Black Lives Matter sign or bring up trans and reproductive rights just to have a smoke screen to vote against everyone’s best interests.

I loathe that most of y'all won’t own your hatred and fear of losing what you think is exclusively yours - rights, privileges, and safety from tyranny.

I loathe that most of y'all won’t own who you are in front of those your choices impact.

I loathe that most of y’all will be shocked when the people you elected do the exact things you hired them to do and you find yourself and your families adversely impacted and in physical, mental, emotional, and economic distress.

But I’m not surprised.

You're Americans! That's what Americans do, right?

I'm saddened. I'm disheartened. I'm not surprised, though.

This is the American way, y'all.

Note: This poll data is from a subsection of the voter base from 10 states.

On Melanated Olympics for Survival and the Responses of Pallor

I don’t think people of pallor understand or grasp the intricacies of the mental, emotional, and linguistic gymnastics that most melanated people, most Black and Brown folx, most Native and Indigenous folx, and all Black women and femmes engage in to maintain employment and stay safe in communities and workplaces of pallor. I’m talking about Olympic gold medal-level sh—.

“But Pharoah, I underst - - “

No. No you don’t.

“Really, Pharoah. I think I get it - - “

Nope.

“I’ve read about - -“

Oh, no boo-boo. You don’t want to say that.

“But - -“

Shhhh. Less talking and defending yourself and more acknowledging your complacency and participation in white supremacist culture.

Ain’t nobody got time for your Olympic-level deflection and defensiveness.

Listen. Learn. Disrupt. Own your actions and words.

We’re tired of medaling.

[Image description: A picture of the rapper Mase. He is looking at the viewer while holding his left pointer finger up in front of his mouth, essentially making the universal gesture for remaining silent.]

Image description: A picture of the rapper Mase. He is looking at the viewer while holding his left pointer finger up in front of his mouth, essentially making the universal gesture for remaining silent.

On Nat, Magical Girls, and the Intersection of Justice

Sometimes, my energy is magical girl energy.

Sometimes, my energy is Nat Turner energy.

Either way, understand that justice is always at the center of who I am.

Also understand that you do not wanna come around me with hate and bigotry and catch me on a day where the Nat Turner in me pulls out his Sailor Scout wand to dispatch you and your ugliness.

Believe that.