I’m sick of entitled white people. And it doesn’t seem like I’m the only one. Picture this, sisters. A group of black people in Minneapolis are legally assembled for a protest after Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman decided to not charge the officers involved in the June 23 deadly shooting of Thurman Blevins. The two officers say that Blevins, 31, aimed his gun at them, despite them shooting at him as he was running away.
A white woman, who was delayed in reaching her train home, decided to walk into the circle of protesters, scream at them, and rip up one of the sister’s poster. How many of you know she messed with the wrong one that day? It’s just funny how some white people feel that their needs are so much more important than the needs and emotions of someone else. Had she taken the time to listen to the group’s protests, to pay attention to the case that they were protesting, or to stay “out of other folks business”, she would not have been a victim of blows to the face. See for yourself:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XijA2Ee3yk[/embedyt]
Now, I am not condoning violence at all. However, what I am trying to show is that this woman’s entitlement allowed her to place herself in an emotionally heated situation, pour fuel on the burning embers, and act surprised when the reaction was a punch in the face. She runs off weeping that “she just wants to go home” to a nearby officer. Which is extremely ironic, because I’m sure that is what Thurman Blevins wanted to do the night he was shot and killed as he ran away.
How do we deal with entitlement? It’s important that we discuss situations such as these from an open perspective and not an entitled one. The entitled perspective will say, “Violence is not the answer.” Entitlement overlooks the invasion of the rights of the protesters, their space, and their belongings. When we can confront the sense of entitlement that told this woman that she had every right to approach this group and dismiss their concerns, we begin to chip away at entitlement.
It’s important for entitled people to acknowledge their entitlement and use that for good. How can you use this power to speak to the injustices of a people? How can you be more pro-active in the fight for human rights? When we begin to use our power for good, we will become advocates to those in need and voices for the powerless.
