Dude
The retort by the black man was "It's racism's fault we commit these crimes!" NIGGA WHAT? No that's not what your retort should be to that shit. IDGAF how someone gets to the point where they think I am a worthless nigger who commits crimes and leaves children fatherless. The whole thing was BUNS
Maybe I'm not remembering correctly, but from what I remember, the protagonist stated how policies and evil intentions created a system that led to his struggle and tried to expand the definition of racism to something more than "guy who says bad things" There is a system of white supremacy designed to thwart black men and women and children at every attempt at living a peaceful life and having equal access to the same resources as everyone else. The black character sought to point out how the other person was wrong in his assumptions that he commits crimes and does whatever because he's just lazy and there is something wrong with his character rather than he is just an individual who has been traumatized by a system that hates him. I'm with you on the point that it is not your job to respond to someone who views you some kind of way and try to educate them. But allowing them to say what they want about you without responding isn't really a viable method either. In the music video they were both inside a room that neither of them could leave. If you know what kind of talking points the person will use against you by knowing how racism evolved throughout the country's history and how so many white people are blind to it, you can cut through the bull shit and know exactly what someone is going to say before they say it. I agree that it is too easy to see false equivalency in the video, but I think the video is aimed at white viewers to actually take a minute and think about their views before expressing them. Many people that I know who repeat the talking points in that music video don't see themselves as racist because they've largely hung around other white people who have never offered alternative explanations. The way racism is talked about in white america is nothing like how black americans discuss it. It's just boiled down to "don't say XYZ words, don't hurt anyone" instead of "America is built upon systematic white supremacy and has been set up in such a way that whatever you can achieve with hard work, another person has to try ten times as much"
Nah, see I fundamentally disagree. I should not have to understand HOW racists get to the point of hating my family and kids. I should not be responsible for educating them on the issues faced by POC every single day. There is a wealth of information out there if they cared enough to become educated about the 'how' they have many different ways to do so. Taking the word of a guy with a skin color they already have prejudice is fantasy land shit. Joyner's rap is nothing more than a liberal wet dream of converting a non-believer with truth bombs. We often have this fantasy that we can embarrass bigots, sexists, climate change deniers, sexual predators, into 'seeing the light' through our well reasoned debates. It's not a reality and we should not waste our time continually running headfirst into those brick walls.
I see where you're coming from, but like I said in the response above, it is both important to know the talking points that the person will use against you, and important to feel like you can do something other than walk away and allow them to hold onto the viewpoints they have. They go through much of their lives interacting with other people who don't challenge their viewpoints. This is how pernicious racism is in America. A person could simultaneously believe that black culture is inherently violent and lazy while believing they are not racist. This kind of contradiction only can exist when one does not even have an understanding of what racism is. It isn't your job to debate them or put them in their place, but when someone throws a "What about black on black crime?" at you and you say nothing, they take that as a win. If you threaten to knock them out, they take that as a win. These are people who are walking around everyday thinking that they are right about what they believe because other white people don't check them on these beliefs, because a lot of white people too are not aware of racism as something woven into the culture and law of the country they live in.
I see what Joyner lucas is trying to do with the song, especially since as a listener I found myself surprised at how on point all of the talking points of the antagonist were(in the sense of how eerily accurate they are to so many white people I've interacted with). These are things I've heard millions of times, it's like a script that white people in America are forced to memorize as children and it's helpful to hear someone respond to that in a more thoughtful way that doesn't legitimize whataboutism or moving goal posts.
