I am not Troy Davis

and I never will be. I will also never be Troy Davis' mother. When it comes to the police, I am highly unlikely to be charged with a crime I didn't commit. But if I was, the chance of getting the death penalty is damn near nothing for me. Same is true of the Kid. Because we are white.

Now before I continue, you absolutely must go read Renee. Go ahead. I'll wait. *

Now I may be a lot of things that rack up points on the old kyriarchy oppression chart. I'm a woman. I am poor. I am a mother. Etc. Etc. But I am not now, nor will I ever be, the n***** of the world.

Now I meant to write this post when everyone was popping "I am Troy Davis" posts on their facebook. But I was working 11 hour days and there were other things going on. Then I meant to write this post when the Slutwalk shit happened. But I was working and there were other things going on.

But that's all bullshit. I could put off writing about it because I am white. And racism really doesn't do me any harm. Actually, I benefit from it. That's privilege, not needing to give a damn or write a post or call out an injustice because it ain't my problem. (Except that it is my problem. And your problem. And you over there lurking, it's your problem too).

I have been I am Hillary Clinton, and I have been I am Spartacus (aka Melissa McEwan) but those are both, wait for it.... white women.

And yes, both the Slutwalk women and the Troy Davis posters were well intentioned. But intention doesn't matter a damn bit in oppression. I am sure that the white folks who ripped Native children from their parents and sent them to Indian schools thought they were well intentioned too. I am sure that the asshole cop who started the whole Slutwalk thing with his comments on how ladies should dress in order to avoid being raped thought he was doing a community service. I am even pretty sure that John Lennon and Yoko Ono were well intentioned when they wrote that fucking song. They just wanted to point out how shitty the world treats women.**

But that shit ain't right. Trying to fix an injustice using oppression is like a doctor trying to fix a heart attack with bacon. You just end up compounding the problem at another person's expense.

*No seriously, go read Renee. Cause if you don't it's just one more example of a white feminist taking the credit for the hard work a black woman did before her. She gets to be the expert on race, cause duh. I am just an ally and often a lazy ally at that.

** Also it breaks the cardinal rules of language reclamation. You either have one, or you are one, or you don't get to use the fucking word.