Throwback Thursday: Maybe White People Should Feel Bad

Photo by Samuel Yongbo Kwon on Unsplash

America be lying.

Although language purists will argue that the previous sentence is grammatically incorrect, it shows why African American Vernacular English (AAVE), is sometimes more accurate than Caucasian American Vernacular English (CAVE).

For more than a century, school districts preferred textbooks that taught students about “happy slaves” and framed the Civil War as a disagreement over taxes. Republicans still refuse to admit voter suppression exists or that there was an insurrection on Jan. 6. Entire sections of the country will burn, flood, and be blown away because most Republicans still won’t admit that climate change is real.

In describing our past propensity to perpetuate untruths, we could say “America lied.” But, to capture the present situation, we would need to add that “America is lying.” And, because none of these things are changing, we should also state that: “America will lie.” Or, more accurately…

America be lying.

These lies all have the same purpose: to make white people feel comfortable. When white people are comfortable, they are complacent and less likely to demand change. And, because maintaining the status quo benefits them, feeling comfortable is one of the few white privileges that actually perpetuates inequality.