The Word “Unity” Has Become Funny

It is interesting to me how some Black men quickly “unite,” but only in the name of patriarchy, sexism, misogyny and homophobia. To harass a woman walking by on the street? Sure. To threaten one of the most skilled, intelligent and insightful music and culture writers of our time (dream hampton), who is a Black woman? Sure. To defend celebrity Black men who commit animal cruelty, pedophilia, ephebophilia, domestic violence and rape? Sure. To question the rights of women and LGBT? Sure. To promote pro-Blackness (that truly means pro male, cis gender, heterosexual, able-bodied, hyper-religious, patriarchy-fulfilling Blackness)? Sure. (This goes down on Twitter and the blogosphere like…daily.)

And of course…they manage to secure a few Black women content with being cheerleaders for injustice, as long as that means that they have a date, a husband or are deluded into thinking that this too is “unity” that “uplifts the Black community.”

I…don’t need any of this “unity.” In fact, I don’t even buy into the illusion that Black “unity” will somehow eradicate racism and guarantee the “respect” of Whites (as if the latter should be a goal in the first place). Unity without purpose is a mob. Unity without equality is the platform for groupthink and injustice. These cries for “unity” are about mimicking patriarchy as well as Whites exemplify. The problem is…we already do this. And it fails. This is why this “unity” means absolutely nothing. This is why some suggest that feminism derails the “unity” that will make White people finally be “nice” to us and Black families work. They’re lost. Feminism attempts to question, derail and dismantle these evils…the ones which are truly what is antithetical to unity.

If “unity” means silently enduring injustice in the name of race loyalty at first and in the name of White hetero-patriarchal capitalism overall, well…fuck unity then. The word unity has become funny. And by funny, I mean a disgrace.

Related Post: Avoiding Critique is NOT Unity