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Cornel West, in his formidable book Race Matters, describes this poverty and oppression: Nihilism is to be understood here not as a philosophical doctrine that there are no rational grounds for legitimate standards or authority; it is, far more, the lived experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaninglessness, hopelessness, and (most important) lovelessness. The frightening result is a numbing detachment from others and a self-destructive disposition toward the world. Life without meaning, hope, and love breeds a coldhearted, mean-spirited outlook that destroys both the individual and
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“What psychologist gives us therapy? PTSD, my ass. We’re all suffering from it. It’s become part of our DNA.”
This sort of unrest has occurred with such frequency in the country’s history that there’s even a name for it: “race riots.”
“Man, look, Hillary Clinton got all the money behind her. But look at what the young people want. They see clearly now, social democracy is what is needed to lift the country up. Maaan, nobody wants that stank ol’ woman in office, she and her old man done fucked the country up enough already. She should just lay up and enjoy her pension and let somebody else fix America.”
We all know he’s a loudmouth buffoon, but at least he’s saying what so many white people in that country have been thinking all along. He’s bringin’ all of it out of the closet. Finally.”
“Black people have been suffering since we got to America, so we’re used to it. We learned to survive through the most obscene hardships one can imagine. But the white man isn’t prepared for that. He ain’t ready, and he don’t know what the fuck to do now that reality is biting him in the ass.”
“Dick Gregory said it best,” Don continues. “The white man lives in the penthouse, which is why more white people commit suicide than blacks do. You know, if you already live in the basement, there’s nowhere to jump from.”
