Also Black =/= Followed Back

Do y’all feel like, as black people, you have to automatically and blindly support other black people based solely on your shared status as, you know, black people? In the past few weeks I’ve seen several black cosplayers and other members of “geekdom” throw out the completely bullshit accusation that black people do not support each other. In my experience with it, I’ve noticed the pattern that usually gives birth to this accusation:

1. Problematic or mediocre person who also happens to be black does something problematic or mediocre

2. People subsequently call them on their awful behavior or fail to praise their mediocrity

3. Problematic and/or mediocre person transforms into a pillar of salt, and instead of taking responsibility for their own shit, decides to use a stupid lie about the entire black nerd community as a cop-out and go:

I’m sorry, but I’m 100% not here for blindly supporting others based solely  that we both happen to be Black people. Personally, I love supporting and uplifting other Black nerds and POC, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to place your blackness above my own sense of morality or qualitative standards. If you’re a shitty person, I’m not going to support you. I’m not going cosign shit that I don’t stand for just because a fellow Black person said or did it. If anything, I feel we need to hold each other accountable; what good are doing ourselves if we blindly support foolishness in the name of solidarity?

Black people are already more likely to be overlooked, ignored, or discriminated against in the nerdy subculture, so we really have enough coming at us from the outside than to have to deal with salt packets trying to wreck progress and harp on the entire community unfairly just because nobody listened to their completely not #fire Naruto inspired mixtape, or they got called out on knowingly working with predatory pedophile photographers, or whatever other unfortunate things people find themselves wrapped up in. To these types of people, I say, how dare you spit on all the obvious and abundant examples of us uplifting one another just because you feel that other black people should overlook fuck ass behavior or pretend to like your sub-par content. That’s weak. That’s lazy. And that’s anti-black as fuck.

Do I seek out fellow black people and other POC to support? Yes.

Does this support come automatically, regardless of quality? No.

Can you lose that support if you pull some shit that doesn’t sit well with me? Hell yeah.

You are not immune to criticism, above reproach, or owed affection and praise from other black people. When you get called out, or when you’re not getting the praise you think you deserve, don’t throw the whole fucking community under the bus and say that we don’t support one another. It just shows how much you really don’t give a fuck about the community at all: you’re merely after personal gain, and you got mad when you realized your so-called “brothers” and “sisters” would hold your ass accountable. If you’re wrong, you’re wrong. If you suck, then I’m sorry but you fucking suck. Correct your behavior, level up whatever skill you aren’t getting  the attention you crave for, and fucking stop with the ridiculous and destructive lie that “black people don’t support each other”just because you didn’t get what you wanted from us. It’s like you’re implying that we shouldn’t have standards when it comes to each other.

If you feel like you have to use our blackness to guilt me into your fanbase, or silence me when you’re clearly doing something that needs to be addressed, then you either don’t believe in your own talents or you’re in denial. Sending out the message that black people, especially those in the nerd community, are not supportive  of one another all because you feel personally vilified over something that’s your own damn fault is petty and disgusting. We really do have enough going on without y’all trying to make an individual failure out to be the shortcoming of an entire, beautiful community. Being a fellow black person does not come with an auto-support  feature.