The power that the previously useless Derek Chauvin flaunted on May 25th, 2020, is shockingly common in these United States of America

Derek Chauvin is a white, adult, uniformed male in North America. Other than that, he has no qualifications to make life and death decisions. But that’s all you need, apparently, in the year 2020 in America to feel perfectly secure in the knowledge that kneeling on a black man’s neck in broad daylight while being conscious that a video of the incident is being recorded will have no negative personal consequences.

This is the ignorant moment that sparked a revolution, so thank you Derek! Many other ignorant moments did lead up to this one which happened to transpire on the streets of Minneapolis that fateful day. Being a white police officer in the USA in these times has become synonymous with brutality, over-confidence, ignorance and blundering. That is to say, this image has become synonymous with those traits among an increasing number of white people. These traits have been on open display for decades and have been painfully obvious for people of color and for their so-called “allies” the whole time.

The issue of police department reform is again receiving more concentrated attention, as it did during the height of the Civil Rights Movement sparked by Rosa Parks and led by Dr. King. Why on Earth would any of us who enjoy the automatic boatload of privilege delivered to our mothers’ bedside at our birth lift a voice or a finger to stop one of our brethren from conducting himself according to his personal moral code in broad daylight? After all, together we have achieved the goals of This Great Nation as laid out plainly in the Holy Constitution: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. And yet many of the privileged have been recently awakened to the alarming truth about the American Dream: that this very dream has been pleasant only for some but a nightmare for most. In our new and still unsteady rebirth as “woke” people, non-black Millenials and some slower Boomers seem ready to join the ongoing revolution which has been grinding on since that first Juneteenth way down in Texas. And now that we’ve finally acknowledged that black lives matter, how can we make sure this revolution succeeds?

Traditionally, there have beeen two principle paths to success in Western Society (European/North American): Either you do something better than others doing the same thing and get noticed

or

you fit the description “white”.

By contrast, there are two principle paths to failure in this enviroment: Either you do something better than others doing the same thing but get ignored

or

you were born red or black or brown or yellow

Being born non-white in America means you probably had to spend a great deal of energy and time searching for any available paths to success or failure in the first place.

Skin color, then, is a valid qualification in Western Society. If it weren’t, what would be the justification for electing a Matt Gaetz or a Mitch McConnell to public office? Why else would anyone spend more than a moment listening to the disconnected, insincere blatherings of a Sean Hannity (that big shot who bought up hundreds of foreclosed homes during the 2008 financial crisis, using the advice of one Michael Cohen) or a Laura Ingraham? And why, in all honesty, would a Candace Owens have been employed by Fox News if not for her willingness to keep grinding out the anti-American narrative espoused by her Australian boss, the boulevard media emperor Rupert Murdoch? She is the perfect figleaf needed by the treasonous, bigoted news outlet to fend off accusations of racial bias — and she is very well compensated.

Being allowed to fail is in itself a privilege. It means that you were offered the opportunity to try your idea in the first place. So what can the newly woke privileged class do to help turn things around for the underprivileged, the disadvantaged, the neglected? To put it another — admittedly gentler — way: How can we support our fellow citizens?

1. Rewatch the viral video of George Floyd’s May 25th lynching by the on-duty law enforcement officer Derek Chauvin. If officer Chauvin’s behavior makes you feel satisfied that justice was served during those eight minutes and forty-six seconds, then go back to your life as if nothing special took place. If that scene broke your heart, there might be hope for you yet, so read on…
2. Assess your professional status. Upon hire, were you qualified to discharge the duties you were given or to keep the promises made by your resumé? Or were you the logical choice for your job position because of the color of your skin, whatever it happens to be? Consider either acquiring the credentials necessary for doing the job you’re being paid to do or vacating your position. While you’re at it, make your suspicions or convictions about your employer’s shallow hiring practices known to a wider audience.
3. Assess your personal status. Look around you: do you live the way you want? Can you foresee a future in which your living situation improves dramatically? Does your neighborhood get enough positive attention from the town or city administration? Is it comfortable for your family, your neighbors, visitors? If any of the above criteria apply, and if you’re still committed to meaningful, systemic change, ask yourself this simple question: Would you feel comfortable in your surroundings if you were a different color?
4. Explore a neighborhood that does not meet the above criteria and find someone to talk with who grew up there. Do whatever it takes to make a new friend and don’t be surprised if they act wary of your motives (maybe your presence heralds the approach of creeping gentrification): join a sports team, attend church services or other local events, frequent a shop or restaurant in the target neighborhood. Take a class (martial arts/dance/acting) attended by people from the target neighborhood. Keep it real.
5. Get to know your local government representatives. Do they represent all of the voters of their district or just those who look like you? Either way, find ways to speak with these career politicians, challenge them, support or oppose them. Political action can be a powerful agent of change.
6. Assess your time management. Assess your fitness level. Assess your dietary choices, your habits, your health. Make a plan, write it down, keep track of your progress. You’re of no use to anyone else if you can’t even take good care of yourself. Revolutions die when people run out of energy, so pursue ways to keep yours high and consistent. Waking up is OK. By contrast, staying woke is awesome. Sustain the awesome.

Only time will tell if our local police departments can regain their status as partners against crime, staunch representatives of justice and keepers of the peace. Or if this model will require replacement (remember how effective the Guardian Angels were in some of our bigger cities back in the day?) due to unchecked corruption, widespread bigotry and an entrenched sense of entitlement in some police departments.

So thanks again, Derek Chauvin, for sparking a revolution that holds a lot of promise for the kinds of positive, systemic change that you yourself have never and will never support. I blame your environment (your parents, siblings, schoolteachers, neighbors, friends) for creating a monster, but I thank you for the kind of clear communication that too many of your brothers and sisters on the right have neglected for too long in an effort to “pass” as compassionate people who are worthy of anyone’s trust. This may not be the outcome you envisioned when you murdered a fellow human being in cold blood. Then again, I doubt you have the slightest clue about the power of unexpected outcomes, the meaning of life, or anything else, for that matter.

But thanks!

Nikolay has been trying desperately to curb the stray dog of cynicism, but sometimes it just breaks free. I hope the reader can forgive the occasional intrusion onto their otherwise immaculately groomed lawn…