Dialogue in Black and White

Mr. Black: You had better respect me, otherwise I will hurt you, and it will be your fault because your disrespect is racism, which must never be tolerated.

Mr. White: I respect people in general, but not those people who want to hurt me. I think people deserve respect if they are decent and good, and not otherwise. Someone who threatens me does not get my respect. And supposing I find some way of offering it. Will you really feel respected on the basis of being respectable if you know that my respect is only because you can hurt me. Sure, I acknowledge you are strong and can hurt or kill me. I would prefer you didn't.

Mr. Black: Your words condemn you. You think all of us are violent.

Mr. White: No. I think some of you are. I can understand this reaction to being oppressed, and yet I cannot appreciate it. Hatred and violence are not the only possible responses to oppression.

Ms. Pink: I am sorry for you, Mr. Black. This man is racist, and that is horrible.

Mr. White: Ms. Pink, do you care more about the injustice of people being insulted than that of trying to address this with violence?

Mr. Black: Insulted? You think it's just insult? Look at the lynchings, look at all the racist hate crimes.

Mr. White: In that case, speak for yourself.

Mr. Black: It's not a crime to use violence against oppression. Our oppression will not end unless we fight it.

Mr. White: I am not your oppressor, Sir. What justifies you in assuming that. Just because I am 'white'?

Ms. Pink: I see there is a problem here. Mr. Black, this man is very prejudiced, I feel for the injustice you suffer. Of course, you should, if you can bring yourself to it, not react with violence, because they will only use that against you.

Mr. White: Listen, I am against every kind of oppression. I have spent my entire life standing for the cause of poor people.

Mr. Black: You're an obvious hypocrite.

Mr. White: Why don't you try to change the world instead of punishing or fighting back against people you feel insulted by?

Mr. Black: People have been murdered because of what you call insults.

Mr. White: Who has told you that injustice and insult are the same thing?

Mr. Black: That's easy for you to say.

Mr. White: No one is lynching you, Sir.

Mr. Black: That's easy for you to say.

Mr. White: My ancestors were as poor as you are. They were oppressed. They didn't let it make them hate.

Mr. Black: You are the haters. There is no such thing as reverse racism.

Mr. White: No one is made holy by oppression. There is a moral duty to not hurt or kill, just because you are angry.

Mr. Black: It's more than 'anger'. You are clueless, aren't you?

Mr. White: No, I think anger is the sentiment that recognizes some injustice, real or imagined, or both. Why don't you do something useful with your anger?

Mr. Black: You obviously don't know what it's like to be despised and suspected of being a criminal wherever you go.

Mr. White: The world sucks; we ought to work to improve it. Hatred is never justified, even when its object is real oppression. Haven't you noticed it doesn't help?

Mr. Black: Do you admit that you are part of a system of oppression?

Mr. White: What does that mean, except that I am guilty of something of which I am not the cause, and in fact cannot change?

Mr. Black: That's right, and you should be aware of it.

Mr. White: I am quite aware that there are systems of injustice, that we all live with, and none of us is personally and directly the cause of it. We do what we can.

Mr. Boss: I don't want any trouble. You're both fired.

Mr. Black: Serves him right, though this is really not fair.

Mr. White: It would be less unfair if people could even discuss these things without someone being blamed and punished.

Mr. Black: Yes! That's why.....

Mr. White: There is a difference between an angry reproach and a threat.

Mr. Black: There you go again; you people think all Black people are violent. Why, I can't get angry at you, while you can get angry at me; can you see that? Can't you agree that's oppressive?

Mr. White: You're a funny person to be so oppressed, since you can tolerate nothing.

Mr. Black: Why should I tolerate your oppression and bullshit?

Mr. White: Maybe you should tolerate injustice just enough to learn better responses.

Mr. Black: Who are you to preach?

Mr. White: Who are you to threaten?

Mr. Black: "Violence in response to the hatred that causes injustice is no injustice, and no true crime."

Mr. White: What you call my hatred is, like yours, less cause of injustice than it is caused by it.

Mr. Black: Whatever, I don't tolerate shit like this. If you insult me again, I'll hurt you.

Mr. White: I guess you get the last word with that.

Ms. Pink: Mr. Boss, we really should have more of these diversity sessions. We must have safe spaces so people can share these feelings.

Mr. Black: Good luck.

Mr. White: I won't bet on it.

Ms. Pink: Thank you both for your participation. I want to assure you that we understand that both of you .... (voice trails off into indistinction).... and that we fully intend.... (voice trails off again).

Mr. Boss: It is good to bring out these resentments. Of course, in cases like these....

Mr. White: The resentments stirred up, those who cope with their resentments by hurting or threatening others will be encouraged. Congratulations on your efforts to promote social peace.

Mr. Black: Amen, brother.

Mr. White: To whom are you praying?

Mr. Black: Only to a God that excludes you.

Mr. White: I can feel the same way, though it's not true.

Mr. Black: Do you speak for that God?

Mr. White: Certainly not. (Maybe Ms. Pink does?). If there is a God who judges, I think we appear before him as contrary parties.

Mr. Black: You exclude us, or me, and I exclude you.

Mr. White: Such is obvious.

Mr. Black: Maybe it has to be that way.

Mr. White: Maybe it doesn't.

Mr. Black: Wishful thinking.

Mr. White: Thought worth wishing.

Mr. Black: If you didn't fear our violence, you'd still fear our contempt. Or have contempt for our contempt.

Mr. White: Quite possibly. What you hate, I was dragged into, and partly by people like you.

Mr. Black: You can't not deal with it.

Mr. White: YOU can't deal with it, nor I with you.

Mr. Black: So we are really equal.

Mr. White: We were that before you started.

Mr. Black: But it was a lie.

Mr. White: If your reaction to all and any injustice is only the intolerance of total rejection and hatred, then the world will not long endure, nor I, nor maybe you.

Mr. Black: Whose fault is that?

Mr. White: Fault?

Mr. Black: We want a world without this injustice, and we want it now.

Mr. White: Good luck.

Mr. Black: You don't?

Mr. White: I want it now, and expect it tomorrow, not now. It takes work.

Mr. Black: We've waited long enough.

Mr. White: Massacres are wreaked by people impatient to end all injustice.

Mr. Black: A little less patience, not none.

Mr. White: Fight, you should, we all should. But why me?

Mr. Boss: Are you (addressing them both) still here?

Mr. Black: Yes.

Mr. White. No.

Mr. Black: It's easy for you to say you can be patient with injustice.

Mr. White: No it isn't, it's painful.

Mr. Black: But you've never suffered extreme injustice.

Mr. White: How do you know?

Mr. Black: I look in your mirror.

Mr. White: Keep the thought, smash the mirror.

Mr. Black: It's what we do.

Mr. White: No, it's not. You hate the other and love it in the mirror. It's backwards.

Mr. Black: Privilege talks.

Mr. White: Privileges are less to be despised than used.

To be continued.

(Signed, Mr. White).