On Messiahs, Deities, and Identities

Image description: At the top of the frame is a picture of Abraham Lincoln, JFK, MLK, a depiction of Jesus Christ, and Charlie Kirk standing above the sentence, "All because of words." Below that image is a smattering of confused faces trying to process the contents of the image.

It's intriguing to me how much so many people of pallor desperately want, or even need, a modern-day figurehead for their whiteness. So many people of pallor want that one person to look up to, to follow, to be an identity for their beliefs, and it's been mind-bogglingly dangerous to watch unfold.

There are so many people of pallor who really want their own Martin Luther King, Jr., which is ironic, seeing how they hated that man with every fiber of their being for being a voice of unity and non-violence and the people they earmark to be their version of MLK are, well, the complete opposite of that.

They desperately long for the person they can position as their next coming of Jesus, to the point where there's a whole MAGA Christian sect that view y'all's president as the messiah.

(Side note: if you're not familiar with the MAGA Christians and their "prophets," it's wilder than you may think it is. I would say, "Don't Google 'em," but you're probably already doing it, so good luck.)

And now, a white supremacist bigot, racist, xenophobe, transphobe, and misogynist is being deified by people of pallor across the United States for being a "civil rights activist" and "voice of the people."

But here's the thing, people of pallor: you wouldn't have to be constantly searching for an identity if your ancestors didn't make it their mission to remove your identities, homogenize you, and vilify the identities of others to make your homogenization feel superior in your heads.

You wouldn't always be on the hunt for a new messiah if you didn't feel your current belief set was sufficient enough to support your hate and white supremacy.

You wouldn't always fall for snake oil salesmen sellin' y'all soda water and tonics as the cure for all of your ills if so many of y'all weren't so desperate to be loved and lied to by these "prophets"and grifters who only care about your money and adulation.

And deep down inside, most people of pallor know this.

But a lot of y'all ain't ready for that kind of conversation. And the way so many of y'all act like lemmings?

You'll probably never be.

Enjoy walking off the cliff, following your idols - just stop trying to take the rest of us with you on the way down.

[Image description: At the top of the frame is a picture of Abraham Lincoln, JFK, MLK, a depiction of Jesus Christ, and Charlie Kirk standing above the sentence, "All because of words." Below that image is a smattering of confused faces trying to process the contents of the image.]

On Workplaces, Impending Doom, and Wearing a Smile

Workplaces are really expecting us to show up right now every day with a smile on our face and not a care in the world other than a project deadline or deliverable.

I guess we're supposed to just act like nothing's happening?

I guess we're supposed to leave all of this descent into autocracy and dictatorship and the absolute dread, anxiety, and fear it's creating for so many of us in the car or at home?

That's what white supremacist workplace culture wants, so if we want to maintain employment we better put on our smiley face masks.

Geezus.

Acting like something isn't happening and expecting us all to cater to that doesn't stop it from happening and permeating every aspect of our lives, including work.

Expecting Brown folx, Black folx, Black women, femmes, trans folx, and folx with disabilities to show up and "be OK" while the world around us gets increasingly more heavy is a clear marker that these workplaces do not care about us.

But y'all already knew that.

Y'all just like us better when we smile more and preserve the feelings of those who want to exist outside of reality.

On Racial Profiling, Pallor Shock, Performative Actions, and Saying the Not-So-Quiet Parts Out Loud

So, y'all's Supreme Court went ahead and legalized racial profiling, finally making sure the not-so-quiet part was out there loud and proud. And while many Black and Brown folx are now mulling over a new, now legal addition to the list of things you evidently can't do while Black or Brown, I'm seeing the usual wave of shocked people of pallor grappling with the notion that it's OK to pull Black and Brown folx over based on their perceived appearance.

"I can't believe this is happening."

"The rule of law is gone."

"We're all in danger."

"I'm not going to stand for this."

"We need to stand up together and fight."

So...you're shocked. About racial profiling. In 2025. And now you want to fight the system because it's "gone too far."

Oh, bless your "militant" lil' hearts of pallor.

Y'all are truly exhausting.

Yes, it's scary as hell that the country that has been profiling Black and Brown people for hundreds of years suddenly got the "right" people of pallor in place to make it the law of the land. It's pretty horrific, actually. I'm even more scared for my Black and Brown brethren than I've ever been. But you know what? I live in the United States.

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN SCARED FOR MY BLACK AND BROWN BRETHREN.

C'mon, y'all. Did people of pallor forget about all the murders of thousands of Black and Brown folx at the hands of law enforcement with no cause? The video footage, the failed verdicts, the lack of justice? Like, did y'all forget about Stop and Frisk? Where was all this outrage then, huh? Where were y'all at then?

Oh, I get it. You think YOU'RE in danger now because it's officially the law of the land, so it's relevant to you now.

That's on brand.

Even in the face of y'all callin' yourselves standing up for Black and Brown lives you find a way to make it about yourself while pulling out your virtue signal so your fellow people of pallor will see you as one of the good ones.

Don't worry: you're "safe." They won't mistake you for me or anyone else with melanin, even if your spray tan and collagen lips got you out here looking like a sentient fruit leather that, if you squint out of one eye and cover the other, could be mistaken as a person of color by a racist cop.

Save your shock and outrage for fuel to actually do something other than write a long post or post a video on social media about a reality you've failed to acknowledge until it made you squirmy in your tum-tum.

[Image description: A plate of dark red fruit leathers. They are bumpy in texture and shiny in appearance.]

Image description: A plate of dark red fruit leathers. They are bumpy in texture and shiny in appearance.

On The Benefits of Working Remote vs. Onsite While Black

Image description: a picture of R&B musician Carl Thomas. He leans back in his car, his face exasperated. The image is captioned, “Me when I see that one person of pallor who always wants to ‘chat’ with a melanated person about their most recent racist and white supremacist behavior happily entering my office without permission to force a nonconsensual conversation, dumping a bunch of hateful crap in my lap and forcing me to chose between ‘educating’ them or putting my continued employment at risk by checkin’ them.”

One of the most significant benefits I’ve received from transitioning to remote roles is not having to spend my time in an office where people of pallor can force their way into my personal office space any time they see fit and initiate nonconsensual conversations around how racist, oppressive, and harmful they are.

I have had countless unwanted conversations with “well-meaning” people of pallor in workplaces over the years, around how racist and messed up they are. Every in-person job I’ve had for over a decade has had people of pallor forcing me to be their constant sounding board and “teacher.” It’s draining. It’s oppression and abuse masquerading as curiosity and a willingness to learn when all they want is validation for their actions.

Now, some of y’all are probably like, “Why didn’t you have boundaries?”, which is a question that shows how privileged your life has been not to have
to worry about how having boundaries in the workplace unlocks a whole closet of stereotypes and white supremacist workplace-isms that ultimately threaten your ongoing employment prospects.

Boundaries? Oh, you silly lil’ privileged beavers. Of course, I had boundaries in those workplaces.

The thing is, the clearer I was with my boundaries - signage on my office door that made it clear that I was busy, being available by appointment only, asking people to leave and re-enter my office, stating that I was not willing to consent to a racism “chat”, and even making it clear that people had to knock and be invited in before entering - the more “well-meaning” people of pallor would report me to my supervisor. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to chat with leadership about how I’m not being a “team player,” that my boundaries were somehow in conflict with my job duties (they never were), or that I was the one being harmful to others because I didn’t want to be a racism and bigotry sounding board.

It has always been clear to me that working while Black comes with white supremacy, expecting you to shrink yourself and be used and mistreated as some form of servitude and gratitude to maintain a paycheck. And because I know this? I don’t think I can work in a physical office doing full-time work and feel healthy doing it ever again.

Working remotely has been a blessing for my mental and emotional health, and I don’t believe in letting blessings pass me by.

It’s also saved me from catchin’ a case, so win-win.

[Image description: a picture of R&B musician Carl Thomas. He leans back in his car, his face exasperated. The image is captioned, “Me when I see that one person of pallor who always wants to ‘chat’ with a melanated person about their most recent racist and white supremacist behavior happily entering my office without permission to force a nonconsensual conversation, dumping a bunch of hateful crap in my lap and forcing me to chose between ‘educating’ them or putting my continued employment at risk by checkin’ them.”]

On a Logo With a White Man and a Barrel, a.k.a. "The Country is on Fire, But The Most Important Thing in My Life is This Cracker Barrel Logo"

This week’s example of how fragile whiteness is...

"Cracker Barrel announced Aug. 26 that it is dropping its much-criticized new logo and returning to the 'Old Timer.'

"We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have," the company wrote in a statement provided to USA TODAY. “Our new logo is going away, and our 'Old Timer' will remain."

The nationwide restaurant chain and country store, known for its comfort food and nostalgic atmosphere, unveiled a new, simplified logo with the launch of its fall menu campaign on August 19.

The "enhanced brand look" was intended to modernize the company’s brand, executives said. The intent includes moving its restaurants away from nostalgia-rich decor to something more contemporary and less cluttered.

The change drew sharp criticism from customers and politicians, with both President Donald Trump and the Democratic Party decrying the change.

"All of your fans very much appreciate it," Trump said in a post on Truth Social following the announcement. "Make lots of money and, most importantly, make your customers happy again!"

USA TODAY followed up with Cracker Barrel, asking if Trump’s comments had influenced its decision, and did not receive an immediate response."

A logo.

Y'all went apesh-- over them removing an old man of pallor and a barrel from a logo.

Y'all's president is literally trying to be a dictator by Christmas, yet y'all lost your minds over a person of pallor being removed from the logo of a restaurant chain that has always had big white supremacist Klan energy.

Good to know what really matters to U.S. Americans of pallor.