Like any community, there is a mixture of people—good and bad. Life is nuanced rather than black and white. But there comes a time when that distinction is easier to make. One thing that is prevalent in parts of the Black community is the lack of accountability for bad behavior. An example of this is when videos of people looting in Philadelphia were shared on social media. Common arguments in favor of this illegal pastime are that they were stealing because they had to do it to survive. But that is increasingly hard to believe when a majority of the items being stolen is unnecessary luxury goods.
This blasé attitude is found in various comments across the internet, especially celebrity pages. When celebrities get into scandals that affect everyday people such as promoting bad products or stealing work from other creators, the people who call the celebrities out are attacked by the fans. They are called jealous haters that need to mind their own business. Having this mentality is unjustified in this case because no one knows who these celebrities truly are unless they are in their close circle. The revelry often does more harm than good by dismissing serious allegations just because they are fans.
What is most damaging is how the lack of accountability affects the community. People are stifled from speaking out in fear of being ostracized from the community. They can’t speak up against looting and rioting because then they will be a sympathizer and a “coon.” Destroyed businesses will think twice before bringing their store in certain “bad” neighborhoods. More of our people will be placed behind bars, further fueling the narrative that they are victims of the system when they are actually victims to their own warped thinking. This also fuels the stereotypes of Black people being violent, ignorant, and undeserving of nice things. It is not true for everybody, but with the way a handful of apples appear, they unfortunately spoil the entire bunch.
Takeaway
It is vital that we hold each other accountable to prevent instances like the ones mentioned. Failing to do so only perpetuates harmful stereotypes that make it more difficult to be seen as normal, law-abiding citizens. We must break the cycle of keeping quiet when we see our own doing the wrong things. If we don’t, our lives will be worse off, and we will have no one to blame but ourselves.