WWIII?…
Your President, Donald Trump, ordered a precision strike to “terminate” top Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani. That order was carried out and he was killed at a Baghdad airport on January 3rd.
President Trump & US Secretary Mike Pompeo claims the reasoning for this airstrike was to deter impending attacks. Soleimani has been blamed for recent attacks against American including a December 27th strike and the US Embassy attack in Baghdad on December 31. In speaking with military personnel in my family in preparation for this blog, they agree that if military intel was correct and Soleimani was involved in the prior attacks against US servicemen AND due to the fact that he moves so frequently; when we were alerted of his whereabouts, the chain of command would quickly act. The thought process behind this is that it will save lives in the long run by preventing future attacks under his leadership.
But you’re laughing though…
Let me be clear: war, fear of war, innocent people dying is not funny OF COURSE. There is a duality that can exist between a looming war and people finding humor at memes or jokes being told about said war.
To quote one of my favorite comedians, Dave Chappelle:
“Sometimes, I think that we’re painfully desensitized, because we’re bombarded by so much information. And then other times, I think people — it’s just — there’s a lot to be mad at, especially when you know so much. So, I think it’s a challenging time. I think that, in a time like that, I, for one, find solace in the arts. I don’t have to agree with all the art I consume, but it helps me understand how I actually feel about it.”
In short, people are scared. They are being hit with the possibility of a war. They have family or friends in the military. Young people who joined simply because they wanted the opportunity to attend college for free and now, in a last ditch effort to divert our attention from the fact that he hasn’t submitted his tax returns and that he is about to get impeached; your President kills a top Iranian figure who we suspect has nuclear weapons… YO, BLACK PEOPLE ARE LAUGHING AND CRACKING JOKES.
Our propensity for humor…
I hate generalizations; however, black people have learned how to handle stress, pain, sadness and extreme injustice through laughter. We stray away from overly medicating, there is a stigma about going to therapy (I’m a huge fan of therapy by the way), we deal with discrimination EVERY DAY in our country; if we didn’t laugh, we wouldn’t make it. PERIOD.
It’s like having a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day, it may still be hot outside but the soothing chill and taste of the lemonade makes us forget, even if for a moment. Laughter is the same way for us. We don’t just have funerals we have celebrations! The death of a loved one is terribly sad. The finality of it all is overwhelming but we spend most of that time laughing at memories or dancing to release the burden of grief. When we go through a divorce or our kids have tapped on that last nerve we have available for life, we may go out and party to have a good time and LAUGH. It doesn’t mean the reality of the situation won’t be there when we return but it’s just a break from the heaviness of it all.
So, when we see:
We are laughing and possibly sharing them in our stories! This doesn’t mean we are unpatriotic (don’t get me started on patriotism in America while over 64,000 black women and girls are missing and we can’t even get consistent coverage on their disappearance…. I digress). It doesn’t mean we are laughing at the men and women who are currently deployed knowing the possibility of them not returning. NONE OF THAT! It means we are human and that laughter is our way of coping with the reality of it all. I am a big believer in duality. I can laugh at a meme and still go to my prayer closet at the end of the day to pray for each and every American soldier and innocent Iranian citizen that could potentially be injured or killed in an attack. I can do both things; in fact, I DO both things.
The impassioned viral plea…
Yes. I understand everything he’s saying. I agree we SHOULD be praying while laughing. I’m still laughing though. That’s what we do. It doesn’t make us bad people. It doesn’t mean we don’t care.
He is brave. He is smart. He is kind. He is a soldier.
Military brat & black woman in America…
I grew up in a military family. Granddaughter to a WWII veteran, niece to Vietnam & Gulf War vets and my father was serving during the Gulf War. If anybody understands the impact of war it would be me. I get it. I know what it is like for your family member to be deployed during combat and you have no idea when you will hear from them next and if/when they will be home. It’s a scary feeling but if we don’t hold onto our laughter, our jovial spirit; we will erupt in civil war.
There have been talks of race wars, gang violence is still occurring in many major cities, the opioid I mean the residual effects of the crack epidemic, and OVER 64,000 BLACK WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE MISSING! It’s real out here and tensions are at an all-time high in the United States in the last few years just dealing with our own domestic “stuff”.
Please let those of us who want to laugh for a few moments, do so without your judgement. Without your claims of being unpatriotic. We may laugh for a moment but I can assure you that most of us are praying just as hard if not harder for peace because that is what we have always done and will continue to strive for as black people, safer and better days not just for our children but for humanity.
Love & Light,
Mommi Trese, Unapologetically
PS
If you want to keep up on the Latest on the US-Iran Crisis, here is what CNN is reporting.
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