+
upworthy
More

7 things you might hear from a 19th century slaveholder with a modern take on racism.

Racism today is different than it was in centuries past.

Society may have evolved beyond the rule of mob terror against people of color, but it's impossible to argue racism is behind us.


Photo by Luke Vargas/Flickr.

Today's racism is just a little harder to identify at times. The language is coded with HR-friendly euphemisms. And the struggles of many are dismissed as individual — not systemic — failures because of the exceptional achievements of a few. (Thanks, Obama.)

But have you ever wondered how today's brand of subliminal racism might sound in, say, the 1800s?

Poet Anthony McPherson did. In a performance (watch it below), he explores what the tension between "Black Lives Matter" and the seemingly well-meaning but totally off-the-mark counter cry of "All Lives Matter" might have sounded like in the 19th century United States.

It's old school bigotry with a modern twist. Here are seven examples:

1. On ownership

All GIFs from Button Poetry/YouTube.

2. On friendship

3. On inheritance

4. On freedom and accountability

5. On unity

6. On the "real" enemy

7. On the fight for a better world

Black Lives Matter matters because even centuries after the racially abhorrent founding of the U.S., skin color still plays a role in how people are treated.

Photo by Fibonacci Blue/Flickr.

If you're still grappling with it, check out this explainer from the subreddit Explain Like I'm Five. The analogy they draw is so powerful, it actually changed other users' minds on the issue. Here's the key takeaway:

"It's a way of dismissing the statement by falsely suggesting that it means 'only black lives matter,' when that is obviously not the case. And so saying 'all lives matter' as a direct response to 'black lives matter' is essentially saying that we should just go back to ignoring the problem." — GeekAesthete on Reddit


Now you know why Black Lives Matter is important. It's about the role of the past in shaping the present. Hopefully more of us will use that awareness to speak up for a better future.

Watch McPherson's mic-dropping (sans the mic-drop) performance:

Education

A school assignment asked for 3 benefits of slavery. This kid gave the only good answer.

The school assignment was intended to spark debate and discussion — but isn't that part of the problem?

A school assignment asked for 3 "good" reasons for slavery.



It's not uncommon for parents to puzzle over their kids' homework.

Sometimes, it's just been too long since they've done long division for them to be of any help. Or teaching methods have just changed too dramatically since they were in school.

And other times, kids bring home something truly inexplicable.
Keep ReadingShow less


Teacher Bret Turner thought he'd kick off the morning with his first-grade students using a little riddle.

On the whiteboard in the front of the class, he scrawled it out in black marker:

"I am the beginning of everything, the end of everywhere. I'm the beginning of eternity, the end of time & space."

One student raised their hand, the first to venture a guess.

Keep ReadingShow less
Identity

Non-Americans are sharing the ‘dead giveaway’ someone is American and they are pretty right

The dead giveaway is when they call me "honey" or "sweetie" or "darling."

via Flickr, Flickr, and Flickr

Three American tourists enjoying the sights.

One of the most interesting things about traveling the world is noticing how people from your country are a bit different from the place you’re visiting. In America, you’re mostly around fellow countrymen so it’s hard to notice the things that make us stand out.

But when you travel abroad, you quickly notice that no matter how hard you try to blend in, there are a lot of dead giveaways that show people you’re from the states that go way beyond your accent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parenting

Teenage girl shamed for her ‘distracting’ outfit fights back in a very funny way

“[Because] she has a figure she was told she had to change.”

Photo from Facebook page.

A clever message written on her T-shirt.

A Lawton, Oklahoma, student who goes by the Facebook user name Rose Lynn had the last laugh after being sent home from school for wearing an outfit deemed "distracting." Rose Lynn believes her outfit attracted the attention of school officials because of her figure.

She proved it by posting a photo on Facebook of her modest outfit, which consisted of black leggings, a t-shirt, long cardigan, and boots. In her post, she wrote that she was sent home "because I'm developed farther than the average girl my age," and because she's a "CURVY woman." Rose Lynn also thinks the appropriate response shouldn't have been to tell her to cover up, but to teach boys to "to respect the boundaries of young ladies."

Keep ReadingShow less
Science

She tattooed half her face and you'd never know it. Her skills are just that good.

This incredible medical tattoo technology is giving renewed hope to burn victims.

All images via the CBS/YouTube

Basma Hameed runs a tattoo shop, of sorts...


Meet Samira Omar.

The 17-year-old was the victim of a horrific bullying incident.

Keep ReadingShow less

Taylor Swift at 2022 Toronto International Film Festival Red Carpet Day 2.

The wordsmiths over at Merriam-Webster have announced their official “Word of the Year for 2023,” they say it’s something we are “thinking about, writing about, aspiring to, and judging more” than ever.

The word is authentic.

According to the dictionary, the most common definitions of authentic are “not false or imitation,” “being true to one's own personality, spirit, or character,” and “worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact.”

Merriam-Webster says the word saw a “substantial increase” in lookups this year. That’s probably because we now live in a world where artificial intelligence, deepfake technology and questionable memes challenge our basic notions of reality.

Keep ReadingShow less