thesociologicalcinema:

As a comms person this is really important to me.

Language becomes policy! If we say we have a “terrorism” problem (even a white one), lawmakers will give us “counterterrorism” solutions. All of those will expand policing & surveillance that will ultimately harm us.

On the contrary, if we call them white supremacists, naming their movement as what it is, it demands a solution specific to that problem.

Truth-telling. Reparations. Facing our history as a nation founded on white supremacy & dismantling it bit by bit.

“Terrorism” as a label is inherently dangerous in its vagueness. I understand why we all want to use the most extreme words to describe the most egregious violence.

White supremacists HAVE been terrorizing Black, brown, indigenous folks for centuries.

But we can’t decouple that term from the state apparatus it manifests: the war on terror. Mass surveillance. Targeting Muslims, South Asians, Black people, communists, etc.

+ the reason this term holds so much weight is precisely b/c white ppl use it against Black & brown ppl.

~ @LeaKayali