For well over a month there has been a surge in protests in response to police brutality and anti-Black racism, and believe me, there is NOBODY who hates racism more than me. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see these protesters making vague demands and using so many different, unhelpful tactics. I want to see an end to racism, and this simply isn’t the way to do it. How do I know the right way to do things? Well just try walking down my street at around 7:00 pm any given night of the week. I think you’ll hear my credentials loud and clear.
This pandemic has hit our frontline healthcare workers hard, and they need concrete and direct help. That’s why you won’t see me chanting slogans, signing petitions, writing to elected officials or participating in any other useless activities like that. I instead choose to grab change with my own two hands – a frying pan in one and a wooden spoon in the other – so that I can make that sweet sound that I know doctors, nurses and support staff long to hear. The Black Lives Matter movement could learn a thing or two from me about how to respond effectively to a crisis.
It’s sad to think about, but weeks of Black Lives Matter protests have failed to accomplish anything, aside from dismantling monuments and other tributes to historically racist figures, raising record amounts of money for numerous charities, holding individuals in power accountable for their actions, uplifting Black voices, reopening investigations into instances of police brutality and murder, exposing structural anti-Black racism across countless systems, defunding the police in numerous cities and turning police abolition into a viable political discussion. My little pots and pans, on the other hand? We have made a LOT of noise, and I like to imagine that even though the nearest health care facility is several kilometres away, somewhere out there, a nurse is shedding a single tear of gratitude to thank me for all the help I’m providing. At least I know the med students doing their residency who live nearby can certainly hear it, since they work such odd hours and are usually at home in the early evening to catch a tiny bit of sleep. No sleep until they’ve been properly thanked by me though!
It’s hard to know how to be helpful in such uncertain times as these, so instead of trying to keep up with all the various action items that have been diligently thought out by activists and community organizers within the Black community, just take it from me: stay home, don’t use your voice, don’t bother with the internet, and at a designated time bring some kitchen items outside and scare your neighbour’s dogs. You can even try a wok if you get bored of the same old pans every night! Once my proven pots-and-pans banging method solves racism there’s no need to thank me, but if you must, do it with a loud clanging noise right around dinner time. I may not be able to hear it, but I’ll feel it deep in my heart, and that’s certainly better than any kind of concrete action ever could be, right?
