Raleigh, N.C. — East Carolina University is located in Greenville, NC, a mid-size town, about 60 miles from the coast. North Carolina is a battleground state and folks of all political stripes live there. Most people there have something in common, a love for country.
ECU’s student newspaper, The East Carolinian, has its very own Sports Editor: Kai Jones. Jones does not like celebrating America.
Kai Jones has a problem with America. America’s not perfect, no nation is, and Jones doesn’t want his readers to forget it. Jones has nothing but bad things to say about the United States. In his rambling 404 word hit piece, Jones takes every opportunity to attack America, and its people.
Jones opens by sarcastically professing his love for country. Jones suggests that the colonists fought for independence from Britain so that the states might freely kill, enslave and oppress. Bear in mind, Jones is indicting founding fathers like Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton and Franklin.
“Ahhh, the Fourth of July. A day where most of us get a day off to celebrate how our country violently rebelled against our mother country Britain, so that wealthy white American men could carry out genocide against the indigenous, build a country on black people’s backs, and force women to be eye candy and servants. Gotta love America!
On Monday, America celebrated its 240th blood drenched birthday. And most of us celebrated with fireworks and consuming all sorts of meat products. We celebrate a day when America proclaimed it’s freedom, as it called an entire group of people ‘property.’ “
Jones doesn’t believe that much has changed since slavery was abolished. He proceeds to make sweeping generalizations. He equivocates hurtful words and opinions to the enslavement of a race. He presents radical views, held by a small contingent of Americans, as the norm.
“And not much has changed. Muslims are terrorist, Mexicans are “wetbacks”, illegals, blacks are criminals, women are equal yet paid less, and if you have sex with anyone that’s not conventional you don’t deserve rights.”
Jones insults every single current and former member of America’s armed forces with claims that America is not the home of the brave.
“But “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave” right? Wrong.”
Jones claims that Americans can only be free if they are wealthy white men. By his own logic, no one else is “free,” not even the President.
“The only people free are wealthy white men, because everyone else faces some sort of oppression.”
Jones goes on to explain that America isn’t the home of the brave because people are fine with “what happens.” Jones doesn’t explain what “people” are “fine with” that so incenses him.
“Hardly anyone in America is actually brave, because they don’t want to fight for what’s right. Everyone in America is perfectly fine with what happens, and when someone calls for change, people get afraid and call for them to be knocked off their podium.”
To prove that all non-white wealthy males are oppressed, American’s aren’t brave and that things haven’t gotten better since slavery Jones brings up controversy surrounding a BET awards show speech. BET is a channel solely dedicated to Black entertainment.
“Take Jesse Williams for instance. He stands up, calls for equality and accountability, and then someone feels the need to make a petition to call for him to be fired. A half-African-American man calls out the bigoted racist system that oppresses so many black people and he’s the racist. But as Jesse Williams said, ‘If you have a critique for the resistance, for our resistance, then you better have an established record of critique of our oppression.’ “
Jesse William’s won the BET’s Humanitarian Award for his work documenting the Black Lives Matter movement. Black Lives matter has most recently been in the news for halting the Toronto LGBT Pride Parade. This year the Toronto Pride parade centered around honoring the dead in Orlando, but Toronto BLM was more concerned with banning LGBT police officers from future participation.
Some people have been critical of Williams, some have even called for Williams to be fired from his role in the hit TV show Grey’s Anatomy. Williams has the freedom to exercise his first amendment rights, as do his detractors.
Apparently Jones doesn’t take issue with the day on the calendar, fireworks or food; just what those things stand for.
“Moving forward, my beef is not with the Fourth of July, as I enjoy the day off and spending time with my family, and fireworks and food.”
Jones has a problem with patriotism. He’s also convinced that anyone that loves America is faking it. Tell that to the folks that died fighting for America.
“But plain and simple I have a problem with the attitude of the people who celebrate the Fourth with this patriotic, fake “I love America” attitude.”
Jones suggests that problematic patriotism and love for country exists because of white privilege.
“I understand that this attitude is mainly contributed by the people with white privilege, but celebrating a country that oppresses multiple sections of people is wrong.”
Jones believes that America is no better than a serial rapist.
“It’s like celebrating a serial rapist’s birthday. Because America did rape the Native Americans and the African continent and it’s people.”
Jones did not comment on brutal tribal warfare that was so prominent among America’s indigenous people, nor did he discuss the prevalence of unchecked violence and rape on the African content.
Jones is a student at a respected American university. If Jones keeps up the hard work and effort he can achieve immeasurable success. Jones has incredible opportunities in his future. Jones even has a official platform to voice his opinions to thousands of people. Does Jones end on a positive note? Nope. America is failing and it’s not good enough for him.
“America is a great country…for some. But for people like me, it is a failing country that could use vast improvements.”
You can read the original piece from The East Carolinian here.
ECU gets funding from the NC State and US Federal government. Should taxpayer dollars contribute to Jone’s tirade against America? Let us know in the comments section.
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