Noose – What’s The Big Deal?

Noose – What’s The Big Deal?
By Kevin D. Moore

Hey, come on. It’s a practical joke! What’s the big deal? No one really means any harm by it. Hmmm.

Unfortunately, there are some people in America that actually believe that displaying a Noose in a tree or on a doorknob or anywhere, for that matter, is ok and is not harmful. To be honest, depending on who is saying it, I understand their position. That doesn’t mean I agree with it but I do understand it.

To further clarify, the major concern I have is that some of these people are thinking and saying this for one of two reasons. The first is out of ignorance but I truly understand. The second is sinister and just plain wrong!

Starting with the second reason, there are people who are purposely displaying the Noose to make a statement that things should be back the way they were when Black people were slaves in America. They long for the days of the oppression and lynching of Black people without any concern for negative outcomes for themselves (e.g. jail time.) They long for the days when the displaying of the Noose would strike fear into the heart and soul of Black people. These people truly understand what the Noose represents to most Black people and they want to exploit that to further their beliefs and desires.

Now the first reason is definitely much different. And, please don’t get me wrong when I say that I understand it. I say this because although I understand it, I don’t like it. In actuality, I’m really angered by it. However, every time I start to get angry, I recall these sayings “He who is without sin...cast the first stone...” and “Pot calling the Kettle black.” In other words, don’t be a hypocrite. I recall these sayings because I have done the same thing that the first group of people have done. That is, I said things out of ignorance that others were extremely offended by. Needless to say, my ignorance didn’t make me a bad person and it doesn’t make others bad people. But once we become aware of our ignorance and the damage it can cause, we now have a choice.

Slide over to the dark side and its sinister ways or lift the vale of ignorance and concern ourselves with the feelings of others. Like many Americans of all colors and creeds, I choose “concern.” And when it comes to the Noose and it being a practical joke and not being harmful, well...the bottom line is that it is extremely offense to many Blacks given our history and what it represents. “To be, or not to be” concerned: “that is the question.”

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