Until it’s time

There is an old school saying, probably from a movie like “The Mack”: Everybody wants to be gangsta until it’s time to do gangsta sh--.

For years now we have people from the most extreme parts of the right wing talking themselves up. I remember, distinctly, in 2016 when it appeared eminent that Hillary Clinton would win the presidential election against Trump seeing some Texas folks saying “well, I got my guns ready!” That wouldn’t be the last time I would see something like that. 

See, I don’t own guns. That may change at some point in the future but as of right now that’s a true statement. It doesn’t mean I’m against them; I’m not. It certainly doesn’t mean I don’t know about the culture of them; I do. I know good and well that if you pull out a gun and draw down your intention isn’t to talk about it, it’s to kill or maim a target. Talking is over at that point. So it was amazing to me to see throughout the past few years many people on the right openly laughing and talking about having their guns ready or exercising their second amendment rights when the time came or some other language similar. 

It’s the same vein that I heard those people make veiled comments about black people (they should just obey the laws, why are they always complaining when they should be working) or any foreigner du jour (they should go back to their “home” country, “we” should take care of “us” first and always, etc). The whole thing is a bunch of people who are talking themselves up to do things they should probably never do but want to see if they are going to be doing those things alone or if enough people will come with them. It’s playing cute with chaos and the thing is, you can play cute. You can talk tough. But neither of those things are gangsta. Being gangsta is in what you do. 

I need you to know something. I’m not impressed with gangsta culture. I grew up around it. Dudes who walked a certain way or talked a certain way. Dudes who tried to act like gangstas because they felt it would get them girls. Maybe it was because I was a “smart kid” but the whole thing never did anything for me. It all felt like an act. It felt performative. But there is another side of that whole thing and that’s when you actually have to do gangsta things: actually shooting at people and being shot at. Actually breaking into property. Actually taking what you feel is yours and not being apologetic about any of it. Never really talking about any of it because there is no need to; other people will tell your story for you. I’m not impressed by any of that stuff, but much like guns I don’t live that life but I do understand the culture.

Last week we had folks who decided they were so angry about a new president being elected; that the guy they…idolize? Worship? Who knows at this point…had unfairly lost and that there was rampant fraud, so these folks stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Offices were raided. Some folks thought it would be a good idea to smear feces on the walls. A noose was hung, which means people had to carry supplies to erect a noose. Computers were seized. Some people were injured and some were killed, including Capitol Police. Gangsta things certainly occurred.

But here’s the part they don’t tell you about gangsta sh--. Most gangstas get put in jail. Or shot. Or looking over their shoulders for the rest of their existence. They can’t really trust anyone and they have to be on the move a lot. Anything that is established has to be broken down and set up again in a matter of minutes. Unless you achieve the absolute highest levels of being a gangsta your life is not a comfortable one. If you’re a true gangsta you don’t complain about any of it. You don’t ask for sympathy nor do you expect it.

Unless you truly want to be a gangsta, your best bet is to stay behind a keyboard. You can be as fake tough as you need to be there. But understand this: any actions that go beyond the keyboard is akin to drawing down on someone. Be ready to pay the consequences for doing that. Don’t expect any sympathy.

And to put the biggest stamp I can on it: the folks who did what they did at the Capitol all deserve to pay the utmost consequences of the law for their actions. I have no respect for any of them; they chose to believe their own lies and echo chambers and so they get to reap the whirlwind. They deserve not an ounce of sympathy and they damn sure won’t be getting any from me. I hope they all get caught and I hope they all go to prison for a very, very long time.