title:  Colbert’s Fear And White Privilege Confession To DeRay MeKesson Is Absolutely Perfect (VIDEO)
text: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert had a very special guest on to celebrate MLK Day   Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson. Nothing could be more appropriate, and the two sat down and talked about something about 70% of white people refuse to talk about: Race.The conversation began with Colbert s telling McKesson of the reaction to his wearing a  Black Lives Matter  bracelet on the air. He says that with the way his white counterparts acted,  you would have thought I d slapped a baby. McKesson s frank response was, of course, spot-on: I think that people are uncomfortable talking about the racist history of this country and what we need to do to undo the impact of racism. People would just like to act like we don t have a legacy of racism here. I think people get really uncomfortable with it, but we know that we can t change it unless we address it, right? He went on to remind Colbert and the audience what most of us have known all along: that the  All Lives Matter  crowd just want to distract from speaking about the real issues surrounding race. If  All Lives Matter  was true, we wouldn t have to be out in the streets. The police have killed 26 people just in 2016. Indeed. McKesson then addressed the  blue code of silence,  which everyone is aware of. Cops don t squeal on cops   even if it means covering up murder. Across the country it has been so similar, we know that it s not just isolated events. It is actually a systemic problem. He also reminded everyone of the responsibility that comes with the power of policing, especially the power to kill: That means they have a different responsibility and accountability that is not present right now. So true. They have a responsibility to serve first, and be rational, rather than militant and trigger happy.McKesson was them asked about Dr. King: People misremember King today. They remember, like, the safe King   they don t remember, like, the radical revolutionary King. He talked about redistribution of wealth and economic justice   he was more aggressive than the dream that people remember. McKesson, who rose to fame through Twitter, then pointed out how social media is important to today s activist, though, at the root of it all,, nothing has really changed: The issues are the same. We didn t invent resistance, we didn t discover injustice, but technology has allowed us to amplify these issues in ways that we couldn t before and has accelerated the pace of organizing in ways that are really powerful. After speaking about the Democratic candidates and his experiences with them, the conversation turned to the issue that is at the root of all of this: White privilege. Unfortunately, that is something most white people will never want to speak about. However, Colbert is definitely not afraid, and he asked McKesson how to understand his own privileges from being white. McKesson responded: It s about role, and it s about access   and what you can do is extend that privilege so that you can dismantle it, right? You can create opportunity for people, you can amplify issues in ways that other people can t and you can use your resources to create space for people. Colbert then made the ultimate confession, which is that privilege also comes with fear. I can t speak for other white people, (but) I feel guilty for anyone who does not have the things I have. That includes black people or anyone, because I am so blessed   I think there s always a fear that it will be taken from me. And that is the very essence of why so many white people fear the breaking down of the system of white supremacy. They fear that their wealth and societal position will be taken if black people get so much as a crumb of the pie, much less a slice. But, they should fear not, for giving other people rights is not their oppression.Such a basic concept that so few understand.Watch the absolutely perfect video below:Featured image via screen capture from Raw Story