All lives matter, confederate flags, & "From the river to the sea..."

Which matters: Intention or perception?

First, some plugs…

Chicago! I’ll be headlining Zanies downtown the night before Thanksgiving. Tickets here.

Also upcoming:
Nov. 14 NYC - Comedy Cellar (FBP) - Hot Soup
Nov. 15 NYC - NY Comedy Club (4th St.) - Good Eggs
Nov. 18 NYC - West Side Comedy 
Nov. 30 NYC - Rye - Grisly Pear (Midtown)
Dec. 22-23 Miami – Comedy Inn (Featuring)

Ticket info here.

🃏 I post clips of my standup (and more) at Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and YouTube.

🃏 Check out my other newsletter that’s all about standup: Funny How: Letters to a Young Comedian

On with the show…

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From the what to the where?

Remember when some white folks were claiming “All lives matter” was a harmless, even inclusive remark? Well, that wasn't the way most black people experienced it. They saw it as coded language that was hiding a deeper, crueler meaning. And they demanded white people stop saying it, regardless of their intention. The perception was it was racist and that’s what mattered.

See also: “Confederate flags are just how southerners show pride.” The collective response from progressives to that notion: “Yeah, no.”

Now imagine if someone flew a confederate flag while chanting, “All lives matter.” And then they said anyone with an issue can "come and talk to me about this" and they should "know where my heart is." Yikes.

Given that, let’s examine “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”