LOOK AGAIN.

Sometimes the biggest story isn't the headline. It's what it reveals about us.

I actually re-recorded this episode.

Not because I got something wrong. Not because I changed my mind. But because I realized I hadn't gone far enough.

As new information continues to emerge in the Nolan Wells case, it's important to let evidence guide our conclusions. We owe every person due process, and we should be willing to change our understanding as new facts become available.

But there's one conversation we don't need to wait to have.

This episode isn't about solving a case. It's about racism, silence, listening, and the responsibility we all have to speak up when hatred shows up in our families, workplaces, friendships, and communities.

Listening is where the conversation starts.

It shouldn't be where it ends.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this episode are my own and are based on publicly available information at the time of recording. The Nolan Wells investigation is ongoing, and facts may continue to evolve. Everyone deserves due process, and I encourage listeners to follow credible reporting as new verified information becomes available.

Connect With Me

Sassy Politics
YouTube: @SassyPolitics
Substack: Sassy Politics

Christi Chanelle
TikTok: @ChristiChanelle
Instagram: @ChristiChanelle

Way 2 Human
YouTube: @Way2HumanMedia
TikTok: @Way2HumanMedia
Instagram: @Way2HumanMedia
Facebook: Way 2 Human

🌐 Website
 www.christichanelle.com

☕ Support the Show
 Buy Me a Coffee: Sassy Politics

If this episode made you think, challenged your perspective, or encouraged you to have a difficult conversation, I'd appreciate it if you'd subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone else.

Sometimes change doesn't happen because we find all the answers.

Sometimes it begins when we're willing to look again.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

I had to re-record this episode. And it wasn't because I got something wrong. It wasn't because I changed my mind. I re-recorded it because I don't think it went far enough. Yesterday's episode was about listening. And I still believe listening matters. In fact, I think it's where every meaningful conversation starts. But racism isn't a gentle conversation. It's not polite, not comfortable. And maybe we've spent so much time trying to make everybody comfortable and feel good when we're having this conversation that we've actually forgotten what we're talking about. So today, I want to have a stronger conversation. I'm Christy Chanel, and this is Sassy Politics. Over the last 24 hours, more information has surfaced about the Nolan Wells case. Some of what people believed yesterday is now being questioned today. There are conflicting accounts, which we all knew that would be the case. There is an independent autopsy being performed because nobody trusts anybody anymore. And I don't blame them. So I try not to jump to conclusions. You don't want to, you're playing with somebody's life. You don't want to just accuse people of murder. You need to be careful. You need to be cautious. That's what our country was built on. Due process. And I believe in it. We follow evidence. We wait for facts. And when new information is released, we adjust our understanding, even if it differs from what we previously believed, even if we don't want to believe it. But what I don't believe that we should wait on is talking about racism. Because while we're busy telling ourselves to stay calm, stay patient, wait for the evidence, don't jump to conclusions based on one picture of three white males and one black one. Because it's really easy to do. And also, nobody wants to make people uncomfortable. And there are people that aren't quiet at all, right from the get-go. They're comfortable saying racist things in public. And they're comfortable posting it online, comfortable making jokes and saying we have meetings that you guys aren't invited to. They are disgusting, in my opinion. And hopefully yours, if you listen to me. If they're so comfortable spreading, speaking, and posting hate, why are we so uncomfortable calling it out? I'm talking to people that look like me. White women. And yes, white men too. And not because every white man is racist. Because I know you're gonna get caught up on that. And then you're gonna be defensive, and then you're not gonna hear anything after that. I need you to hear me. I don't give a shit. I need you to hear me. Actually listen to what I'm saying, okay? Not every white man or white woman ignores racism. If you have influence in your family, your friend group, your church, your workplace, any place you are in, any kind of influence, and you stay silent, I need you to know there are consequences to that. If your husband says something racist, say something. If your dad does, say something. If your coworker makes just a joke, say something. If your friend shares something from online that dehumanizes another group, say something. The reason that you need to say something is because silence protects the person saying it and not the person it's hurting. Whether they're in the room or not, I hear people say all the time, well, I don't know enough, and I don't want to go out there and say something that's wrong. You know, at this point, I'd rather you just say something. Okay? Call it out. Call out the behavior. You don't have to be some scholarly person on racism to be able to set somebody straight. But you do have to listen and learn and read and most importantly, ask questions. You don't have to experience discrimination to stand against it. But you also shouldn't tell somebody that has experienced discrimination or racism that you know that experience better than they do. Or I get it. I totally get it. No, you fucking don't. As a woman, I know that there are experiences that men will never fully understand because they don't live in our bodies. But they can listen, they can care, but they can't tell me what it's like to be me. And they keep trying to do that. The same is true when it comes to race. If you're white, there are experiences that black Americans had or have or are having that you and I will never understand because we haven't lived it firsthand. That doesn't make our voices less important. It means our first responsibility is to listen before deciding that we already know. And I know as a thinker that we spend so much time afraid to say something that will get us in trouble online, right? There's always a split down the middle. You're gonna get it from this side and you're gonna get it from this side. At this point, I don't really care. Stop spending your energy worrying about what other people are gonna say because you stood up against racism. Just stand the fuck up. Just stand the fuck up. Because we do spend so much time swimming in a circle saying, I don't know what I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say this, I'm gonna say that. That we don't say anything. That we don't say anything. At the same time, the people with a microphone that don't have a problem spreading hate, Laura Loomer, I'm talking to you, that's just one. She doesn't seem to care. Who gets uncomfortable with what she says? It just makes her more money. So yeah, this may not make you any money, but it makes you a better human. Talking about racism is uncomfortable. It should be uncomfortable. Confronting it should be uncomfortable. Growth usually is. And if we are gonna change anything in society, I need you to stand up. When I recorded yesterday's episode, I talked about finding common ground, common touch points that we can identify with each other so that we can empathize and understand and make a difference. I still believe that. I still believe we need to listen. But common ground doesn't mean pretending that everything's okay. It's not. It doesn't mean looking away, it doesn't mean waiting for somebody else to speak up first. Listening is where the conversation starts, but it's not where it ends. Listening should lead to learning, and learning should lead to courage, and courage should lead to action. So this is what I'm asking of you today. It's definitely not perfection. It doesn't need to be some perfectly worded post. And I don't expect you to be an expert in racism overnight. I'm asking you to stop pretending that racism is somebody else's conversation. Because it isn't. It's ours. Call it out when it's safe to do so. Challenge it when you hear it. Teach your kids better. Expect better from your family. But most importantly, expect better from yourself. Because think about it. If the only people that are speaking up are being targeted, we're asking them to carry a burden that belongs to all of us. And that's not good enough anymore. I'll see you next Tuesday. Rest in peace, no one else.