This article, while it may cause discomfort or anger to those reading, needs to be said. If you are among those who experience those feelings while reading this, please try your hardest to understand why you may be feeling this way. Are you guilty of saying (or at least thinking) these remarks? I will also suggest for you to remember this article is coming from a white person, just in case your racist tendencies are already flaring.

1. "All Lives Matter"

I cannot stress enough how ignorant this statement is. This phrase was coined after "Black Lives Matter" became a movement. It was a response... a defense mechanism. Why? I don't know. Probably because most white people aren't comfortable talking about blacks or the oppression they are facing. This movement is not saying that all lives don't matter, it's insisting that black lives haven't. A popular comparison is that of breast cancer. Do you see someone wearing a pink ribbon and immediately reply in hatred that, "all cancers matter"? No, because you're not crazy. In addition, why are these same people suddenly urging us that "Blue Lives Matter"? If you fail to see the irony in this, I will just tell you that it is not only completely contradicting and hypocritical to your first argument of "All Lives Matter", it is also inherently racist... no matter how much you choose to deny it. Plain and simple, "black" is the word that triggers your discontent. And that's not OK.

2. "Stop making everything about race"

This is also yet another defense people use when they become uncomfortable. Why is this wrong? Because sometimes, things are about race. And while you continue to ignore and/or deny the fact that it's the root cause of some issues, you are apart of the problem. It is easy for white people to say this because they don't have to experience it. Not only that, they choose to not acknowledge that others are experiencing actions by others rooted in hatred because of the color of their skin. People of different colors, not just blacks, are not simply able to ignore the racist things they face day to day simply because the pigment of their skin and connotations associated with it (which are completely untrue).

3. "I don't see color"

Uh, okay... first of all, yes you do. That's all fine and good on the surface; No one should designate particular traits due to someone's race. However, when you say this, it also means you're choosing to not see the oppression people regularly face because of the color of their skin. It means you choose not to see the blatant acts of racial profiling not only within our justice system, such as police brutality, but also within our airports where people of brown skin are assigned to a certain profile.

4. "If you think white privilege exists, you're the racist one."

White privilege, whether you choose to see it or not, is alive and well my friend. If you choose to argue this, could you tell me what systematic white discrimination you have experienced so often in your lifetime? I'm all ears. And if you're one of those people that are profoundly upset at the existence of BET or Black History Month... please. Get over yourself. A majority of television (and history) is solely controlled by whites. You want a White Entertainment Television? Try 99% of the other channels that are aimed at white audiences. You want a White History Month? Your whole life has pretty much been one.

5. "Racism doesn't exist anymore"

What alternate universe are you living in? Not only does it exist on all levels, it's extremely relevant today. You're once again failing to acknowledge the hard truths. Yes, we've come a long way in civil rights legislation, but not all laws have transitioned into reality. Racism is everywhere. You may claim to have friends of color, you never use derogatory slang, and so on... but you may also choose to completely ignore what's going on right in front of you.

If you are not outraged... if you are not infuriated and disheartened at what is going on presently, something needs to change. You may be ignorant of the atrocities occurring, or even worse, willfully ignorant. You may say all 5 of these things; But this is an issue that can no longer be unaddressed. I will continue to bluntly explain that there is a problem so deeply rooted in hatred that we are blind to it. We are so quick to defend our whiteness and even quicker to ignore the color of others skin and what that means for them. The answer is not to further separate to fuel this all-consuming hatred. We must overcome what makes us uncomfortable and recognize these issues. Because if you're uncomfortable from your standpoint, just imagine what people of color are feeling.