Kim Kardashian is speaking out against racism

I only sorta feel bad for taking the piss out of Kim Kardashian, who went on an anti-racism rant on her website yesterday. On the one hand, racism is a VERY real and very serious problem in our world, even in 2014. It should be fought, and everyone should be treated equally no matter who they are, what they look like, who they love, etc. On the other hand, Kim is a multi-millionaire who is shielded from so much of reality. Her ethnicity has rarely, if ever, been questioned due to the fact that she a) passes for “white” in the eyes of the world and b) is filthy fucking rich.

However, Kim is more concerned for the fate of her daughter, North, and how she will fare as a mixed-race child in a racist world. While I recognize that I have no place to comment on who does and doesn’t experience racism since I’m white as hell, I do think it’s fair to say that North will experience a lot of the same shielding as her mother does due to not only their celebrity but their wealth. Also, I’m just skeptical because it’s Kim Kardashian who makes a living off of being vapid, so… maybe I’m being overly harsh. I can accept that.

I never knew how much being a mom would change me. It’s amazing how one little person and the love I have for her has brought new meaning to every moment. What once seemed so important, now feels insignificant. It’s like I get to see the world for the first time again, but through someone else’s eyes. It’s a beautiful thing to feel and experience so much more, but with that beauty comes a flip side – seeing through my daughter’s eyes the side of life that isn’t always so pretty.

To be honest, before I had North, I never really gave racism or discrimination a lot of thought. It is obviously a topic that Kanye is passionate about, but I guess it was easier for me to believe that it was someone else’s battle. But recently, I’ve read and personally experienced some incidents that have sickened me and made me take notice. I realize that racism and discrimination are still alive, and just as hateful and deadly as they ever have been.

I feel a responsibility as a mother, a public figure, a human being, to do what I can to make sure that not only my child, but all children, don’t have to grow up in a world where they are judged by the color of their skin, or their gender, or their sexual orientation. I want my daughter growing up in a world where love for one another is the most important thing.

So the first step I’m taking is to stop pretending like this isn’t my issue or my problem, because it is, it’s everyone’s… because the California teenager who was harassed and killed by his classmates for being gay, the teenage blogger in Pakistan who was shot on her school bus for speaking out in favor of women’s rights, the boy in Florida who was wrongly accused of committing a crime and ultimately killed because of the color of his skin, they are all someone’s son and someone’s daughter and it is our responsibility to give them a voice and speak out for those who can’t and hopefully in the process, ensure that hate is something our children never have to see.

I’m not sure how she lived in the world WITHOUT realizing that racism was an issue… but that sorta proves my point. I’m glad that motherhood is giving her a bit of a conscience, but it’s a shame that it took 30-some years for it to happen. I still don’t think she’ll do much about it, but it’s nice to have moments of reflection, I suppose.