#i can send the tattoo email AFTER i write the pitch

[artemisbarnowl]

500 words is too many for a job application. What if I write that many for my tattoo email instead.

[bts-trash-blog]

Best Of Us

Chapter 7: Risk

Summary: Being an Omega is hard, it could be so lonely. The hardships that you would sometimes feel seemed to much, always expected of things you could never fully reach. Always seen as a piece of meat to some, seen as weak and stupid. So you worked your ass off to finally work your dream job. And the world all changed when you met one of the bosses. And couldn't help but end up falling.

Paring: Rap Line X Fem!Chubby OmegaReader

Warning: A/O/B!VERS, mentions of sexual harassment, heats, ruts, knotting, breeding, angst, possessive behavior, more warnings will be added as needed.

Chapter edited

PREV._.NEXT 

The feeling of warmth spread across your cheek, it had your eyes blinking open bright sharp almost cat like, brown eyes staring back at you.The soft beeping of your phone had you whining as the person in front of you, Bambam lets out a chuckle as you slowly move from the pile of blankets you were under. The smell, the sticky sweet smell of the two of you sticking to you like glue, your hand reaches over to your phone. Seeing a light up message, from Jin saying you didn’t have to come in for the meetings after all, and then an email from Yoongi.Eye tightly shutting, reading for the Sorry but we’ve decided to let you go.. Email especially after what you had said right before you left. You wouldn’t be surprised at all for the termination.

Y/n,

Due to the events that occurred last night I am giving you the rest of the week off, though you will still need to do work from your laptop or the tablet we have given you. My single request is that you give me your address so I can send you physical copies of paperwork through Jin.

I would also like to invite you to an outing with Hoseok, Namjoon and myself, and talk through what has happened. I do not want you to feel pressured into anything so for the next week at five my mates and I will be at the cafe across the street from our building we will stay until eight each day.

I would also like to apologize for using my Alpha authority over you. I am never one to do that unless necessary and in that situation it was clearly not, I feel horrible about it but I do know that no apology will ever heal that wound. Only actions. And from this day on I will try to prove to you that I am not like that, I am not that type of Alpha. I am an Alpha your father will approve of. Hoseok is an Alpha your father will approve of. We are a pack your father will approve of, and even if he doesn't right away we will show him and your mother time and time again that we are worthy of your love. That our love is enough for their little girl, if you will have it of course. And if you don't want it, then we will let you go. Y/n this is up to you, and you alone. Just know how sorry I am that I even used that tone on you. I will never do it again.

Sincerely,

Min Yoongi

You felt your hand shake as you dropped your phone in shock onto your lap as you let out a whine, Bambam letting out his own as his nose nudged under your jaw as his arms wrapped their way around your waist. Your hands fall onto his arms as you feel his nose nudge against your scent gland, making your curl into him as he lays you down back into the nest. The pillows stacked along the wall and the ends of the bed moved slightly. The scent of the two of you mixing as you nose nudged against his scent gland. Purrs passing your guys lips as you sniffle, your fingers gripping at his bare shoulders, his skin warm under the palm of your hands. His nose rubbing against your skin trying to calm you down as you took deep breaths of his oranges and cream smell had your calming as you took a deep breath pulling from him.

“What up Y/n?”

“Just read.” He nods, taking your phone as you kneaded the bed below you, trying to see if you could make it softer, more welcoming. Hearing him sigh, you look to see the boy's eyes lingering at you as he gives you a tight lipped smile. “What do I do?”

“What do you want to do?” Your body froze as you sat in the middle of your bed, Bambam moving to rest his leg in your lap as your hands fell onto his thigh. Your fingers rubbing into the muscle uncousionaly as you take a deep breath.

“I don’t know.” Your voice was shaky as Bambam typed on your phone and handed it back, seeing he had emailed Yoongi back.

Mr.Min,

My address is (I really don't know what to name this) apartment 3a, and to give you an honest answer to the rest is a simple I don’t know.

Sincerely,

Y/LN Y/n

“That easy huh?” You wonder making him smile and nod as he sat up and grabbed his phone, a frown falling on his face making you move wrap your arm around his leg resting your cheek on his knees. “What wrong Bam?”

“Jackson hasn’t messaged me at all..I..I miss him.” His pout dropped to a full grown as you watched his lip quiver, his eyes building with tears as you moved to nuzzle yourself on top of him, his arms wrapping around your back as he let out a whimper. “It's like he doesn’t want me anymore. I know I'm not a conventual omega, you know? I'm tall and lanky and I’m a stubborn brat, but he said he was okay with all of that. He said he liked my body, and he was okay that I’m taller than him and that I’m not afraid to speak my mind..but what if he’s not. What if he found a shorter, curvier omega? Someone more obitident and he just doesn't know how to tell me.” His words had you moving closer, knowing he had no concern about your weight completely on him, he needed to compression as you nuzzled yourself deeper into his skin.

“Bam..”

“He didn’t even spend my heat with me, he hasn't even gotten me a courting gift.” His voice was full of pain as he held you close, letting a sob pass his lips as you let out a growl. Jackson had chased after your best friend for five month prior to Bambam caving and agreeing to be in a courting relationship with one of the richest families' sons. Their only son.  When the news broke, Bambam had been assigned bodyguards and a driver. Even when he was alone he was never really alone, and the stress of it all he just wanted to cuddle, scent with Jackson. Yet you would wake up to a facetime of a tired looking Bambam wrapped up in Jackson's sheets, alone, your mutual friends Lisa and her mate Jennie growling at the treatment Bambam was going through. Yet Bambam couldn’t seem to grow the courage to end the relationship. The pull to great between the two.

“Break up with him.”

“I can’t, I love him and I feel like its m-”

“Bam, if you leave him and he doesn’t try to fight it then he isn’t worth your fight. If he wants you then he needs to prove it. Also how he treats you, how any Alpha in this world treats you is not your fault. It's their own head being shoved far up their ass that they can’t see the world around them, and how it doesn't revolve around them. Bam. Text him, tell him you think the two of you need the end thing cause clearly he doesn’t have time for a relationship. Then me and you are gonna shove our faces while he freaks out.”

“But that's so curle.” “So is him, your supposed boyfriend and courting Alpha, not even texting you two words when he gets up, or even just letting you sit with him during his lunches in his office in silence. He hands you a scented hoodie for the week then you rarely see him afterwards. It's his turn to see how it feels.”

“I don’t want to lose him.” “Then don’t take my advice, okay? I'm not gonna force you but I'm gonna be here for you, nesting and feeding you.”

“It hurts.”

“I know.” He sighs pulling away from you, grabbing his phone, your eyes peering over watching him write out a text to Jackson. I’m sorry to bother you during work, I know you hate that, but I really think we should break up. You clearly don’t have the time for a courting relationship, and I can’t handle you being so cold to me. Again I'm sorry for bothering you. But I think this is for the best. It was scent with tear filled eyes as your arms stayed wrapped around his neck, the delivery staying, like it was a tattoo on his phone. It had him scoffing as he dropped his phone and turned into your chest.

“I hate Alphas.”

“Me too.”

“Lets mate so no Alpha will ever fuck with us again.” His words had you snorting as he let out a pain filled giggle against your chest as you ran your hand through his hair, his eyes closing rightly as your mother knocked on the door.

“Sorry to bother you, but Y/n don’t you have work sweetheart.” Her tone was sweet as she lingers at the open door, her eyes falling on the still crying Bambam as you gave her a small smile.

“No, I was given the day off.”

“Oh well, breakfast for the two fo you is in the microwave.” Nodding she gives a small wave in goodbye and shuts your door. The ding of a phone had babam tenseing, but he relaxed, though with a deafeed look when he saw his message was still on delivered. While your phone was showing a new message from Jin. Saying what time he was going to arrive to extache paper work with you.

“Food then back to sleep?”

“Yes.”

_____________________________

Waking up to a pounding on your door, had your eyes snapping open, Bam had taken the spot closest to the wall, under a large pile of blankets. A sweater of yours draping over his skin, lips parted eyes still closed dead asleep. Yet the pounding on your front door awoke you. Slowly moving out of bed you see his phone had twenty missed calls, and too many messages for Jackson not wanting the boy in your bed. Taking a deep breath, you walk out of your room and down the hall to your front door unlocking the deadbolt but leaving the chain hooked. As you open the door, there you see a panting Jackson, his eyes pitch black as he looks at you with a pained expression. His alpha scent was sour, thick, the minty freshness of his scent drowned out by his distress. His pain.

“Please.” He whimpers, his head bowing, neck on show as you shut the door slightly undoing the chain lock and opening the door more. His body stays put as he takes a deep breath in, whining as he drops to his knees. “Kunpimook, please.” Turning your head you see a shuffling Bambam, his eyes red puffy as you step back, Jacksons body dropping to a full bow. Forehead touching the ground as you see Bambam tilt his head, looking to you as you nod for him to follow.  His body slowly drops to the ground pushing Jacksons shoulders back making Jackson whine, his eyes looking at the hand that was placed on his shoulder. “Omega mine.” Jackson mumbles, your body slowly moving back, trying to give the two space but also needing to make sure Bambam was safe. You watch Bambam tilt his head  as Jackson mimicked him, his action following the younger as Bambam gave what you assumed was a tight lipped smile as you watch Jacksons shoulders drop. Head falling forward pressing against Bambam chest as Jackson let out a purr.  “Home.”

“He isn’t talking normally.” Bambam whispers to you, looking at you as you giggle as you move slowly as Jackson wraps his arms around Bambam and growles at you making the omegas jaw go slack as you place your hand over your mouth.

“Just go with it, my mom called it the puppy stage.” your words had Bambam nodding as he looks at you with a frown. “Bam if you want him, go with him. “ He gives you a smile as he pulls from Jackson, who whines as he watches Bambam stan following the Omegas movements as he moves and nuzzles his face into Bambams neck.

“I think you should go. Listen to what they have to say.” He mumbles whe Jackson suddenly lifts the boy in his arms making , Bambam sequel as you giggle. Jackson is moving out of your apartment. “My stuff!”

“Home. Omega home.”

“I’ll bring it to you later.” You call out watching men in suits fall in toe behind the pair as you shake your head and shut your apartment door. A deep breath in.

Should you give them a chance? You wondered, moving to your living room couch, fixing the messy bun your hair was in. Eyes blinking slowly as you take a deep breath in, what bad could come from it?

“A lot.” You state out loud shaking your head as you let out a deep sigh, wrapping yourself into your fathers blanket that your mother kept in the living room. His scent was long gone, yet the memories of him wrapped in the blanket had your eyes water as you nuzzled yourself into the grey fabric. How you longed for the day you could speak to him, he’d know what to do.

“Dad you don't get it!” Your voice echoes through the halls of your home, his body trailing after you as you storm your way into your bedroom, his foot stopping your bedroom door slamming. His brown eyes shone as he looked at you. “Alphas don't understand!”

“Then explain it to me kiddo, please. Why aren’t you eating? Why are you changing your wardrobe? Tell me what that has to do with being an Omega.” His words were full of begging. Pleading as you whine leaving your door, gathering the blankets from your bedroom ground, rushing to your bed as you begin to move around the mattress. “Kid, come on I hate seeing you like this.”

“I’m just doing what any Omega would if no Alpha looked at them Dad, that's all. A diet doesn’t hu-”

“You haven’t eaten in over a week, a weak young lady. I don't want to force my hand and use the Alpha tone on you just so you’d actually eat. Baby I hate seeing you like this.” His words softened as he trailed into your room.

“Just go away dad.” He went silent, then you looked up to see he was gone. Rolling your eyes, you start rearranging  the pillows around your bed, when suddenly your dad's scent wraps around you as he enters your nest. Your eyes widening as you growl to he wraps you in his favorite grey blanket. A bowl of rice and chicken in hand as he shakes his head.

“I’ll never go away, but nice try. Now eat something pup.”

You missed those days, the days he showed up in your bedroom food in hand, blanket in the other making sure you ate. Then you felt comfortable enough during your school days to eat.You missed the days, where you fingers would glide along the keys of a piano, his laughter joining as he pressed a kiss to the side of your head. You missed the look in in your mothers eyes when she looked at him, or how he always found her in a room no matter how big, how crowded. You missed their joint laughter as they teased you on your birthdays, or how much your father loved the two of you. Without him it was quiet walls, and lonely nights. It scared you.

It scared you to even think about letting someone love you the way your father did, letting someone see you the way he saw your mother. It terrified you, cause you saw how quickly people leave, they disappear so quickly without a trace, well that's a lie, the only trace is pain. The empty feeling craves in your chest, the sadness that elopes every memory with them. You never knew that the taste of chicken and rice could make you cry, or the smell of lily flowers mixed with an unforgettable spicy could make your chest hurt. How on random days, your body felt as you were in the car again, the car became so scary to you. You never knew you couldn’t listen to a piano without your body shaking, never could understand why music became so sour for you. You're scared to show them why you flinch away from loud noise, all because the flash of a blaring horn rushes through you. How could you put them through that? Dealing with the night terrors and panic attacks on your bad days. You wish you could. You wish you could love them without the fear of losing them.

But isn’t that the part of it all? The chance of losing it all for just one moment of happiness. So, take the risk or don’t.

Tag list:

@kth-kpoplover @alex4243 @malyxsoulpersonal @purelyecstacy @ryuyalana  @nlost21 @xanny91 @barbyisafangirl @munchyn @lashaysaurusrex  @scentedsope @purpleheartsfortae @btsforlif @barbikatherine @mauranglc @uniquelyabnormallyoriginal  @keepyourdreamsalive @ellethemoon​ @thickemadame  @chimchimooo73 @thickemadame​ @lazykingcomputer @channiespup @yoongitoo @missmoxxiesworld  @4evahevah @schmetterlingsbluetentee @moonchilreneverywhere  @yeojunswhore @shereen1603 @lovelysky15 @tinieretro @mininimmy @caratarmy131

 @milopenne  @fauxthephoenix @cuteipat  @lustremyg 

[whatafirefeelslike]

loved and in love for the first time

i realized today i’m in love with my boyfriend. i knew i loved him but i realized today as he was talking that i’m also In Love with him. and i told him and almost cried and he was so happy (he told me last week, then kind of took it back, but then said this weekend “oh yeah i’m fully in love with you”)

yes i’m supposed to be getting my period this weekend (though i’m Nervous bc. we have literally been fucking 3-4 times a day since friday night but i’m getting the PMS symptoms so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) and my logical brain is protesting almost everything. like he doesn’t have a job and that’s definitely a big thing for me, and him!!, he has depression and anxiety which i can unfortunately relate to, etc. and as i said last week in a Long post like this, i’ve only known him for about a month. we matched on bumble one weekend, towards the end of january when i was starting to feel a little better. i was oscillating between wanting a relationship or continuing down the casual route but i saw he wanted a relationship and that really excited me. i really liked his profile, especially that he still thinks about rihanna’s performance of shut up and drive with FOB. i was so nervous about sending a first message because i really wanted a response so for whatever reason i went with the front bottoms lol. 

but the rest is history and despite my best judgement i’ve fallen in love with him, after loving him and becoming his best friend and vice versa. he is so good to me, and for me. we go from having serious deep convos to crying laughing to having sex to cuddling to playing smash to just hanging and reading. he is almost everything i want in a partner, but i love that he isn’t perfect. like he doesn’t really cook but i’m teaching him and we’re doing it together, so we’re both learning etc.

he says he can envision a future with me and we’ve talked about it a little bit...i could totally see myself moving in with him in the near-ish future, september the earliest as that’s when the lease for my place is up (not sure when his is) (also i didn’t sign the lease so i could leave any time lol). but i need him to have a job/a track in grad school because while i have a growing career (more on that in a bit), and fuck capitalism, i don’t want to be a sole breadwinner and really want him to have a source of income for himself.

but my god i’m in love. i never thought it could happen. i’ve opened up to him more than almost anyone else in my life. he’s opened up to me too and i feel so connected to him and vice versa. we have plans to go on a proper date this weekend into manhattan which i’m so, so, so excited for. i also brought up as he was walking me back to my place that i am happy i’ll be on my period this weekend and we won’t fuck much. he was so relieved lol it has taken such a toll on both of us to literally have sex 3-4 times a day for days straight. my orgasms are not as powerful as usual lol. there’s something so powerful, though, about how much we have sex--like on valentines day. god. we made gnocchi and it took us hours because we kept stopping to slow dance and then make out and then go to my room. i love that. and i love that we can just hang out without fucking.

i recognize how crazy this is and i’m so scared and nervous about the future--i read a short story in a book i’m working on today and it made me nervous for where we’ll be months into our relationship, as we’ve just entered our second one together. i know i shouldn’t dwell on it and i don’t want to. i was dreading going back to my apartment today but now i’m glad i’m here to have time to do what i want like run and read and watch the sopranos lol

but yeah speaking or reading. i applied to a job kind of out of the blue because it’s for an imprint i REALLY admire. like the job i have now is kind of on track for my dream job, one of the imprints i work for does the books i love love love. but i also work with three others, one of which i really don’t like. so this would be so much better, and a promotion! i applied about 2 weeks ago and then saw last week it was taken off the website, was v nervous bc i hadn’t heard anything. and then! i got an email sunday morning! and had to write a sample pitch to show my skills. so. i did that and sent it off a day early. not sure when i’ll hear back but i’m so fucking nervous. now i really want it. i feel bad because i’m really excited about the books i’m supposed to be working on this fall but now i’m like.........it feels like i have premature senioritis, which i never had before. i feel bad bc i really like my coworkers and i’d love to come back someday if this job works out. i think if i nailed the pitch and get an interview....i’ve done well in interviews like 5/6 times so. i want to have a good feeling about this but i’m SO nervous. i also have to address salary bc i put a low one for my expectation...i could really ask for a between a $5k-$10k raise. if i could get $7.5k or higher and be in the $52.5k+/year range i would be so so so so happy and not feel so nervous about spending money. i’ve been thinking more about getting a tattoo v soon so maybe if i get this job i’ll celebrate with that. ideally i’ll be able to take a week or two off from work between jobs because i’d love a nice break. so fingers crossed the job works out. and everything crossed that my relationship works out because i love it and him so much.

[footballghana]

KP Boateng writes on RACISM: 'To my white brothers and sisters'

This is not new.

Let’s not pretend to be shocked now.

Seven years ago, I was playing for Milan in a friendly game when a group of fans made monkey noises every time one of our black players touched the ball.

After 26 minutes I told the referee, “If they do that again, I’m gonna stop playing.”

He said, “No, don’t worry, just continue.”

Then, as I was trying to dribble past a player, I heard them again.

I grabbed the ball, booted it toward the stands and began to walk off the pitch.

It wasn’t the first time I had been racially abused. But this time I just exploded. When the referee tried to get me to play on, I said, “Shut the fuck up.” (Sorry for my language.) I told him, “You had the power to do something. You did nothing.” When a rival player wanted me to stay on, I said, “You shut the fuck up as well. What did you do about it? Do you like what they’re doing?”

As I walked towards the tunnel, our captain, Massimo Ambrosini, asked me, “Are you sure about what you’re doing?”

I said, “One hundred per cent sure.”

Let me take a moment to explain why I did what I did. Some people have said that I’d never have done it in a Champions League game, where our team might be deducted points or whatever. But I couldn’t control it. I had bottled up so much anger and pain, and that day the lid just blew off. I know it’s difficult for white people to understand, but that’s because they have never been hated because their skin is a different colour. Still, let me try to explain.

When I was nine years old, I went to play in a tournament in East Germany. I grew up in a neighbourhood in Berlin that was poor, and that was also home to people who were from every corner of the world: Russia, China, Egypt, Turkey, everywhere. When we fought each other, it was because we disliked each other in that moment, not because of discrimination. I never experienced racism there.

But at the tournament in East Germany, I heard parents shouting at me from the sidelines.

“Tackle the n*****.”

“Don’t let the n***** play.”

I was so … confused. I had only heard that word like maybe in a song or a movie or something, but I knew it was something against my colour. I felt so alone. I felt as if I was in a place where I was not supposed to be — but this was only a six-hour drive from Berlin. How could they love me in one part of the country and hate me in another just because I’m a different colour? As a kid, you don’t understand that.

I had never spoken to anyone about how to deal with a situation like that. So on the bus back to Berlin, I burst into tears. My teammates started crying, too. None of us understood what had happened. I never told my mum about it. I just ignored it and kept going. I thought It’ll go away.

But it didn’t. And every time I played in East Germany, it got heavier.

“For every goal, you score, we’re gonna give you a banana.”

“I’m gonna put you in a box and send you back to your country, fucking n*****.”

It hurt so badly. When I was 14, I asked my teacher, “Do you see me differently from the other kids?”

He said, “No. Why?”

I said, “So why do they see me differently in the east? This is my country. I’m German. My mum’s German. So why do they want to send me away?”

He explained that there are just some people in this world who are stupid. But I began to cry. I still couldn’t understand it. And soon the confusion turned into suspicion. You begin to think that people don’t like you, even though you don’t know them. Every mixed-race guy in Germany has this. It’s like, Why are you looking at me? You don’t like me? You want trouble? Let’s go.

I became aggressive. Disturbed. I got red cards all the time. I was a hothead.

But you know what the worst part was?

No one ever stood up for me.

They knew what was happening to me. They heard the racism — and they just accepted it. The parents stayed quiet. The referee? Nothing. The coach? “Just ignore it.”

So I did. I stored my anger inside. I became numb to it.

But when I heard those monkey noises in January 2013, all the pain, all the sadness — it all came out. I snapped. I didn’t care if I got in trouble. I had worked all my life to play for one of the biggest teams in the world, and now I was going to be treated like I was when I was a kid?? I just went, No. I’m done with this. I’m going to fight these guys.

As I walked off, a lot of people stood up and applauded me. And then — and this is the key — my teammates walked off with me. Not just the black ones. All of them. I still get goosebumps talking about that. When I got to the dressing room, I took off my clothes just to show everyone that I was not going back out there. The referee came in and asked us, “Do you want to continue playing?” And at that moment Ambrosini stood up and said, “If Prince doesn’t play, no one plays.”

Chapeau.

That episode became huge news around the world. Within a day they knew about it in Ghana, in China, in Brazil. The press was all over it. Big players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Rio Ferdinand were supporting me and talking about what a disgrace the supporters were. My phone blew up with calls and messages. Overnight I became an ambassador for the fight against racism.

None of that happened because a black person walked off the pitch. No.

It happened because white people walked off with him.

That was the message that changed the world.

At least it did for a little while.

At the time I thought that this could be the change we needed. I really did. FIFA invited me to meet Joseph Blatter. He asked me, “What can we do about it?” Then in March, FIFA set up an anti-discrimination task force and invited me to join it. It seemed perfect. I would train and play games and stuff, but I would also give these people input, and then they would introduce campaigns, rules and punishments. I also gave Blatter a suggestion: To put cameras and microphones in the stadiums. That way, if somebody chanted something racist — BANG, out.

I told Blatter, “Listen, try this. If it works, you’re a hero. If it doesn’t, O.K., you tried.”

After that, the task force had meetings. We talked and exchanged some emails.

But nothing really happened. Whenever I was playing people began to target me, hoping that I’d go nuts and walk off again. I’d go to the referee and tell him to do something, they would make an announcement over the stadium speakers, and then after a minute of quiet, the fans would just keep going. A month later, the media stopped talking about it.

And then in September 2016, I received an email from FIFA. I will never forget what it said.

It basically read, “The task force has fulfilled its mission. We did our job.”

They closed it down.

I called my agent and said, “This is a joke.” What did they achieve? What did they do? They fined teams 30,000 euros? And then the fans could return to the stadium the next day?? And their kids are going to see that and take that as an example??? What is 30,000 euros to a club? Nothing. That’s the punishment? That’s the consequence?

I honestly believe FIFA set up that task force just to make it seem as if they were doing something. I’m not even scared to say it. It’s a fact. I don’t know why they’re not doing more. You’d have to ask them. I can just assume that it’s more important to them to have VAR telling us whether the ball was over the line than to get rid of racism. They have so much money, they invest so much in cameras, goal-line technology, everything. But fighting racism? Nah. That doesn’t get more people into the stadium. That doesn’t bring in the big bucks. That’s what I think.

And remember, FIFA set up that task force in 2013. That’s SEVEN years ago. And now we’re still here talking about the exact same problems….

Nothing has changed. Nothing.

If anything, racism has gotten worse.

Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images

You know, we always look to the U.S. when we talk about racism, but it happens in Europe, too. Maybe we don’t die, maybe we’re not killed, but they push us down all the time. All the time. It’s just more hidden. When I’m out on the street, I can feel it in the way people behave. They look at you. They change sidewalks. When I’m in my car, I can see what they’re thinking. How can a black guy with tattoos drive a car like that? He must be a drug dealer or a rapper. Or maybe an athlete.

Why is it like that? Because racism is so deeply embedded in society. It’s systemic. And the white people who are on the top of this system, they don’t want it to change. Why would they? Things are going great for them, just like they did 300 years ago.

Let me give you another example. In August last year Clemens Tönnies, the chairman of Schalke, one of my former clubs, made an unbelievably racist comment. He said that instead of increasing taxes to protect the environment, the German government should install power stations in Africa, so that “the Africans would stop cutting down trees and produce babies when it is dark.”

I was shocked. This guy had black players in his team. I was like, Kick him out! The press said, “Yeah, it was wrong.” The club said, “We are against racism.”

But you know what they did? They suspended him for three months.

Three months.

A nice, long holiday. And then he was back at work.

This is the system. And it goes so deep that this kind of stuff has become normalised. But the thing is, we are way more people than those who run the system. We have more power. We have a louder voice. They cannot win against the whole world. It’s impossible.

That is if we stand together. If we all speak up. If we decide to act.

The other day I saw a video on Instagram in which a college teacher tells a room full of people, “Stand up if you want to be treated like a black person.”

Nobody stands up.

That, in a nutshell, is racial injustice. It’s people who know what is happening to us, but who do nothing. Whenever I have heard racist chanting, there have been people who, although they were standing close to it, acted as if nothing was happening. As if to say, Oh, it’s not that bad.

Well, in case you haven’t watched the news lately: It is that bad.

I’m writing this article for many reasons. I’m angry. I cried when I watched the George Floyd video. I had to watch it five times to fully realise what had happened. If you listen to his voice, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe,” and, “Please, Mama”… it’s just so painful. Who do you talk to when you’re close to death? God, because you’re hoping to see him and asking for forgiveness. And Mama. He knew he was going to die in that moment. He knew.

It still makes me emotional … because you see yourself in him, you know? And I look at my kid, and I think, How can I explain that to my son? How can I explain that a man died because of the colour of his skin?

I saw Floyd’s daughter say, “Daddy changed the world.” I love that message. And I believe she might be right. These protests can become a turning point. More people are starting to understand where black people are coming from. They understand that we’re not here to go to war. No. We just want what is promised to everyone else. I loved it the other day when my older brother sent me pictures from Berlin, where everyone was in the streets putting up their fists in support — Mexicans, Arabs, Turks, black people, white people. The same thing is happening in Paris, Milan, London, Stockholm, Amsterdam, NYC, everywhere.

There is just one thing that worries me. Right now we seem to understand. We seem to be learning. But I worry that, in a few weeks, the world will forget.

I worry that in July or August, the protests will have died down, the media will have stopped talking about them and the whole issue will fade away.

Just like it did in 2013.

So that is also why I’m writing this article.

We have to make sure that this doesn’t die out.

And to do that, we need white people to stand with us.

Right now the Black Lives Matter movement has a lot of power, but we cannot do it alone. It is white people who are controlling this world. It is white people who can undo systemic racism. But if the white hand keeps pushing us down, we have no chance.

So tell us that you’re with us. Tell us that you feel for George Floyd. Tell us that you feel for the black community.

Because that’s how we’ll know that the world is actually on our side. That the vast majority of people want this to change. That’s the key.

I want to do my part. I’m gonna start with Berlin, and then I’ll take Germany, Europe, the U.S., and hopefully the world. I’m not scared. If my sponsors or my club kick me out tomorrow because of something I said in defence of equal rights, I truly don’t care. I only want to work with people who are woke. I thought about a George Floyd Day to celebrate the black community and black excellence. I’d like to see a concert in Berlin where everyone is invited, but where the focus is on Black Lives Matter. I’m writing a song about it. People have told me, “Bring it out now.” No. We’re going to bring it out in July, so people don’t forget.

If I have to spend my own money, I will. I won’t give up, that’s for sure. But I need your help and support; I’m a footballer with ideas, raising his voice for a good cause. I know that there’s going to be another protest in Berlin next month, and I know many countries are keeping up the pressure with their protests. That gives me hope. At least we know that this won’t last for just another week. It has to last longer than that. Way longer. And for that to happen, we need everyone.

And we especially need the following people:

The Players

There are athletes who are doing this properly: Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James and Megan Rapinoe. These are some of the big ones — there are many more who are doing amazing work.

But footballers, clubs and federations? In Europe? Other than Marcus Rashford, who has shown the world what is possible when we use our platforms, I don’t see much being done.

When Australia was burning earlier this year, everyone was talking and posting about it and donating crazy money. It was beautiful to see. But now? I don’t see anything. I don’t see no interviews, no players talking.

Where are you guys? Where are the very biggest players in the world?

There are too many players who are scared, or who don’t have the character to talk. And I feel a responsibility to call on their support to join me and the movement. I can only reach eight million people on my social media, but I’m going to use every single one of them every day. You guys have tens of millions. This is the moment to show your face — and not on a billboard for a perfume or an advert for new boots — but to raise awareness and create real change for the Black Lives Matter movement.

We need every player to listen, learn, and take action. Blackout Tuesday? That’s too easy. A T-shirt that says, NO RACISM? O.K. But do more: Learn about black history and the struggles your black idols have endured. Make a video. Say, “I stand with every black person on this earth. You’re all my brothers and sisters. I love you all.” Donate to programs fighting to end systemic racism and abuse of power. Tell your brands and sponsors to do more than just post slogans. And if they don’t? Adieu. That’s what I want. And don’t wait till next week. Do it now. Do it now, and then do it next week and the week after.

You are the biggest players in the world. If you don’t have the chance, who has the chance?

If you don’t have the reach, who has the reach?

The Media

Journalists and editors, don’t let this moment slip away. Don’t forget it after a week.

I get that people want to talk about LeBron’s shooting ability or Michael Jordan’s Flu Game. I get that. But there is more important stuff going on right now, and you have a responsibility to cover it.

So talk about racism. Keep the stories on the front pages and at the top of your sites. Let people read and understand. And keep it coming, this year and the next year and the next. We need it. Interview people. There are so many like me who have stories and feelings about racism. Maybe they can give us some new perspectives on it. Maybe their voices can give those who are staying silent the courage to speak up.

White People

I want to say this again: White brothers and sisters, you are the ones who can change this world. We need you now. Especially now. You need to help us.

Because you don’t want to be treated like us.

Some people are like, “Yeah, but all lives matter.” Of course all lives matter. But the black community is burning. So if my house is burning and your house is not burning, which house is the most important right now? Right. So help me put out the fire. And then we can both live in nice houses.

Everyone can do something, even if they think they can’t. One white friend of mine actually told me that he didn’t want it to seem like he was jumping on the train. And I said, “But that’s the train you want to jump on! That’s the train that’s gonna change the world!”

So I’m asking you: Jump on the train. Some people are always going to hate. Some people are always going to criticise you.

But don’t be scared. Don’t be silent. We will stand with you.

We just want to know that you stand with us.

  Source: theplayerstribune.com

source: https://footballghana.com/