You are walking along a stretch of beach. You see seashells and seaweed strewn along the sand. You come upon a beautifully ornate bottle half buried among the debris. You bend down and pick up the bottle. Holding it up to your ear, you hear the voice of a djinn trapped inside begging you to let her out. You release her, and upon freeing her, she grants you one wish.
But, this is no ordinary wish. Today she tells you, is your last day of life on Earth. But, you will also have a chance to come back to live another life in this world.
She asks you what racialized body would you most want to come back as. You are given the possibilities of coming back to this world only either as a white man, a white woman, a black man, or a black woman.
What body do you wish to come back as?
And why?
The djinn awaits your command.
What is your wish?
by Ann
Ann
My wish would be to come back as a black man.
Why?
Honestly, my life as a black man has been so beautiful…I would want to have a do-over.
Excellent question…
Where does the concept of “wishing” come from? I can only locate the origins of the concept behind this word in people, usually children, who are starving for so long that dreaming of food becomes a way of life (Hansel and Gretel).
It is only now in these “modern” times that African children have been starving in such large numbers for so long that “wishing” is so important and even respectable among the “racialized” masses “of color.”
The need to “wish” is an imperative of those in captivity—imperial captivity. Those who “wish” can finds lots of company and they outnumber me—so there is no illusion about who must be this weird guy daring to question the foundation of wishing.
Why can “we” just have fun and “wish”?
Black woman.
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