Experts warn that the hours immediately following sunset are the most dangerous for people to walk alone. But this white man is terrified of walking alone at night, when he is most likely to run into a stranger and be called racist.
According to Dr. Watson, the leading expert on the issue, “the veil of the night” is something that has haunted all humans for centuries but as it is specifically affecting white men who are kind of racist and scared of being called out for it, it’s an even bigger deal now.
“As far as I know, this is every guy’s worst nightmare,” said Jonah Smith, a research participant who identifies as 1/18th Italian, “To be out at night and get suddenly attacked by a stranger with words that I am racist…simply because I crossed the street to avoid him.”
Smith added between tears that the stranger was wearing a hoodie so like, of course he crossed the street and the stranger happened to be Black but that had nothing to do with it.
Matt Webb, a sophomore at the University of Washington working on efforts to rectify this spike in hate crimes against white men, said he experienced something similar.
“It’s terrifying you know. I can’t jog on the street alone at night with my headphones on because what if someone sneaks up behind me, corners me, and then calls me racist?” said Webb. “Or sexist? Or both? Like, I just wanna live my life without having to worry about that happening.”
Webb confirmed that he was simply singing along to Kendrick Lamar during his jog when he was called, in his own words, “a racist slur.”
“I was singing all the words Kendrick rapped. Yeah one of them was the n-word but it’s not like I was just saying the n-word on my own. I was also singing the parts about being humble!” yelled Webb getting heated in the face, “If anything, you’re the racist one if you think I should only sing some of Kendrick’s lyrics and not all of them.”
White men everywhere are starting to speak up, sharing that this phenomena doesn’t just happen when they are walking alone at night, it also happens to them in the office, when they’re out with friends, and even on dates.
“This girl recently told me I was racist and yeah she was like an Asian woman or whatever but she doesn’t know me,” said Smith, “She’s making an assumption about me based on just one interaction.”
