Charlottesville Wake Up Call

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

I didn’t want to write this post.

A topic of this magnitude, and the tragedy that befell our nation on Saturday was something that I cannot find the adequate words to describe.

I was asked by numerous readers to write about Saturday’s Charlottesville terrorism, and truthfully, I’m sick to my stomach thinking about the grossly pathetic and ignorant behavior displayed by the white supremacist group. And it shocks and saddens me to think that this benighted ideology is still present in our 2017-America.

And as I sat there, gape-mouthed, in horror at what I was watching on TV, the only thing I could think about was one word:

Evil.

There is evil in the world.

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This is not going to be a fun post. I’m telling you that right now. And frankly, I’m getting heart palpitations thinking about the direction I feel the Holy Spirit leading me, but Saturday was a wake up call.

This topic is going to make you uncomfortable. And if it doesn’t, well it should.

Satan.

The devil’s greatest victory was making the world believe he wasn’t real.

But I’m here to tell you that he is real. And there is evil in the world because of it.

You all know that I was severely anorexic for several years. I starved myself down to 78 pounds. I was destroying myself and anyone else that stood in my way.

You know this.

But what I haven’t really ever shared was an experience I had at inpatient.

If you’ve read any of my early blog, you’ll hear me refer a lot to “ED” — which stands for “Eating Disorder.” It’s how doctors and therapists personify the disease. It helps to give the disease a face or a persona so that we can channel our fighting efforts and anger towards defeating an enemy: ED.

Well, I’m here to tell you, ED is actually Satan.

There. I said it.

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During my disease, I was lying to everyone in my life – my parents, my friends, my doctors – that I did not have an eating disorder. I was lying about pretty much everything – from the food I was throwing away, to my exercise habits, to the “pain” I was supposedly having, to where I would go after school. Everything. For two years. Two years worth of lies and just this web of deceit had been stuffed away in my soul, blackening it like an aggressive cancer.

And one day during my therapy session at inpatient, I finally came clean to my therapist. About everything.

And I remember it clear as day. I was sitting outside on the patio with my therapist…we’ll call him Todd.

And I had my knees curled up to my chin, and I was sitting in a little ball, trying to be as small as possible, rocking back and forth. Shaking. And out of my mouth, came the ugliest, most cavernous, deep, dark voice I’ve ever heard – “I LIED.” I can’t replicate that voice. I have never heard it before, and never heard it since. My chest was shaking.

And the thing is, I was watching the whole situation from above. I was looking down and could see me and Todd and the umbrella and the brick patio on the grass. It was an out-of-body experience.

And I truly believe that through that voice, a demon was expelled from within me.

Because as soon as that breakthrough happened, I immediately wanted to call my parents and tell them everything. I needed to come clean to them. I couldn’t go another minute without telling them the truth. And then the following day, I accepted Jesus’ forgiveness, which was another incredible experience (that you can read about in my book, the week of August 28).

But why am I saying this? Why have I turned the focus on me, when there are people grieving in the world during this tragic time?

Because truth time: we all are capable of incredible evil.

Satan is on the prowl, and if you don’t believe that, then just take a look at any of the recent headlines. The horrific events of Saturday. North Korea. Manchester. Otto Warmbier. London. Stockholm. The Middle East. All of the nightclub attacks.

Evil is out there.

And what are we to do?

Pray?

Yes.

But, people, that just isn’t enough anymore.

We need to suit up for battle. Because we are living in a time of spiritual warfare.

And if you think this sounds radical, well people, it’s about damn time.

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We, as a collective society, have lost sight of God. We’ve put Him on the back burner, letting other things become idols in our lives: money, success, lust, pride, fame – I don’t need to spell these things out for you. Simply turn on the TV for 2 minutes, and you’ll be bombarded by all the things vying to be #1 in our lives.

And when we take our focus off of God, we become targets for the enemy. The cracks in our foundation become his entrance point.

So we need to eradicate those cracks.

If we’re not actively pursuing God, and seeking out His Holy Spirit, then we become sitting ducks, just waiting to be F’d with. Don’t believe me? Just ask 78-pound Caralyn, circa 2007.

We’ve become complacent with society. And our silence allows cancerous cells like the white supremacists, neo-Nazis or other hate-driven radical, alt-right/left groups to swell.

We are one nation under God. And it seems we’ve let that truth be forgotten, allowing evil to seep in.

Romans 12:21…

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We are the solution. We are children of God, and have the critical task of sowing seeds of His goodness and love, so that evil cannot take root.

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Stand up to evil. Call it out. Call it by name. But that doesn’t translate to counter-hatred. We need to act with integrity and seek to understand rather than jumping to conclusions, or making up and inventing evil for political points.

Call out true evil – true hate.

Because it is real.

But it doesn’t have to win.

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418 thoughts on “Charlottesville Wake Up Call”

  1. Satan is very much real and here and the Bible calls him the god of this world…

    Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. 2 Corinthians 4:4

    Now the good news…
    But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the devil
    1 John 3:8

    It’s real. The war for the world. It’s real.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Every word here is absolute. Yes, satan deceives by making us believe he isn’t real. And out of the mouths of rebellious ones at the fork in their road at the breaking point is expulsion of the evil poisoning our souls. It’s the point when Jesus has rescued His Beloved- the place where evil ends and God begins.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Amen! Wonderful, you’re testimony here. Praise God! Yes, we need to call evil evil. And stand for the truth in love in Jesus. So sad. There should be no room in this nation for such hateful displays as from the white supremacists. Counter demonstrations, as Martin Luther King, Jr. demonstrated must be peaceful, even loving to the enemy, as he taught and practiced, of course from our Lord. We must hate what is evil, yet love the evildoers. We are in a spiritual battle for sure. Thanks much for the reminder.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Your sentence is key in understanding what is happening both locally and globally.. ‘We, as a collective society, have lost sight of God. We’ve put Him on the back burner, letting other things become idols in our lives’….. the fruit of idol worship is destruction, death, chaos, hate, bitterness…Yet! God says that we, who are called by His name, must return to Him, confess our sins and He will heal our lands.. 2 Chron. 7:14…. we need a Holy Revival globally.x

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Yes. The whole planet needs God … and the west has betrayed Jesus Christ and his message … which is not about ‘having it all’ but ‘giving it all’ (an idea for my own blog I think … to centre around that phrase …?) Bless you.

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  8. Ok so WOW – You really put it out there didn’t ya kid! Absolutely LOVE hearing the TRUTH!!! You are so right on so many different levels. We as a NATION need to realize that we are now just THE HUMAN RACE and NOTHING MORE and certainly NOTHING LESS. Christians (all people for that matter) need to turn it all over to GOD because clearly WE cannot handle this kind of responsibility. Great Post and yes it should make us all uneasy and get us to thinking – BIG HUGS!!!!!!!

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  9. This event was difficult to witness. Pain shared by my brothers and sisters for no good reason.
    Battling for liberty, battling against evil, is not new.
    Joan of Arc gave her life in battle.
    Millions of Americans have died in battle, fighting for and achieving liberty.
    I believe America is the greatest country on Earth because of its dedication to freedom and liberty for all.
    This includes the freedom of speech and public assembly.
    In a truly libertarian society, you are even allowed to call out your hatred, display your evil, even burn our sacred flag.
    I would give my life to defend liberty.
    At the same time, we declared liberty from Great Britain, then fought and died for it.
    We declared the Grand Experiment would outlive us all, and when the Axis Powers opposed us, we fought and died again.
    Perhaps it’s an observation some will not understand, perhaps it flies in the face of my own non-confrontational, non-violent rules of engagement. Perhaps it’s an affront to true liberty?
    I hold with those that made a stand. Those that said “We will not stand for hatred, even if you see it as freedom.”.
    I hold with those that went to battle against wrong, hatred and evil, at their own peril.
    If we all speak up loud enough and long enough, we can overcome such evil and hatred.
    After the warriors have fallen, however, let us remember the only true path is love and forgiveness.
    After the war, we must reach out our hands, and love one another.
    Unconditionally.

    Your ob’d servant,

    Pazlo

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  10. I have no idea my lady why we are afraid to confront evil………yes its scary but when God told Joshua to be courageous and strong, it was because things would be scary. We dont need strength and courage for things that aren’t scary. He also told him he would never leave or abandon him….like Joshua we have that same promise. Thanks lady for echoing this loving voice in our world……only love can conquer hate. And according to Eleanor Roosevelt…..”We have to face the fact that either all of us are going to die together or we are going to learn to live together and if we are to live together we have to talk……..” so I salute you in starting this conversation.

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  11. Wow, what a powerful and needed post. We need to talk about it, all the hate and evil in the world, for it will always exist. Sometimes I feel helpless with it all and simply skip the news but it can’t be ignored. Prayer is definitely the answer! Love wins over hate. Blessings to you.❤

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  12. Dear Caralyn!
    I’ve read through your post several times and it took me some time to understand what confuses me.
    First of all I wanna thank you for sharing a very personal detail about your healing process. I can only imagine how much courage it takes to share something like that online. Thank you!!
    For most part of your post I couldn’t agree more. You are right, there is evil in the world and the way you try to explain the existence of something we normally call “Satan” is understandable. To externalise a disease or any threats we experience makes perfect sense because helps you start to understand, the disease is not who you are but something you can get rid off.
    I struggle with the concept of “Satan” because it takes responsibility away from us. It actually excuses those neo-Nazis or KKK people because at the end, it would not be their fault, not their wrong-doing but it would be an external force – Devil, Satan or however you wanna call it. They were just to say they were under some form of spell and go free. The guy who drove that car into the counter protesters is solely responsible for his action and therefore he must be held responsible.
    Caralyn, please don’t get me wrong now but if you talk about your ED and how you externalised it so you can fight it this is slightly different. If I read your blogs correctly you knew perfectly well that it was your responsibility that you lied to the people around you. I know such a terrible disease makes you do things you normally wouldn’t. Just your desire to come clear with your parents and friends shows that you are ready to take that responsibility. Otherwise you wouldn’t have cared.

    I really “enjoy” reading your blog. It makes me think and question my concepts or is really encouraging (for the most part) 🙂 for me personally and my job as pastor.

    All God’s blessings to you!!
    Andy

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    1. Thanks for your thoughts Andy. I’m glad it made you think. I definitely agree that we need to take accountability for our actions. After all- we have the benefit — and *responsibility* — of free will. The enemy is on the attack, always looking for ways to trip us up. That’s where or diligence in prayer and seeking the Lord comes in. I really appreciate your perspective. Really powerful food for thought. Hugs and love xox

      Liked by 1 person

  13. You smell of hypocrisy everything you say. You say women are better than men. How is that any different from being a white Supremacist yourself? Your Jesus says, Turn the Other Cheek, a law you never live. What Christian are you in all of Christendom? You say it, but you don’t do it. What does that make you, and what right does it give you to talk talk talk about these topics? We all know you’ll never actually DO anything. You’ll just pray to your Jesus on his cross. As with the woman on the airplane. You’ll never actually DO anything. Reality Check, woman. You never DO. No. And you’ve ridiculized me, and you have ridiculized others. We imagine you will continue to ridicularize and use your front of Jesus for gossip fodder always even to ridiculize the white supremacistss and basically everyone you can, because THAT is what you do: Make fun. You are not part of the solution to society. You are, simply put, an accuser. An abuser. You are part of the problem. You say you pray. Your god gave you HANDS to DO something, not to keep them idle in the prayerful movements of your filthy lips. You ridiculize and ridiculize and ridiculize. But why don’t you ever “turn the other cheek”? You’re a wolf prowling for situations to gather base to your popularity. Nothing more. You’d never stand against anybody doing evil. Because you are the evil. You’d never help anybody needing good, because you’re too absorbed in your own Jesus-based popularity. But why? Will you ever learn to do good? Or just choose to tear down and never uplift in any meaningful way? Woman, you ARE the evil. I have stated it before. I will state it again. YOU are the evil. You propogate it. You teach it. You live it. What’s the difference? You hypocrites should find another career than spreading hypocrisy. I’m still waiting for an apology. But that’s okay. I’ll wait forever. But don’t EVER mention me again in your blog posts. And I won’t EVER write you again, either.

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  16. I agree, as I have also experienced this in my life, that I am capable of evil. Whenever we leave chinks in our armour through unconfessed sin or exposing ourselves to evil, then we give evil a foothold in our lives. I have often been scared by how horrible I am inside without Jesus. These words are true: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

    No more lies – tell the truth and be set free. If anyone is reading this and is still hiding something, please know that you will never be free until you tell the truth. Freedom is waiting for you. 🙂

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  18. “…Live as well as possible, expect no more. Destroy nothing, humble nothing, look for fault in nothing, leave unsullied and untouched all that is beautiful.
    “Hold that which lives in all reverence, for life is given by the Sovereign Of Our Universe, given to be savoured, to be luxuriated in, to be… respected…”
    U r welcome to seek solace here:
    https://bradscribe.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/mind-your-head-sleepy-chicken-mishaps-with-creativity-in-the-age-of-outrage/
    Btw, thank u for supporting my medieval fiction
    So Brave, So Bold, So Beautiful
    Bless u

    Like

  19. hey once again, thanks for sharing and being real and raw.absolutely agree and understand how the devil tries to us of all our inheritance in Christ, deceiving us into believing his lies. but thanks for the timely reminder that in Christ, our inheritance is eternal and nothing can ever separate us from the love of God xx

    also, just wanted to ask, how do you go about launching a book? I’ve always wanted to do something similar but i’ve no idea how to go about doing so 😦

    Like

  20. Timely post. Thanks for sharing your personal story too. Yes, we need to unite and stand together to fight evil with goodness. We are in the midst of spiritual battle.

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  25. Evil can only hide in darkness. The more we name it and expose it for what it truly is- not whitewash it so that we don’t offend anyone- can we truly free people. Such a beautifully brave post. I look forward to reading your book.

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  26. Despite all the horrendous things happening around the world, there is more good than evil in this world. I agree with your sentiments 100%. Thanks for sharing this post Caralyn!

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  27. Amen to everything! Thank you for using your platform to speak truth in a world full of deceit. Yes, there will be haters, as Christ said…”if they hated me, they will also hate you.” But these are the days we live in, I believe the end of days, as prophesied, but we love in return, and “look up, for our redemption draweth nigh:) Blessings!!!

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  28. I appreciate how hard this must have been for you to write, and revisit. That moment of deliverance must have been intense. When talking about Charlottesville, however, I think there is a problem with saying turn to God, and leaving it at that. Because that means different things to different people. The white supremacists who marched on Saturday all think they are already turning to God. The ugly truth is some people are following the Devil and believe it is God. Turning to God only works when you understand God is love, and that is true for everyone of any race, creed, color, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, or any other category people use to say any other people are anything other than children of God.

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  30. As someone who voted for Trump (as you’ve stated you did), I can’t help but wonder how it feels to see KKK members and neo-Nazis say “hail Trump” as they walk through Charlottesville (which is where I live, by the way). I say this not to stir the pot or be scornful… I really want to know your thoughts. These people feel empowered by his message, especially on the campaign trail… They believe he had their bigoted interests at heart. And I can’t say I don’t agree…

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    1. it is scary. and disappointing. and awful. Those hate groups are abhorrent and the worst of the worst. There is no place for them in America or anywhere for that matter. Disgusting. Hope that answers your question 🙂 Hugs and love xox

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  31. My thoughts after reading your post are most of us are scared of talking about evil. But most of them don’t believe that he is real, or that Satan is wreaking havoc in our lives daily. It is destroying this place we call home. I was speaking with a client today and we were speaking about a lot of subjects, but in the back of my mind, I kept wanting to bring in God into the conversation somehow. I think he would be open, but it was afterwards that I
    had the thought of introducing the idea that evil is real, and it’s against all that is good and from God. I’ve been praying for Trump, the Lord put him on my heart after he was elected. Praying for His will to be done in all ways. blessings 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for this thoughtful response Tamara. Yeah I read a poll that of the people who believe in God, only 40% believe in the enemy. Which is a sobering thought. Because we need to be diligently defending our temples from attacks from the enemy, and how can one do that if they don’t believe he’s real?! I pray for trump too. He needs all the prayers he can get. That’s not a political jab or anything. But world leaders genuinely need massive prayers. Especially in this time. Hugs and love xox

      Liked by 1 person

  33. The honesty here is touching. I had not read this prior to uploading my latest post today (as you ‘liked’) concerning satan and the misery he inflicts. Be Good and be careful.

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  34. Jesus said to Simon called Peter “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

    People like to blame all the lies, evil and hatred in the world on Simon the Rock …calling him Satan! Think about it!!! Who is the rock, the stumbling block that takes all the sin of the world upon himself to teach the world about LOVE, FORGIVENESS, PEACE and to RESTORE THE WORLD to GOD and Each other.

    We Christians have an opportunity to face the truth and live LOVE. Demonizing the people who deny knowing us, or refuse to get behind us or berate us with names or put us in chains or give us some disease…makes GOD the LIAR and his/her children demons–which they are most certainly not. God created HUMANITY in GOD’s own image and likeness!!!

    Disease and injustice exist and often times we get angry when we have a disease we cannot control or an injustice we cannot make right. SO…as Joyce Myers said on TV this morning…when Trouble comes…it is more important to change our attitude than it is to struggle with the Trouble. I like that thought.

    In the context of Charlottesville…and terrorism, lets face the TRUTH…our attitude is exacerbating the trouble. We want terrorism, nationalism, racial supremacy, racism, gender violence etc. to stop. Shouting and protesting the evil and injustice of people who are God’s children and calling them EVIL or HATEFUL monsters turns us against ourselves.

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  35. I thank God for using you as a vessel to speak to each and every one of us. May God be with us and help us through these difficult times.

    May God bless you and be with you always xx

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  36. Hi same thing is happening in our country the Philippines. We are a Christian country but more than 20 people were killed by police everydsy as part of the so called war on drugs, police plant drugs and guns to
the suspects even young ones and kill them.

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  38. Those who are healed become instruments of healing. We are a healing presence to others when we give them strength and when we give them hope. We can become like Christ, the Master Healer. His humanity, liberating and lifegiving presence on earth. “Pascha” means Passover; Jesus Christ is our Passover from death to life. “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Christ ist the vine and we are his branches.

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      1. You are the instrument of His Light, a bearer of God’s love in a broken world. Everything is waiting for you, beloved Caralyn. Be the luminous radical light of his kingdom. 😉 We should offer to all, without exception or condemnation, the path to forgiveness and peace in Christ. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Every human being is a child of the Creator, created in His image and likeness, and therefore we are all brothers and sisters whatever our race, nationality or creed.

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  39. Very well stated and I wish all Christians understood the power they have through the Holy Spirit to effect change in the world. If we did, the world would be a better place.
    Blessings to you and your ministry
    Pastor Lester

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  40. There’s a part of me that instantly goes “Yes! Huzzah!” Because I’ve experienced darkness, I’ve felt evil. Battling an addiction that led to experiences and dreams of demonic presences, and I know enough now about identity to know it wasn’t just some projection of myself.

    But that part of me doesn’t go “Huzzah!” anymore because here’s the thing I learned about the enemy while I was learning about the gospel: he is already defeated.

    2 Peter 2:6 and Jude 1:6 tell us that God has all the demons under lock and key in chains and prisons of darkness.

    I’m not saying what many many people continually experience isn’t real, because absolutely there’s an enemy out there, and absolutely we should know how to deal with him. But the reality is he is defeated and any action he or his demons take is an illegal move under the authority of YHWH Elohim–authority that is ours as kings and queens in the royal priesthood that is the kingdom of God which means…. there’s nothing to be afraid of (: there is nothing that can stand against us if we know and use our authority. No way no how. And that is SUCH good news for the Church because it means there is no fight to gear up for, there’s just an identity to be regained in Jesus ❤

    Thanks for sharing your experience (: that was such a powerful moment for you

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  42. Nicely done. It’s past time to get the sanity of love back into our bubbles and the only way that’s going to happen is by stepping out. Hmmmm – radical love or radical hate?

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      3. Hey! I hope all is well. I am thinking about rebranding my blog. Do you have any advice for growing my blog? Lately, I have been allowing fear to hinder me from sharing. Now I know I need to stop letting the devil win and walk in my destiny. Just need any tips. I know that your blog is successful. Thanks,
        Shelby

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  48. In this the ‘end times’ we need to keep focusing on God and remain faithful. Prayer is a weapon against evil and all temptation. Pray for conversion. Pray for those who do not believe. Pray for those who have no one to pray for them. I’m sorry this happened. But I do agree with you it is a wake up call to action. Pray. Hate should not beget hate. Evil should not beget evil. I like one of your posters: where there is no love put love. Exactly. Love and hugs.

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  50. As a Christian, I regret to inform you that on Charlottesville, you have been misinformed by a deceitful media. It was Antifa that caused the violence, not those who got a permit which Antifa tried to deny them. Keep in mind, that it is very easy for the enemies of freedom and Constitutional supporters to grab a NAZI flag and join the parade pretending to be on the side of the “Alt right”. You, as a Christian, should know well that your government and much of America is hostile to Christ and Christianity. View the dilemma minorities have proving they’re not white racists. VIDEO – BLACKS & MINORITIES EXPOSE THE FRAUD OF THE MEDIA & POLITICIANS WHO ARE ACCUSING TRUMP OF RACISM!!!

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