Coates is consistently asking his son to question the narrative of this country. For instance,
- "The entire narrative of this country argues against the truth of who you are." (99)
- "The people who must believe they are white can never be your measuring stick."(107/108)
- "The truth is that the police reflect America in all of its will and fear, and whatever we might make of this country’s criminal justice policy, it cannot be said that it was imposed by a repressive minority. The abuses that have followed from these policies—the sprawling carceral state, the random detention of black people, the torture of suspects—are the product of democratic will. And so to challenge the police is to challenge the American people who send them into the ghettos armed with the same self-generated fears that compelled the people who think they are white to flee the cities and into the Dream. The problem with the police is not that they are fascist pigs but that our country is ruled by majoritarian pigs.”
Which of these quotes speak to you and your understanding of Coates' message. Please feel free to disagree with Coates.
