Most people know that white roses represent purity because they are often used in weddings, and, even though the whole virginity till marriage thing has become quite passé, purity, for some odd reason, is still something that many strive for. But the white rose represents so much more than just a vain attempt at emotional perfection: youthfulness, innocence, young love, and loyalty are all symbolized by the white rose. The black rose, on the other hand, often chosen for funerals, is a symbol of death and mourning. What you may not know is that the black rose is not actually the color black, but an extremely dark shade of red or purple. But why do we assign these meanings to white and “black” flowers when all flowers represent death? I mean, you killed the rose when you picked it after all. Roses have thorns to stop us from killing them, not for irony’s sake. So, really all roses and all flowers are a representation of mortality, a reminder that we will all perish. My mother hated roses of all colors for this very reason. All people, regardless of color, innocence or purity will also meet their end one day. We are the walking dead; there is no need for zombies. We are all walking, talking reminders of our inevitable meeting with death. So why is it that, when black people perish, very few take notice, but when white people meet the same fate, an entire news segments is devoted to it? Joy Reid sure did piss a lot of pretty white people with problems off when she recently said on MSNBC that, “The way this story captivated the nation has so many wondering, why not the same media attention when people of color go missing?... Well, the answer actually has a name: Missing White Woman Syndrome — the term coined by the late and great Gwen Ifill to describe the media and public fascination with missing White women like Laci Peterson or Natalee Holloway, while ignoring cases involving people of color.” White people across the world were shocked and aghast at such a statement. I mean, seriously, the nerve of that black woman on the TV talking crap about white people. How could she? What did they ever do to her? I will answer the question for you, but I wonder if you will actually listen to the answer or just huff and puff like so many pretty white people with problems do. Let’s find out. “Black girls and women go missing at high rates, but that isn't reflected in news coverage of missing persons cases. In 2020, of the 268,884 girls and women who were reported missing, 90,333, or nearly 34% of them, were Black, according to the National Crime Information Center…” Oh well, I’m sure the fair and balanced, totally unbiased, super duper college educated, absolutely perfect at all times media is letting you know about this stuff, right? “In light of these numbers, the disproportionate media attention on missing white girls and women is glaring.” (NPR) Uh-oh spaghetti-o’s! That’s right, Joy Reid was simply telling the truth. She did not lie, but she was defamed nonetheless. She was told that she stepped out of line, that she did not display proper candor. She was not polite enough. She forgot her place. White people are never supposed to be challenged by black people, even when the black person is simply stating a fact, that is not allowed, not ever, not even on MSNBC and certainly not on Fox News. How dare she? And isn’t it interesting that she too is a black woman, a black woman that was ignored and even attacked for simply stating the facts. I suppose that Joy Reid and all the other black and Indigenous women who go missing every year are just not pure and innocent enough for prime time. By the way, I’ll take two dozen black roses; I hear the white roses causes sudden bursts of anger, ignorance, apathy, and dishonesty. Besides, for all the whiteness that I lack, a more perfect beauty is found in all that’s black.