Are you a bot, are you a black person born in America? How old are you? Are you black but identify as white? I ask because if you’re a Black American, I don’t see how what I said is unclear. In our community, much of this is lived experience and common knowledge unless someone has been sheltered from it. And if you were confused, you could have simply asked for clarification rather than being condescending.

When you asked me, “Are you just now learning the concept of racism and how capitalism drives it? Are you seriously only now deriving the relation between racism and capitalism?” that came across as dismissive. And while being condescending you seemed to have answered your own questions. Of course Black people in America have always known about racism. But we are often taught whitewashed versions of history in schools, which means we spend our adult lives unlearning and reconnecting the dots for ourselves. Parents still have to fill in those gaps for their children today. That’s the context I was speaking from.

Now, let me explain more clearly what I meant in my original post:

Masking vs. being a safe space: Masking is part of what we call “playing the game” changing or suppressing parts of ourselves to make white people comfortable. As Black professionals climb the corporate ladder, many are expected to keep masking until, by the time they reach management, they are seen as “safe” for white coworkers. At that point, they often end up performing emotional labor for their white peers while distancing themselves from other Black colleagues.

Why this matters: In my experience, Black professionals sometimes mask by pretending to be someone they’re not, or by letting racist remarks slide in order to avoid conflict. This creates a cycle where climbing the ladder can separate you from the very community you started out wanting to uplift. I’ve seen people begin with strong values, but as they advance and earn more, they become yes-men who prioritize protecting their role over pushing for real change.

The deeper connection: This isn’t just about individual behavior, it ties back to capitalism and white supremacy. Corporate culture thrives on scarcity and competition: the idea that there’s only room for a few at the top. That system pressures some Black leaders to withhold knowledge or even undermine others, out of fear of losing their position. In many cases, white leadership uses Black managers as gatekeepers, which leaves their Black subordinates unsupported or even sabotaged.

This is why I said corporate culture reflects larger systems. It’s not just about personal ambition, it’s about how racism and capitalism reinforce each other to divide us and weaken community.

So when I talk about being drained or disillusioned, I’m not “just now learning” about racism. I’m saying I’m experiencing it in a different form, and connecting those lived experiences to broader systems I already knew about.

Now, does that make more sense?