Well, another police officer has been caught on camera gunning down an unarmed black man. This time, the man was obviously running from the officer who shoots him 8 times in the back as he runs away.
The officer then calls for backup from the body he has just handcuffed, because he's obviously a threat. Oh, the officer then tosses a taser by the body. I can't say "plants" but why are you throwing a taser next to the handcuffed body of a man you just shot in the back 8 times? Oh, and then accused of attempting to take said taser from you which is why you feared for your life and had to shoot him.
Why did this start? Drug dealing? Robbery? Or a busted tail light? If you guessed C, you would be correct.
I'd love to claim that THIS will be the one that changes people's minds. That wakes them up that there is a problem with cops killing black men, especially unarmed black men, for minor offenses.
But it won't be. Why? Because upper and middle class whites are going to believe the police when they smear this guy. They've been trained to believe from little on up that the police are the good guys (and many are) and for them, for WHITE people the police are! For too many blacks they are not.
Chris Rock the prominent comedian has started posting instagram pics every time he is pulled over. A black man driving a nice car. I'm sure he was driving all over the road.
Not all cops are bad cops. In fact, few cops are truly bad. Its the culture of cops that is toxic. Its the culture that was going to cover up this crime, for it is a crime, until the video surfaced. Its the culture that turns otherwise good men and women into accessories to murder, theft, rape, and assault.
Look at the NYPD study on complaints of police brutality. A small percentage of cops made up a giant proportion of the complaints! Instead of "re-training" theses criminals again and again, kick them off the force and insure they cannot work in a police or security facility again. Many people aren't cut out to be cops and a lot of them are not because they are too timid, its because they have a criminal mindset themselves.
I grieve for the family of Walter Scott and I can only pray that justice is served. But I'm not naive enough to believe its going to change anything. Sadly.
Showing posts with label racism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racism. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Monday, February 3, 2014
Boycott Coke? Really? This is the crushing issue facing you people?
I'll try to keep this post from degenerating to bitter and spiteful ad hominem attacks on those I disagree with. Its gonna be tough, but I'm pretty sure I can do it.
Apparently a slightly sappy, slightly touchy, seemingly out of place, yet overall innocuous Coke ad has the racists up in arms. I'll admit, I love when people get upset about stuff like this because it lets me know who I can pretty much write off their opinion about anything.
The ad, oh the horrible, terrible ad, featured "America the Beautiful" a song sung by Queen Latifa not more than 90 minutes prior to the commercial. Why the fuss? Because, HORRORS, the song was sung in many languages, NOT JUST ENGLISH!
Oh no! Whatever shall we do? How can we face the fact we're a multi-racial, multi-lingual, extremely diverse country? I know what we should do, we should take to Twitter and Facebook and blogs like mine nobody reads and react as racist and xenophobic as possible!
"In my 'Murkah we speak English gash darn it!"
Well, frankly America has never been a nation of one language, not should it be now. Prior to Europeans landing there was a plethora of Native American languages being spoken. The first European language spoken was Viking (yeah, I have no idea what language they spoke, some old form of Danish?), the second, Spanish. Then French, THEN English.
Sure, the English crown came to rule the 13 colonies who in a fit of tea party pique decided to rebel and instead of becoming more like Canada allowed us to become the joke we are today, but even then, all sorts of languages were being spoken, daily, across the continent.
Immigrant groups came, and came, and came and somehow America trudged along, getting along with these strange newcomers and their odd accents and culture. They slowly assimilated, keeping some traditions, sometimes keeping a langauge (rarely) but mostly becoming more or less American.
Now though, somehow this is a threat. All these people that don't look like me, don't talk like me and don't dress like me, they're dangerous and scary. And Coke is putting them in a commercial and goshdarnit Coke you gave me diabetus and made me require a Hoverround but I am quitting you over this. For good. Big KKK, er Big K is my drink of choice now. Or Shasta. Or a good American drink like Sam's Cola from them nice folks at Wal-mart (speaking of commercials to make you hurl....)
Get over it people. America has always been, will always been, and SHOULD always be diverse! And goodness, a multinational company selling things all over the world (including pretty much the only functioning factory in Somalia) is probably all about the diversity don't you think? Oh, but that only applies elsewhere. Got it.
If you want to get annoyed about anything, get annoyed by the faux patriotism tied to every sporting event now. I get it, most of the country is watching football (I love football), but there's nothing inherently patriotic about a sporting event no matter how many times we butcher the anthem, no matter how many flyovers we do, or how many times we show the troops in some far off country that don't need to be in watching the game at god knows what hour of the night instead of being home with their families watching it.
The Coke ad, which I found a bit sappy, was an accurate portrayal of America as it is now, as it has been and how it should and will be, regardless of how much you racist hillbillies want to pretend otherwise.
So, go buy your cheap beer brewed by a foreign company, purchase it at your local sprawlmart paying subhuman wages and importing everything possible from China, whine about how hard the white man has it in America and continue to believe giving more money to rich people and deporting everyone who doesn't learn English in a timely fashion is going to solve your problems. You are the anachronism and you are the problem. Not the person with the accent, the funny clothes or the different colored skin.
Apparently a slightly sappy, slightly touchy, seemingly out of place, yet overall innocuous Coke ad has the racists up in arms. I'll admit, I love when people get upset about stuff like this because it lets me know who I can pretty much write off their opinion about anything.
The ad, oh the horrible, terrible ad, featured "America the Beautiful" a song sung by Queen Latifa not more than 90 minutes prior to the commercial. Why the fuss? Because, HORRORS, the song was sung in many languages, NOT JUST ENGLISH!
Oh no! Whatever shall we do? How can we face the fact we're a multi-racial, multi-lingual, extremely diverse country? I know what we should do, we should take to Twitter and Facebook and blogs like mine nobody reads and react as racist and xenophobic as possible!
"In my 'Murkah we speak English gash darn it!"
Well, frankly America has never been a nation of one language, not should it be now. Prior to Europeans landing there was a plethora of Native American languages being spoken. The first European language spoken was Viking (yeah, I have no idea what language they spoke, some old form of Danish?), the second, Spanish. Then French, THEN English.
Sure, the English crown came to rule the 13 colonies who in a fit of tea party pique decided to rebel and instead of becoming more like Canada allowed us to become the joke we are today, but even then, all sorts of languages were being spoken, daily, across the continent.
Immigrant groups came, and came, and came and somehow America trudged along, getting along with these strange newcomers and their odd accents and culture. They slowly assimilated, keeping some traditions, sometimes keeping a langauge (rarely) but mostly becoming more or less American.
Now though, somehow this is a threat. All these people that don't look like me, don't talk like me and don't dress like me, they're dangerous and scary. And Coke is putting them in a commercial and goshdarnit Coke you gave me diabetus and made me require a Hoverround but I am quitting you over this. For good. Big KKK, er Big K is my drink of choice now. Or Shasta. Or a good American drink like Sam's Cola from them nice folks at Wal-mart (speaking of commercials to make you hurl....)
Get over it people. America has always been, will always been, and SHOULD always be diverse! And goodness, a multinational company selling things all over the world (including pretty much the only functioning factory in Somalia) is probably all about the diversity don't you think? Oh, but that only applies elsewhere. Got it.
If you want to get annoyed about anything, get annoyed by the faux patriotism tied to every sporting event now. I get it, most of the country is watching football (I love football), but there's nothing inherently patriotic about a sporting event no matter how many times we butcher the anthem, no matter how many flyovers we do, or how many times we show the troops in some far off country that don't need to be in watching the game at god knows what hour of the night instead of being home with their families watching it.
The Coke ad, which I found a bit sappy, was an accurate portrayal of America as it is now, as it has been and how it should and will be, regardless of how much you racist hillbillies want to pretend otherwise.
So, go buy your cheap beer brewed by a foreign company, purchase it at your local sprawlmart paying subhuman wages and importing everything possible from China, whine about how hard the white man has it in America and continue to believe giving more money to rich people and deporting everyone who doesn't learn English in a timely fashion is going to solve your problems. You are the anachronism and you are the problem. Not the person with the accent, the funny clothes or the different colored skin.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Racism
"Racism is not merely a simplistic hatred. It is, more often, broad sympathy toward some and broader skepticism toward others." -Ta-Nehisi Coates
Sorry America, that specter Racism is alive and well.
I know, I know, you don't want to admit it, but sorry, its true.
Its true in the little things you say, the little assumptions you make, the stereotypes you hold. Its there. You don't have to join the KKK, you don't have to call them N******, you don't have to do a lot of things, many racist attitudes are totally passive. Its about what you say, what you think, what you at heart believe.
Its funny how often I hear "well blacks can be racist too."
Ok, I agree, there is a certain percentage of the black population that is racist. They, like the vast majority of racist whites, veer towards the 2nd sentence of the quote.
There are racist black people, some of them as bad as any racist white.
BUT, before white folk get all justified in their own little prejudices, let me point something out, the blacks aren't the people in power.
WAIT you cry! White america is under attack! Look at all the benefits afforded minorities and women! Its so hard to be a white man!
No, its not.
White men still run this country. Pardon me, RICH white men run this country.
If you aren't one of them it isn't affirmative actions fault. It isn't NOW's fault. Its the oligarchy of good ol' boys and new money men who control most economic goings on in the US.
Here's the thing: People of all races suck. Basically humanity sucks. We're imperfect, we're flawed, we're damaged. BUT, when the group that holds power, and I'm sorry white america, you hold the power no matter how badly you want to believe you don't, holds ideas, prejudices (it can be proven, look at prison sentencing black v. white for the same crimes), hold beliefs, its far more damaging to the country than when the minority holds similar views.
This is NOT excusing minorities for any general "racist" beliefs they might hold. But, isn't it more understandable they would hold them when they are much more likely to be stopped and questioned by police (most often white), go to a lesser school than their white peers, and generally have the odds stacked against them?
Blacks in this country have had the deck stacked against them since the late 19th century. The gains made immediately after the Civil War, well, many of them died with Lincoln and others have been destroyed since, whether maliciously by blatantly racist laws or inadvertently by misguided social policy (see the Great Society, though, I sometimes wonder how inadvertent LBJ was really...).
We are generations deep, in all honestly we are almost 10 generations deep of black families being destroyed, first by slavery, then by economic factors, then by social engineering factors. Its unfortunate that so many black Americans have no idea how to live "normal," healthy lives.
I'm not even saying that they have to live like middle class Americans because frankly, I'm not sure that's healthy. But the violence that pervades so much of their culture, the lack of a father in too many young black men's lives (and anymore, that's certainly a white problem too), its tragic.
And while it does not excuse the eventual behavior, it helps to explain it. Instead of fearing, instead of holding prejudice, instead of viewing them as parasites (which so many people do, listen to how people talk, facts don't matter, there are millions on welfare doing nothing to support themselves....right..) maybe view them as fellow human beings. View them as fellow Americans, who just want to live their lives. Maybe you could support them, even third party, through groups trying to help the less fortunate.
White America, I'm sorry, but you're still horrifically racist. You need to start accepting that, because if you don't, if you, the majority race, don't, why on earth would any of the minority races attempt to do the same?
Sorry America, that specter Racism is alive and well.
I know, I know, you don't want to admit it, but sorry, its true.
Its true in the little things you say, the little assumptions you make, the stereotypes you hold. Its there. You don't have to join the KKK, you don't have to call them N******, you don't have to do a lot of things, many racist attitudes are totally passive. Its about what you say, what you think, what you at heart believe.
Its funny how often I hear "well blacks can be racist too."
Ok, I agree, there is a certain percentage of the black population that is racist. They, like the vast majority of racist whites, veer towards the 2nd sentence of the quote.
There are racist black people, some of them as bad as any racist white.
BUT, before white folk get all justified in their own little prejudices, let me point something out, the blacks aren't the people in power.
WAIT you cry! White america is under attack! Look at all the benefits afforded minorities and women! Its so hard to be a white man!
No, its not.
White men still run this country. Pardon me, RICH white men run this country.
If you aren't one of them it isn't affirmative actions fault. It isn't NOW's fault. Its the oligarchy of good ol' boys and new money men who control most economic goings on in the US.
Here's the thing: People of all races suck. Basically humanity sucks. We're imperfect, we're flawed, we're damaged. BUT, when the group that holds power, and I'm sorry white america, you hold the power no matter how badly you want to believe you don't, holds ideas, prejudices (it can be proven, look at prison sentencing black v. white for the same crimes), hold beliefs, its far more damaging to the country than when the minority holds similar views.
This is NOT excusing minorities for any general "racist" beliefs they might hold. But, isn't it more understandable they would hold them when they are much more likely to be stopped and questioned by police (most often white), go to a lesser school than their white peers, and generally have the odds stacked against them?
Blacks in this country have had the deck stacked against them since the late 19th century. The gains made immediately after the Civil War, well, many of them died with Lincoln and others have been destroyed since, whether maliciously by blatantly racist laws or inadvertently by misguided social policy (see the Great Society, though, I sometimes wonder how inadvertent LBJ was really...).
We are generations deep, in all honestly we are almost 10 generations deep of black families being destroyed, first by slavery, then by economic factors, then by social engineering factors. Its unfortunate that so many black Americans have no idea how to live "normal," healthy lives.
I'm not even saying that they have to live like middle class Americans because frankly, I'm not sure that's healthy. But the violence that pervades so much of their culture, the lack of a father in too many young black men's lives (and anymore, that's certainly a white problem too), its tragic.
And while it does not excuse the eventual behavior, it helps to explain it. Instead of fearing, instead of holding prejudice, instead of viewing them as parasites (which so many people do, listen to how people talk, facts don't matter, there are millions on welfare doing nothing to support themselves....right..) maybe view them as fellow human beings. View them as fellow Americans, who just want to live their lives. Maybe you could support them, even third party, through groups trying to help the less fortunate.
White America, I'm sorry, but you're still horrifically racist. You need to start accepting that, because if you don't, if you, the majority race, don't, why on earth would any of the minority races attempt to do the same?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Arizona
Arizona just put into effect a law allowing police to stop people anytime they are suspicious those people might be illegally in the country. The people must produce proof they are here legally, and may be arrested if they cannot show proof, even if they are here legally.
Let's be honest here, this law is targeting Hispanics. How many people with non-brown skin do you think are really going to be asked to produce papers?
Putting aside the legalities of this, let me pose a question:
What if the tables were reversed? Arizona allows openly carrying weapons and concealed carry. What if every time an officer wanted they could ask to see not only your FOID card (or the equivilent), but wanted your driver's license, birth certificate and recent proof of a background check?
The cries of "the gov't is interfering in mah life daggumit" would be heard to the heavens!
So, government is "bad" when it affects the "rights" of white people. But its "good" when it profiles racially and only affects non-whites.
So, really, tell me again how so many of these "conservatives" aren't racist?
Also, Barry Goldwater and I may not agree about much, but he must be rolling over in his grave at this. The man was a true libertarian and this would most likely disgust him.
Let's be honest here, this law is targeting Hispanics. How many people with non-brown skin do you think are really going to be asked to produce papers?
Putting aside the legalities of this, let me pose a question:
What if the tables were reversed? Arizona allows openly carrying weapons and concealed carry. What if every time an officer wanted they could ask to see not only your FOID card (or the equivilent), but wanted your driver's license, birth certificate and recent proof of a background check?
The cries of "the gov't is interfering in mah life daggumit" would be heard to the heavens!
So, government is "bad" when it affects the "rights" of white people. But its "good" when it profiles racially and only affects non-whites.
So, really, tell me again how so many of these "conservatives" aren't racist?
Also, Barry Goldwater and I may not agree about much, but he must be rolling over in his grave at this. The man was a true libertarian and this would most likely disgust him.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Thoughtful Column
A nice column on what I've slowly realized. (Thanks mightily to such wonderful authors/activists as Johnathon Kozol and Jim Wallis.)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
How'd I miss this?
"The united states of america was established as a white society, founded upon a near-genocide of one race and then the enslavement of yet another."
Jim Wallis, The Soul of Politics pg 98.
Certain vocal Christian preachers attempt to make statements saying America's woes are because of sins such as homosexuality, abortion, etc. While I don't know how many Christian's believe that explicitly, there seems to be a large section of believers in this country who seem to think all the sins are committed by "someone else." (Everyday sins such as greed, coveteousness, gossip and slander aren't talked about as often.)
However, there is a pervasive sin that is crippling America. Is it causing the wrath of God to fall down in the form of hurricanes, terrorist attacks and other natural disasters? Heck no.
Is it aiding and abetting the distintegration of society through consumerism, fear, hatred, reactionism, and other forms of exclusion.
Am I saying every white person in the US is racist? No. Sure, we all have our moments and thoughts, but not actively racist.
However, because we do nothing to truly change our behaviors or attitudes, the end result is a divided country. This isn't good for anyone.
Jim Wallis, The Soul of Politics pg 98.
Certain vocal Christian preachers attempt to make statements saying America's woes are because of sins such as homosexuality, abortion, etc. While I don't know how many Christian's believe that explicitly, there seems to be a large section of believers in this country who seem to think all the sins are committed by "someone else." (Everyday sins such as greed, coveteousness, gossip and slander aren't talked about as often.)
However, there is a pervasive sin that is crippling America. Is it causing the wrath of God to fall down in the form of hurricanes, terrorist attacks and other natural disasters? Heck no.
Is it aiding and abetting the distintegration of society through consumerism, fear, hatred, reactionism, and other forms of exclusion.
Am I saying every white person in the US is racist? No. Sure, we all have our moments and thoughts, but not actively racist.
However, because we do nothing to truly change our behaviors or attitudes, the end result is a divided country. This isn't good for anyone.
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