robby44 said:Jack and DP said:George Truett said:This is what we whites tell ourselves, but it isn't true.Johnny Bear said:What a bunch of BS. Over the past 60 years, no nation in the history of mankind has done as much or more to right societal wrongs (that most definitely needed to be righted) and societally speaking, even the playing field for a minority of its citizens than the USA has done for the black community over the course of that time. Nobody is denying we have a lot of bad history regarding the plight and treatment of blacks and the black community, but on the other hand we have a bunch of people that want to deny the obvious progress and improvement in that regard over the last half century plus. I've lived through the time period we're talking about and it's a very different world than it used to be in this regard - thank goodness.Porteroso said:Doc Holliday said:
These riots are based on singular instances.
That is wishful thinking. I'm not sure how people like you manage to ignore the racial tensions of the past few centuries in America, but basic equal treatment has still not been achieved, according to any given objective metric.
The law, only relatively recently, has been changed to allow for true equality, but we all know that the law is not equally applied.
Minorities are not killed at a greater clip than whites, contrary to popular leftist propaganda, but minorities are beat up, arrested, prosecuted, jailed at a far greater clip than whites.
This is not a singular instance, it is the culmination of centuries of injustice. While the media, and pop culture is complicit in enraging minorities over a bad take on equality, when it comes to cops murdering citizens, the general consensus that this is the latest in a long line of injustices is obviously correct.
Cops have have a long way to go to regain public trust, and are seemingly heading the opposite direction, with haste.
Does that mean racism has been eliminated? Of course not and just like crazy lunatics will never be eliminated, individuals here and there who are bigots (that exist in all communities with varying skin colors and ethnicities) will never be totally eradicated. And by the way, all of them are wrong and all of them have counterproductive/divisive beliefs. The norm, however, is the vast majority are not racists or bigots, but since there is so much to gain politically by claiming that's not the case per those on the left, they'll never acknowledge it and will always claim the opposite is true.
As far as this terrible, deadly incident in Minneapolis, yes, it most definitely is a "one off" type of occurrence by some bad cops. Yes, sadly and tragically there are some bad cops out there (some of them even served at the highest levels of law enforcement during the Obama Administration), but the vast majority do anywhere from an adequate to an outstanding job of serving and protecting. It's both wholly inaccurate and ridiculous to portray this as some kind of widespread systemic problem. It isn't. It's a rare occurrence and hopefully the perpetrators of this crime will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
There are some bad, evil people in the USA in any legal profession/vocation you want to name, but the vast majority clearly aren't and when that small minority of bad/evil people commit a crime or atrocity it's absurd to paint everyone (or even the majority) in that profession/vocation as being the equivalent thereof - especially including law enforcement.
The Central Park incident is a good example. The woman who called the cops on the black man was a liberal Democrat. But she immediately pulled the racist card like a pro when she saw an unfamiliar black man and knew what to say to the cops. It's like programming we (white and black) have in us that we see black men as a threat.
It's also telling about our country that immediately after two terms of a high-principled black man we elect a non-principled white troll.
I wish I could say I'm free of racism, but I can't. It's deeply programmed in me.
People of color know racism is still systemic in our country while we whites engage in magical thinking that it isn't.
I think it's healthier to confess that racism is in our DNA and that it's still a problem in our country.
Frankly, I don't know what the answer is. I would like to say it's in the church, but Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour of the week.
As for me, I intend to be more engaged in dialogue and prayer with people of color in my church to understand their perspectives and look for solutions.
The woman in Central Park was told by a man - you go ahead and do what you do and I'll do what I do and you're not going to like it. I can easily see that comment as very threatening to a woman who is alone. How would your wife feel hearing that?
Dogs are legally required to be leashed in that park
She got put in check and didn't like it
There was no threat
She was certainly in the wrong, but she also could've felt threatened. He said he was going to do something and she wouldn't like it. What does that mean?
