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Are you certain it was racism and not prejudice you experienced?
Racism is representing or describing race that “creates or reproduces structures of domination based on essentialist categories of race.” Racism begets a structure of domination based on race.
Prejudice is “preconceived opinion" that is not based on reason or actual experience,” and this resonates with how sociologists understand the term. Quite simply, it is a pre-judgement that one levies of another that is not based in reality.
Yep, I've experienced both.
For the record, they are both pretty equally reprehensible in my book.
While that individual down the street may not hold much power, the fact is that the system is racist...
Disagree
Quote:
Originally Posted by nana053
...look at the disproportionate number of black people who experience police brutality. Wealth does NOT protect a black person from racism within the system.
Is that a fact? If so, is it really due to racism? Seems just as likely to me that it is more due to the way many black people respond to police directions.
Now, don't call me a racists for pointing this out. I've heard several black commentators make this point. And I think its obvious that the way one responds to authority is likely to influence the way authority treats us. Moreover, I do not believe that black people respond as they do because they are black. I think its a learned cultural reaction.
Now, I am not denying actual cases of police brutality. But, when it occurs, what about it makes you believe that it is a systemic problem rather than a problem of individuals?
Did you know that in the past 25 years, cop shootings of blacks have decreased steadily while cop shootings of whites has remained at the same level? Did you know that cops are more quick to shoot at whites than they are at blacks?
Quote:
Originally Posted by nana053
Look at the wealth gap.
Not attributable to racism NOW. Of course blacks had a horrible start in the US. Not even necessary to address. But, in the past 40 years, blacks have had many opportunities to advance.
They have not, in general. And here is why:
Fatherless children at a rate above 80%
Kids do not do well or even attend school
Youth drop out of school and or get pregnant at a young age
Fathers do not stay with mothers
Rinse and repeat
Quote:
Originally Posted by nana053
Hard work a determinant? Again, hardly.
I'm not even going to look at that link. Its ridiculous to assert that hard work and intelligence do not help one achieve success.
Stop making stupid choices.
Stay in school
Study hard
Do your best
Go to college or seek technical skill training
Get a decent job
Get married
Get sorted financially
Get pregnant
Have a kid
Nurture and raise the kid together
In that order. If people do the above, they will eventually achieve success. Not in equal measures. We have equal rights and opportunities. Not equal abilities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nana053
Wealth does not protect black boys and men from racism
Well, nobody denies that racism exists. I just do not believe that racism is as systemic or institutional as you claim.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nana053
Being innocent of a crime does not protect black males.
That is not particular to black males. Could, and does happen to people of all races.
Here's the secret (again):
Stop making stupid choices.
Stay in school
Study hard
Do your best
Go to college or seek technical skill training
Get a decent job
Get married
Get sorted financially
Get pregnant
Have a kid
Nurture and raise the kid together
I completely disagree that your claim that the suspect was so "threatening" that lethal force was necessary or proper. My validation for this is the comment by the Chief that he used poor judgement and the fact that he was subsequently terminated. The cop had other options, there was the obvious one; wait to coordinate the apprehension with the other 3 cops present or if he just couldn't resist playing the Lone Ranger, his first choice should have been to use less than lethal force. Your claim that you can die from a taser while technically true is a bit of a red herring, namely because your chance of dying from a gunshot is exponentially greater than dying from a taser. Between 2001 and 2014 there have been 634 taser related deaths in the US Compare that to the approximately 400-500 total deaths of civilians by Police Officers every single year. In the 15 years during which taser deaths were tracked, they constituted less than 6% of all deaths by Police Officers and a good number of those deaths were from improper use of a taser.
Ok, let's set aside the taser. I merely brought it up because we even have people second guessing taser usage whenever it goes bad even though I agree it's a better option in many circumstances.
What we have is an encounter where the guy SHOULDN'T have gone in (which we both agree upon) but where the suspect by current police accounts charged him.
So what we have here is someone that used poor initial judgment but that due to that created a situation where a shooting was justifiable....hence firing but no criminal charges.
I hope we can both appreciate the difficulty of written communication.
For the record, they are both pretty equally reprehensible in my book.
Agreed.
I lived in a lilly white town (more or less) during my youth and was disturbed by racist commentary as I got old enough to (not) appreciate it in the 80's.
So, naively I roll off to college expecting utopia and wham....my idealism hits a brick wall as I experience racism from asians (particularily korean at that school) and blacks first hand. My one friend got beaten by a black mob during the Rodney King verdict (we were in Champaign, IL....not compton) and they were a pacifist that didn't have a racist bone in their body, just caught on the street coming home from work with white skin.
As such, I have zero tolerance towards anyone, regardless of pigmentation or ethnicity from attacking others for their differences.
Mark my words, this is going to be a growing issue in the US. Sad. Sad but true. Nobody really wants to tackle it head on yet. So far, the *problem* is JUST angry white dudes.......denial. sigh.
Ok, let's set aside the taser. I merely brought it up because we even have people second guessing taser usage whenever it goes bad even though I agree it's a better option in many circumstances.
What we have is an encounter where the guy SHOULDN'T have gone in (which we both agree upon) but where the suspect by current police accounts charged him.
So what we have here is someone that used poor initial judgment but that due to that created a situation where a shooting was justifiable....hence firing but no criminal charges.
I hope we can both appreciate the difficulty of written communication.
We are pretty much on the same page except, while I don't think the Officer's actions were criminal, neither do I think they were justified. But I can understand why some people would disagree with me and that's ok.
If he was driving a vehicle he wasn't "unarmed." And if he is crazy enough to drive through a showroom window, he is crazy enough to drive over some one with the vehicle. All I would say to the Officer is "Good Shot."
Some Dealerships have night watchmen, and he could have easily killed some one in the Showroom.
If he was driving a vehicle he wasn't "unarmed." And if he is crazy enough to drive through a showroom window, he is crazy enough to drive over some one with the vehicle. All I would say to the Officer is "Good Shot."
Some Dealerships have night watchmen, and he could have easily killed some one in the Showroom.
You might want to read some of the earlier posts. The guy was not driving a car when the cops found him inside the showroom, the cop who shot him has been fired.
So a person or persons of a the dominate racial group had leverage over you at some period of your life? This is a story I am dying to hear.
Yep. As you know, I am white. I lived in a predominately African American part of a small town, in a ghetto that consisted of nearly all African Americans, for several years. I was often often ridiculed, spoken to rudely, and the butt of racist jokes and comments by non white people. In fact, people were pretty amazingly blatant about it.
Not only that, but when I applied for a job at a locally owned business, and they found out that I was married to an African American, the owner withdrew the job offer. At the time, I was too young and naive to realize I could have sued them.
I was very, very glad to shake the dust from that town off my feet and move forward.
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