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When looking at the reason Zimmerman was found not guilty, I came to the conclusion that I shouldn't be angry at Zimmerman for being found not guilty. I'm angry at the judicial system for allowing him to kill an unarmed innocent male (who happened to be black) over a basic fist fight that he was losing. In addition, I am angry at the fact that black males who are committing crimes have caused people to fear and be biased toward all black men.
Law abiding black males are, in a sense, victims too. Law abiding black males are victims of black males who commit crimes at an disproportionally higher rate than white males if that stat is accurate (even though there are reasons for their behavior which would need to be addressed in another forum) and this has resulted in BIAS and FEAR among white Americans as well as black Americans living in communities where they are reading about and seeing on the news crimes committed by black males.
Unfortunately, this is a problem for black males like me, who have never committed a crime, and basically can't walk down many streets in America without someone profiling us and asking what is this black guy up to or doing? This is my reality as a black man in 2013, and probably will continue to be as long as black males continue to commit crimes at high rates. I have already warned and told my two black sons that if they are confronted by anyone, try to be reasonable, courteous, and respectful or you may end up like Trayvon Martin.
What are your thoughts about this topic?
Revisiting this thread, I have a couple of observations.
1) Only the most ignorant of people judge the whole of a race by its worst segment. As a black man who is not ignorant, why should you care what ignorant people think?
2) Every race has a segment that is as ignorant and backwards as the worst segment of the black race that you speak of here. In fact they're worst because society gives them far more consideration. They have greater advantages, historically so, and as a matter of course, simply because their skin isn't black. Yet they choose to be THE most ignorant members of our society. Why just be mad at those in your race who are bad, when the people you worry about who are stereotyping you, are worse and THE problem?
3) Whatever level of ignorance these problematic blacks you speak of may represent, they can't compare to the supreme ignorance of those who are racist and those who stereotype. These are the Boehners, McConnells, Cantors, Ryans, Pauls, Bachmanns, Palins, Strom Thurmonds, the Jesse Helms', Romneys, Perrys, Gingrichs, Hannitys, Limbaughs, Becks, Coulters, the conservatives/neocons/klan/tea baggers/GOPers/Republicans. They are the same people who declared OJ to be guilty before proven innocent, and GZ to be innocent before being arrested. Their judgment is so flawed that they thought Bush would make a fine president. Why should you care what these pathetic people think of you or any black person? They are just flat out pathetic.
4) I think you should tell you sons to be themselves, associate with those who judge them by the content of their character, to strive for all that is high and noble, to embrace high educational acheivement, and to feel a great sense of pride in being a member of a race that has endured more adversity and overcome more ignorance than any other race has ever been called upon to do. Here, there are plenty of examples of fine people who represent this view. These people don't have to be black either, they come in all races. You can start through with this great President Obama and his fine family. Contrast him with any current Conservative for a good laugh.
5) There are millions of fine people in this country. They voted for President Obama. Focus on them and tell your sons to do likewise. They still must work twice as hard to get half as much.
Revisiting this thread, I have a couple of observations.
Quote:
5) There are millions of fine people in this country. They voted for President
Obama. Focus on them and tell your sons to do likewise. They still must work twice as hard to get half as much.
This is a handy little "statistic" that gets waved around a lot. Not true, but handy.
Revisiting this thread, I have a couple of observations...
Whatever level of ignorance these problematic blacks you speak of may represent, they can't compare to the supreme ignorance of those who are racist and those who stereotype. These are the Boehners, McConnells, Cantors, Ryans, Pauls, Bachmanns, Palins, Strom Thurmonds, the Jesse Helms', Romneys, Perrys, Gingrichs, Hannitys, Limbaughs, Becks, Coulters, the conservatives/neocons/klan/tea baggers/GOPers/Republicans. They are the same people who declared OJ to be guilty before proven innocent, and GZ to be innocent before being arrested. Their judgment is so flawed...
OJ wasn't proven "innocent." The verdict returned was 'Not Guilty.' There is a significant difference.
Under the eyes of the law GZ was assumed 'innocent' before being arrested. Under the eyes of the law GZ was still assumed 'innocent' even after he was arrested. Under the eyes of the law GZ was still assumed 'innocent' up until the time the verdict was read. This due process requirement, a fundamental tenet of criminal law, forms the root of our U.S. justice system.
You talk of ignorance. I sure hope you don't have sons. Your fundamental ignorance of the U.S. justice system, and the core principle which requires the government to prove the guilt of a criminal defendant and relieves the defendant of any burden to prove his or her innocence, certainly sets a lousy example.
You are right, but good blacks don't do enough to separate themselves from the criminal element, look at the NFL. You have black athletes making big money, but they insist on hangin with the boys from the hood.
This speaks to ATHLETES, and how many hang out in hood after gaining fame? And what about the regular Black people who aren't athletes, who are professionals? Alot of Black people vote with their feet and leave crime-infested areas. That is one way to separate yourself from the criminal element, by physically removing yourself from it.
I recommend you reach out the the FBI. The source of the data, as organized by race, was released by that agency.
The FBI doesn't cause crime, it merely collects the data. And you are not getting my point. My problem is not with the data, but the way many people use the data to justify their bias and prejudice against Blacks. It is the REASON for presenting the data. The FBI is merely a collector of data. Many regular people use this data to justify their hatred. I mentioned this before. What part of that do you not get?
The FBI doesn't cause crime, it merely collects the data. And you are not getting my point. My problem is not with the data, but the way many people use the data to justify their bias and prejudice against Blacks. It is the REASON for presenting the data. The FBI is merely a collector of data. Many regular people use this data to justify their hatred. I mentioned this before. What part of that do you not get?
You don't get the point, and your assertion is fallacious. If the act of presenting/reporting crime data by race is in of itself prejudicial as you aver (which it isn't), then the FBI wouldn't present it that way. The FBI does.
I understand what you're saying. However, there's evil in every race and group. You can't judge ALL by the actions of a few. If you have 100,000 white men hooked on meth running around robbing, and stealing do you blame the other 50 million white men in the country. Do you watch all white men closely because of the 100,000 meth addicts? NO! This is what people have to learn. You are not responsible for those men that commit crimes. You're only responsible for you. You have white gangs, black gangs, Hispanic gangs...I could go on and on. You also have white, black, brown people getting up every morning to go to work, putting themselves through school and who are trying to live the "American Dream". The thing is, the news tends to highlight the Black and Hispanic criminals more.
I agree. And black males as a group are no more monolithic than any other. They do not think believe and behave the same. And those that chose to believe so would actually appear more collective in their reasoning and judgement of others.
You don't get the point, and your assertion is fallacious. If the act of presenting/reporting crime data by race is in of itself prejudicial as you aver (which it isn't), then the FBI wouldn't present it that way. The FBI does.
No, you aren't understanding what I'm talking about. I know that the FBI's intention is only for collecting and presenting information. The FBI doesn't have an agenda. There are people, however, who have an agenda. I'm specifically talking about those in this forum who present this information as a means of propping up their bigoted agenda. I've said it before. It is not the information that bothers me. It is the reason behind presenting it. It is about the REASON. The FBI doesn't have an agenda. There are people out there, however, who do have an agenda.
When I turn on the news I see a disproportionate amount of young black males committing crimes and it scares the hell out of a lot of people, black and white. I do not fear every black male I pass on the street, but I have to admit, I do wonder whether they are good or bad. I think this is just human nature to be defensive, not racist as many would have you believe and I am certain it is somewhat because of what I saw/see on the news on a nightly basis.
Well, perhaps it's because I've been judged based on the worst segment of the Black population that I have a very hard time understanding this. Crime committed by some Blacks might scare me, but then I also remember that I will be judged based on the worst of the Black population. I can't control what some criminal does. I can only control my behavior. I think like this: If I can only control my actions, I should only be judged by my actions.
No, you aren't understanding what I'm talking about. I know that the FBI's intention is only for collecting and presenting information. The FBI doesn't have an agenda. There are people, however, who have an agenda. I'm specifically talking about those in this forum who present this information as a means of propping up their bigoted agenda. I've said it before. It is not the information that bothers me. It is the reason behind presenting it. It is about the REASON. The FBI doesn't have an agenda. There are people out there, however, who do have an agenda.
To focus this debate that you find irrational and bigoted, black people represent approximately 12.5% of the US population. If you exclude black females, older men and children, you are left with just young black men, who represent maybe 3 or 4% of the total US population. Not a lot of people, yet they commit a staggering percentage of the violent crime. Conservative figures place the number at about 50%. (It may be slightly more or less in reality.) This is the hard truth that causes white people to fear and avoid black men. It does not demonstrate prejudice, it demonstrates self-preservation.
Growing up, I was given "the talk" about showing respect when confronted by law enforcement. I was also cautioned to avoid places where lots of black people gather (ex. nightclubs), because of the propensity for outbreaks of violence. That warning has protected me well.
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