Pemalite said:
tsogud said:
Yeah. You're definitely part of the problem. And you need to listen and learn and come correct before you start talking about things you don't fully understand.
Being a cop is a choice, being black is not. Signing up for corrupt and racist institution and being complicit is a choice, being killed by an officer because your black isn't. Every cop who doesn't stand up and speak is complicit and enables violence. Silence is violence.
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I think the issue I have with all of this... Is that people are painting all police officers with the same coloured brush.
...And that is equally as dangerous as painting all African Americans with the same coloured brush.
Using your logic of silence is violence can be applied to any demographic, if you have a person of colour murder someone, should we label every person of colour the same? No. No we do not. That is how racism and bigotry starts and that just isn't acceptable. Ever.
Just because it's an Authority on the receiving end doesn't change that. - First responders (And I will include police in this) are typically trained to "take a step back" if they are uncomfortable with something, there isn't any shame in police officers taking a step back and not getting involved, you will not be caught in any crossfire from either side then.
tsogud said:
Why aren't you giving the same benefit of the doubt to the actual protesters? How come it's only a few bad apples when it comes to the police but all the protesters are acting in extremist ways?? And most of the lives hurt and/or lost were the protesters when the police acted with violence and instigated the peaceful protests btw.
It's not just this one officer, it's not just this one murder, it's not just this one event. It's decades long police brutality upheld by a centuries old oppressive, systematically racist form of governance that values the lives of black people less than that of white people. This hatred has woven itself into every institution in America. These protests, not the violence agitated by the police, are the manifestation of the voices of people that aren't being heard and that aren't being protected and provided for like they should.
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I would assume a large proportion of protestors aren't doing the wrong thing, could have framed my statements a little better, I have not and will not pick a side in this childish bullshit.
But from the visual representation I have seen, things are pretty extreme and the protestors and counter protestors are being extremist.
Demonstrations need to be peaceful, it needs to take the legal route.
If someone takes the low road, you take the high road.
Either side cannot be forgiven for their transgressions and those people need to be held accountable in the rule of law.
I am part of the LGBTQI community, I know very well from first hand experience what it's like to be on the receiving end of discrimination, especially as someone who was "out" when the country was very homophobic, but no way is causing violence and destruction an appropriate answer.
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Just a few comments I have in relation to some of the things you said here:
-In regards to the first part of your post, I agree that not all cops are racist and not all cops abuse their power, however, something I've said a few times in this thread, is that looking at this as an issue with individuals either being good or bad is the wrong way to go about it (imo). The issue isn't that some people choose to abuse the power that they have been given, it is that the system is built in such a way that these abuses will be both inevitable and common. That is why I try to not go down this route of "one bad apple" or "not all cops". It just isn't productive in my opinion, no matter what side of the issue that it is coming from. Now, I'll let tsogud speak for themselves, but I think their post is pretty consistent with the opinion I've expressed here. They are communicating an indictment of the system, while asking the individuals involved with that system to demand change. I think that is entirely fair, personally.
Further, there is a big difference between comparing the police system to a racial group. One is a system, while the other is not. I think as such, it is neither hypocritical nor problematic to condemn the police system and not condemn a racial group due to the actions of individuals within those groups. They are fundamentally different and as such, this comparison holds no water (imo).
-In regards to the second part, I would just like to say, that while I personally disagree with the violent and destructive behaviors of some individuals involved in these protests, I do not believe that it is my right as a white man to step in and tell those who have been the victims of systematic injustice, how they are allowed to protest.
