The Problem with Black Lives Matter

I have been told that because I am a white man that I don’t know what I’m talking about and I shouldn’t talk. Seeing how I am not racist, I understand that all suffering is unique to the individual experiencing it no matter the color of their skin, the amount of money they have, their religion, their sex or sexual preference or how smart they are perceived to be; I believe that I do have an opinion that is valid.

As a wiser person, and I like to think I am , I understand that by adopting the values or tactics of ones perceived enemy’s that I will only accomplish the goals of that enemy. So if I thought that my enemy’s goals were to separate us and their values or tactics was hate and racism and I adapt hate and racism as my values or tactics then I will accomplish the segregation and separation I believed was my enemy’s goal.

“The devil doesn’t mind who does the hating so long as the hating gets done.” ~Andrew Klavan

Practical religion… In different religions you read, forgive those that hurt you, love your enemy. As a person who has suffered at the hands of others I know that my best course of action to promote healing and equality is to let it go.

“Everyone is in favor of forgiveness until there is something to forgive.” C. S. Lewis.

As Jedi we believe that, Where there is hatred I shall bring love; Where there is injury, pardon; I shall never seek so much to be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned…
When there is an offense made that violates a law we should act. But not everything that causes offense is a violation of law or our rights. Compassion and wisdom are paramount when dealing with people.

Have you ever met someone who might not have the highest IQ but they know how to love and they act so wise in their lives and actions then people that might have higher IQs that don’t really know how to love. This is the lesson that religion, practical religion, is showing us... a path to wisdom. A wisdom on how to interact with the soul.

If we accept each other and each person’s experiences then we can learn to coexist in a singular world that is more beautiful and wonderful.

Those are just my thoghts on it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE5o4JoyMkE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIXw7GSqS_4

Check out what Nick Cannon said about BLM.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OddPn5P1es

This is why BLM exists. Even if you do everything right, you can not only get shot, but the cop can get away with it. The NRA says nothing. The jury somehow believes the officer had a reasonable right to be afraid for his life. And he had his girlfriend and child in the car. If Philando wasn't black justice would have been served. Too bad.

Agreed, One thing I want to add, is an observation when I was instructing on fire arms on the side when I was a security guard. So, I had to work with a Police Sarge who graded my students on the range scores and I graded the Police cadets so it was a third party non-bias grade.........Anyway, the threat analysis taught is very very different.......and IMO it's a fine line but it has swayed to the point that everyone is a threat first as opposed to opposite. That mixed with inherent racial bias (overt or sub-conscious) is dangerous combination. This is no easy problem to fix either (I have no idea how we go back from here) but working towards and being aware of it together is a start. Thanks for keeping this conversation going Zealot it's important that we maintain this dialog.

"being aware of it together is a start"

But you have to be aware that those biases exist, and from what I see, a large section denies their existence.

rrhodes67 wrote: "being aware of it together is a start"

But you have to be aware that those biases exist, and from what I see, a large section denies their existence.

True, hopefully though dialog here and what we take outside these "walls" can help make us as a whole more of a whole. It is not something that will be very easy nor will the numbers start large but they will eventually grow (It is my hopes anyway).

@Kobos

I sincerely thank you for your continued participation and for sharing your thoughts and ideas.

I have to admit, even though I know institutional racism exists and I know how often law enforcement gets away with killing black people I really did think that this case was going to be different. Watching the video I just knew there was no way that this officer was going to get away with it. It seemed like even he knew, after he'd done it, that he'd made a serious and costly mistake. I was shocked at the verdict in a way I haven't been in a long time. Why? Because the victim did EVERYTHING right. Now, personally I dislike the concept of guns (as a weapon) so I don't own any (even though I have gone to the shooting range and know that they are fun to shoot), but there's nothing wrong with owning a gun. He was licensed to carry and calmly informed the officer he had one. That didn't matter. His girlfriend was in the car. That didn't matter. He had a clean criminal record. That didn't matter. His kid was in the back seat. That didn't matter. This guy had absolutely ZERO reason to shoot the officer so the threat should have been ZERO. But for some reason, being black (because what else could it have been?), made he him so dangerous and unpredictable, that even though he was stopped for having a tail light out, there was a chance that he would go.... what.. feral? What is it about him that an officer would be willing to shoot first and ask questions later in this situation?

If it wasn't for activists we really wouldn't know about these cases like we do. Black people would simply keep getting reinforced the idea their lives don't matter to a lot of white people and the level of fear of the police in the black community would keep increasing. Black people already distrust the police and therefore don't help them when it comes to fighting crime. Because why would I involve the police when that would put my own life in danger. Amazingly enough, in some instances people who have called the police end up getting shot. There are people who feel that the media shows these things and black people react by thinking racism is a bigger problem than it is. This isn't true. It is when it ISN'T shown and isn't shown for what it is that Black people see America HIDING its racism problem. And why do you hide something? Because you don't want to deal with it and because you want to hold on to it.

And I understand why many whites don't want to talk about it. They feel like it isn't an issue because it's not their issue; because they aren't personally racist. That's understandable. But by having that conversation we normalize those who aren't racist as opposed to allowing the racists to believe they are the silent majority. Because how could they be racist unless there were certain ideas in their heads; ideas reinforced by other whites and never challenged because those ideas are never exposed or discussed with someone who has the knowledge, will, and testicular fortitude to challenge them? If every reason for racism, like every reason for terrorism, could be pushed into the public domain, the public spotlight, and have experts discuss them, break them down, and remove all traces of ignorance.... then we'd have more progress and might potentially get closer to seeing an end to it entirely.

How? Because racism is like a religion. It is a commonly held belief that benefits from group think. The biggest threat to religion is knowledge. So therefore, ways that we can bring awareness, not only to racial issues and the fact that they exist, but also educational solutions, would really benefit all of us and help make the whole world better.

I think there should be a class in elementary school that teaches the core concepts of what we want America to be:
Freedom & Choice
Equality
Health & Wellness
Diversity
Anti-Sexism
Anti-Hate
Religious Freedom
Tolerance
Etc.



If racists don't want their kids to learn how to co-exist with other Americans then they can take their kids out of school. I feel like drugs and a lot of other problems in our society exist, in part, due to a lack of education and certain problems during childhood that don't get addressed.

ZealotX wrote: I think there should be a class in elementary school that teaches the core concepts of what we want America to be:
Freedom & Choice
Equality
Health & Wellness
Diversity
Anti-Sexism
Anti-Hate
Religious Freedom
Tolerance
Etc.

Very much agreed. One thing that should be taught to all children is Jane Elliots Brown Eyes/ Blue Eyes experiment. Not just the video of it, I think the children should experience what it is like to be told you are somehow less than another because of something you cannot change (this includes race, gender, sexuality).

I've put a video to the experiment below. A bit of a watch, and a bit dated, but definitly worth the watch.



Not the version I remember watching, but gets the point across. The version I remember watching did this experiment with kids over the course of a couple of days. Was a scary but amazing watch.