On Thu, 09 Jul 2020 15:55:44 -0600, Skeeter wrote:
> That's your call. I never said that, you did. I want to know why if I
> wear a WLM shirt I am racist but it's ok to wear a BLM shirt. Simple
> question really but the hypocrites won't answer.
It's not hypocrisy at all. And I'm sure you know the answer, you're just
being intentionally obtuse about it.
For the benefit of onlookers: if you're white, then you grew up with
privilege. You may say "no I didn't", but if you weren't afraid for your
life for driving down the street after sundown in a nice neighborhood,
then you have been privileged. And a whole other list of things that you
_didn't_ have to worry about.
That doesn't mean you're at fault for anything, just that you had
advantages throughout the years in the United States. "Black Lives
Matter" is about recognizing that our fellow Americans have been
disadvantaged for a whole host of things -- and if you're honest with
yourself, this isn't a controversial idea.
So yes, all lives matter -- but when a house is on fire in a neighborhood,
you put out _that_ fire. If someone comes over and starts yelling, "my
house matters too!", they get ignored, or put in a rubber room, or
whatever.
Now, I'll agree with one thing: if a guy says "I can't breathe" while
being choked, and then dies -- well, that's a problem, no matter what
color his skin. I wrote a blog post about use of force that doesn't
mention race. "The minimum force necessary to compel compliance" is the
standard. It's just that that kind of brutality has been
disproportionately aimed at people of color. BLM has taken it upon
themselves to demonstrate against police brutality -- and believe it or
not, they are demonstrating for _your_ rights, too. I know you won't
believe it, but they are.
What makes matters worse is the disproportionate response to the
demonstrations we've seen. There are people rioting and looting, and that
makes for good news...see my previous post about how news organizations
all want you to say to yourself "my God, what is this world coming to?" --
but I digress.
Anyway, there are some bad actors trying to stir up shit. There might be
some Antifa (the anti-fascists), but population overwhelmingly responsible
for all the fires and property damage are fascists -- real fascists, not
your bullshit name-calling of Antifa.)
This includes groups like the Proud Boys, who are being deplatformed all
the way to Hell currently. It also includes the Boogaloo bois -- and if
you think all Boogs wear identifying clothing, then I think you're just
adorable.
So one very big problem in all this is the very people being demonstrated
against are the people who have the guns and the flash bangs and the tear
gas and the mobile personnel carriers. (I'm surprised they aren't using
sonic or irradiative weapons, but maybe that's not legal against U.S.
citizens in "the homeland".) They had been constantly crossing the line
in suppressing a constitutionally-protected right of demonstration.
So you have stupid crap like people getting shot with pepper bullets for
being on their own porch, which was a perfectly valid place to be during
Minneapolis' bullshit curfew. "Light 'em up!" Said the _bad apples_.
(Hmm. Sure are a lot of those -- but I digress again.) You also have
people popping smoke grenades and other ordinance at people's heads.
(That bullshit also happened during the Occupy demonstrations, it's not a
new thing.)
Oh, and how about undercover cops inciting riots? You got a problem with
that? That kind of thing goes back to the Pinkerton detectives, when
unions were striking and demonstrating for things like a 40-day work week
and collective bargaining.
Sometimes, it's the cops initiating the violence in these demonstrations.
I'm not saying they're doing all of it -- but they aren't doing _none_ of
it either. Between their goose-stepping around and the Proud Boys and
Boogaloo Bois gunning down cops (see article from Atlantic I posted
earlier), there's not much room for peace.
(I could ramble on more about this, but I got to try to medicate my cat.
We just found out she has cancer, so she'll be on medication for the rest
of her short life, probably about 2 years before she will need to head to
the rainbow bridge.)
--
-v
https://theproblemisextremism.org