Instatutionalized racism is a problem. Instatutionalized authoritarian brutality is a problem. They are seperate problems with a disturbing overlap. It is more likely that a minority will be brutalizes by police. It is not, however, more outrageous, or more moraly reprehensible when brutality is motivated by racism than when it isnt. It is a problem when people are made to think this sort of brutality only happens to blacks, because, 1: it makes them less likely to think change is necessary because they dont think it can happen to them if they arent black (which is false) 2: they may know it can happen to them and resent being lumped in with the perpetrators or being conidered protected from the perpetrators because they are white (wether this feeling is appropriate or not is irrelevent, becuase it is real). Lumping the two problems together as one problem serves to divide people on the issue of police brutality, by splitting them up along lines that they are already divided on, race relations. This makes opposition to authoritarian police brutality much much more difficult. Many more people would get behind a end police brutality banner than a end police brutality against blacks banner both because of racism and because of the reasons I outlined above. Making police brutality equivalent to racism in peoples minds prevents action from being taken to prevent police brutality, which would directly reduce incedents of police brutality against blacks, whites, and all others. So, people that are upset at the over focus on race in this issue, you need to understand why this is happening. The first reason is that black people are tired of being singled out and being disproportionately affected by this problem, so understand where the frustration is comming from. People who insist on portraying police brutality and racism are the same problem, you need to understand that there is a huge amount of support out there for your cause when you understand they are two problems, not one, and presenting them as the same problem by only focusing on the racial aspect of these crimes is directly harming your cause to protect black males from police. I stand by you. I want everybody protected from abuse of authority, and Im telling you the best way to accomplish your goal is with unifying rhetoric, not divisive. Lets get on the same page people, both of these problems are solvable if we try and solve them together.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:40:20 +0000
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