So this is going to be the last time I mention anything about the tragedy in Ferguson, because, despite the fact that I live in Illinois, the whole situation is just so damn mentally and emotionally exhausting that Im going to have no choice but to unfollow (not unfriend, obviously) certain friends in order to stop having so much damn negativity flood an outlet that I use to ESCAPE negativity. Im sick of generalizations. Im sick of people generalizing people of my race and my community, calling them animals and savages and, my LEAST FAVORITE, thugs, which has pretty much become a surrogate for the n-word. And lets be real, thats exactly what it is, right down to the condescending sneer of how people of a certain race and/or economical situation use it. But the thing that pisses me off the most: When people say that these riots, violence, and lootings are the result of the protesters. Fact: There is a VERY clear cut difference between the protesters and the looters. The protesters have been peaceful, for the most part. I keep reading these posts about protesters attacking white bystanders when no one wants to talk about the protesters who chased off a man who was attacking an innocent bystander on Thursday night; or the protestors who tried to block looters from entering the Ferguson Market on Friday night, and had to leave only because of the threats of being shot by some of the anarchists. However, all of the violence is being blamed on only two types of people: black people and protesters. Look, it would be intellectually dishonest to say that the looting has been done by almost exclusively blacks, but I saw very clearly that some of the people involved in the looting, specifically the liquor store from Night 1 of the violence, were WHITE. But no one pays attention to that because people only want to see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. Im guilty of the same problem, so I understand. But no matter what, saying reckless things like OH BLACKS ARE SO STUPID THEY ARE RUINING THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES FXXKING ANIMALS LOL!!11!...but Im not a racist is absolutely ridiculous. Also, saying that this is the norm for black people is amazingly ignorant. I am a VERY proud black man who was raised by a pair of incredibly loving black parents in a predominantly black community with the help of two wonderful families, both East St. Louis based, who taught me to never judge an entire race of people off the words and actions of a few ignorant members of that race. So while I have dealt with ALOT of racism in both my past AND my present, I dont let it negatively impact my view on white people because, simply put, this person is an idiot and nothing I do or say to him will change that unless he has the desire to be better. Not everyone had the love and the support system I received from my family, I would probably be doing some dangerous and reckless things as well. Environment and economical situation is gravely important in trying to understand much of whats going on right now. It doesnt make it okay...anyone who took part in the violence, burglaries, and looting should absolutely be locked up...but it is what it is. You have to open your eyes and think outside of the box: what could possibly cause someone to act the way that they do. Because, 9.8 times out of ten, given that they have almost the same genetic makeup as you do, its highly doubtful that the color of their skin has absolutely anything to do with it. Stupidity is stupidity, and it is an affliction that can affect people of all types of color, shapes, and sizes. Meanwhile, while were still talking about generalizations, it goes both ways: This may be a surprise to some of you, but Im going to share a very well kept secret amongst our community: Not ALL police officers are bad people. *GASP* *RAGE* *FAINT* There are definitely some officers who simply see it as a paycheck, and they are absolutely in the wrong career field, but most actually take their duty to the people very seriously. For every time Ive been profiled, stopped for no reason because I fit the description of a suspect in the area, stopped for walking on the side of the street with my friends in our neighborhood and threatened for no reason given, etc...Ive met good people behind that badge who would talk down someone who was acting reckless and hostile rather than taking them to jail; or some who would just strike up a conversation just to pass the time while they were on patrol, and some who have acted like legitimate heroes while in the field, taking down a man beating the shit out of his wife and taking the man to jail while offering emotional assistance to the wife. So to generalize all police officers (or white people, in general, as some people have been doing) as bad, power abusing assholes who kill innocent people is no worse than generalizing all black people as animalistic thugs who ruin every neighborhood they go to. Its the same exact bullshit. If Darren Wilson was black, people would have been pissed, absolutely...but it wouldnt have been a week or protests and violence because it would have been just another black on black shooting...with next to no press coverage...So lets carry on with our lives. Stupid. We dont know what happened. Thats all there is to it. Both sides of the story are extremely suspect. However, at that distance, there is simply no reason to shoot a man 7-10 times as has been reported almost universally. The military style of police during the first few nights as well, that was uncalled for. Arresting reporters for no reason and shooting tear gas in neighborhoods with innocent families sleeping, and any other types of intimidation...THAT is where MY problem is. If Michael Brown was a criminal, then he should be in a hospital bed getting ready for transport to a jail and awaiting trial. Not dead, in a pool of his own blood, for over five hours as his community watches. THATS what pissed the people of Ferguson off. That is NOT how his mother and stepfather should have seen his body. (By the way, the people who are saying that wasnt him in that video, cut that shit out. Hes clearly wearing the same clothes in the video that the dead body was wearing in the viral photos. Its him and he pushed a much smaller, old man around. Not to mention the confession from his friend and his friends attorney. The dude wasnt a good kid. But it still isnt a reason to be shot that many times.) So...Im done. You people can do what you want, but Im not playing into the medias game anymore. They received enough attention and ratings from me. Ill wait for the FBIs investigation to conclude. But the division that has been created by this case is just downright sad. Youre entitled to your opinion, and God bless your right to have it, but whenever you begin to make things worse with your words and actions, and you preach anything even remotely ethnocentric during this tragedy...well, youre no different than the protesters or the bad cops. Bad people are simply bad people, and race is irrelevant in that fact. Be better, People. Be better. My son deserves to inherit a world better than this, and so does yours. So be the catalyst to make that happen. #ferguson #relevantsong
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 21:19:04 +0000
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