Jeff I try I really try but I am hit with insanity every where I turn! Last night while flipping through my overpriced unnecessary cable I was bombarded with BLACK ENTERTAINMENT ONLY BLACK NETWORK & a plethora of products advertised that one might think you had to be black to consume said products. Then I realized if avoided on principle all these products I would have dirty clothes, no vehicle to drive in, un-Godly medical conditions I could not attend to and NOT A DAMN MAJOR RETAIL OUTLET TO SHOP IN!
But then while going to my once favorite channel for nostalgic movies I came across a documentary. I do like documentaries. The topic Aids in America circa 1984. It was interesting in that I lived through those days but do not recall these massive demonstrations and protests. Good old Faucci was in it as useless then as he is now. The point of the movie was well made not enough was being done to find a cure and just say no to the sexual habits within that community wasn't the answer. What I found fascinating is the planning process of the group ACT UP openly said we will do whatever it takes to make our voices heard! Storm hospitals churches etc. we are about to die anyway what do we have to lose. The January 6th insanity was a lot less planned, a lot more spontaneous and not as wide spread as the violent protests that the committee called for. And in my opinion both groups ACT UP and JAN 6th had grievances that they wanted the government and the world to hear. Maybe I am somewhat oversimplifying but both wanted more investigation more diligence and an effort made to get to the root of the problem. Don't forget the summer of RIOT LOOT STEAL KILL that was sanctioned by the left and in many cases financially supported as well. What gives the Jan 6th commission this holier than God approach that is and has been part of the American system since it's inception?
A standing ovation of one person is not necessarily heard as far away as LA, but Jake hear it well! So well written so well said. There are so many eloquent African American voices who ask the same questions as all us "racist white supremacists." Like Officer Tatum who asks why doesn't BLM stand up and scream each and every weekend in Chicago where black youth are mowed down by fellow blacks? Where is Sharpton and Jackson etc when there is a drive by and a 1 year old like Tyron Patton is killed in KC. No BLM out there screaming no Sharpton. It only matters when it's a white cop. So should we become as emotionally detached of these innocent black children that are being killed as the black leaders within the communities where this is rampant? The problem is in the community. Where are the dads? Stop blaming me for your dirty laundry. I have NO ISSUES with individuals of any race or creed who are law abiding, hard working, productive members of society. But I do have an issue that what happened in the US and all around the world some 300 years ago is somehow my fault. I can say we never owned a slave, we never mistreated a slave and being brought up in NY we never had segregated counters or water fountains. And thank God for History because people like me were taught about these unjust practices knew they were wrong. We were witness to over time and through legislation stopping these injustices from happening. When Obama became president I was not happy, but I had one hope, now we can put all this racial nonsense behind us! If you can become the president of the USA don't tell me you are being discriminated against! Instead he gave us the second continental divide, black vs white! I get the frustration that blacks experience when they are stopped. Unfortunately statistics indicate that blacks are more likely than whites to commit the crime they are being stopped for. There are vast studies on crime statistics and people who match a certain profile seem to find themselves suffering from the actions of others within their race. When Fat Old White Men start bombing buildings or committing drive-by shootings, go ahead and profile me. Will I like it? NO. Might I mouth off? PROBABLY but will I comply and not get myself shot OH HELL YEAH! Jake your articles make me run off in sixty eight directions but so much builds up and festers as I listen to the news each day. Is it just me or is it that the left, the democratic party & just stupid people continue to do the same things over and over and expect different results? Until people start cleaning up their own homes and fix the problems that are systemic within their community nothing will get better. Off the racism for one second but a news commentator this AM said is it me or am I missing something. When you hear about these shootings in America especially by disturbed young men, why is it you never see on the news a picture of a mom and dad standing in front of a normal house saying that they just don't understand it, he was a good child, normal in every way, went to church on Sunday, participated in family events played sports etc...there never is that functional household with mom and dad there to show their support! So like poverty knows no race so is it true for crime and hatred. But with education, discipline, and a moral family structure the chances of breaking the chains of poverty, crime and hatred stand a better chance.
I agree that more thoughtful conversation is needed on this any many hot-button issues. Too many discussions, actions and reactions are based on egocentric perspectives. More knowledge, empathy and good will is needed. When it comes to racism, too many people take a simplistic view, e.g., "slavery was a long time ago, I wasn't responsible for slavery, civil rights laws passed back in the 60s fixed all that, stop crying and just lift yourself up by your bootstraps". I may be wrong, but it seems to me that few people take the time to learn and understand things beyond slavery and segregation, and too few people practice empathy ("walk a mile in someone else's shoes). For example, real estate red-lining was a pervasive and documented means of preventing black people from moving into white neighborhoods that had better schools, businesses, community centers, and infrastructure that provide a sound foundation for people to improve and thrive. This practice limited the opportunities for upward mobility, and its consequences are still apparent today. When the interstate highway system was constructed in the 50s, overpasses and interchanges were intentionally routed through black neighborhoods across the country (this has been verified through research of public documents), leading to more blight and less opportunity (check out the podcast on how the Claiborne Highway destroyed the Treme neighborhood in NOLA). Education leads to knowledge and opportunity, but education is funded by property taxes. Since property values in disadvantaged neighborhoods were/are low, this became/still is a vicious cycle. These are but 2 examples of the many forms of systemic racism. Many of these structural inequities have been addressed by laws, but people's attitudes cannot be legislated, and attitudes of a significant cross section of our society continue to be a barrier to fully equal opportunity. Of course there are exceptional people in any group that rise above an uneven playing field. But that has been a slow process, that has largely been made possible by the hard work and sacrifices of outspoken advocates that irritated some folks back then, just as today's outspoken advocates irritate some folks now. With today's multimedia saturation, there are many more advocates, and some are clearly less accurate, knowledgeable, reasoned and responsible than others. But outspoken advocacy has led to clearly-needed change. Just as the playing fields were uneven for several generations, it will take several more generations for disadvantaged communities to recover and develop. I think the younger generation has more empathy and good will. My hope (maybe naive, maybe not) is that as older attitudes die out, progress will continue and racial divisions will melt away. I can dream, can't I?
Jeff I try I really try but I am hit with insanity every where I turn! Last night while flipping through my overpriced unnecessary cable I was bombarded with BLACK ENTERTAINMENT ONLY BLACK NETWORK & a plethora of products advertised that one might think you had to be black to consume said products. Then I realized if avoided on principle all these products I would have dirty clothes, no vehicle to drive in, un-Godly medical conditions I could not attend to and NOT A DAMN MAJOR RETAIL OUTLET TO SHOP IN!
But then while going to my once favorite channel for nostalgic movies I came across a documentary. I do like documentaries. The topic Aids in America circa 1984. It was interesting in that I lived through those days but do not recall these massive demonstrations and protests. Good old Faucci was in it as useless then as he is now. The point of the movie was well made not enough was being done to find a cure and just say no to the sexual habits within that community wasn't the answer. What I found fascinating is the planning process of the group ACT UP openly said we will do whatever it takes to make our voices heard! Storm hospitals churches etc. we are about to die anyway what do we have to lose. The January 6th insanity was a lot less planned, a lot more spontaneous and not as wide spread as the violent protests that the committee called for. And in my opinion both groups ACT UP and JAN 6th had grievances that they wanted the government and the world to hear. Maybe I am somewhat oversimplifying but both wanted more investigation more diligence and an effort made to get to the root of the problem. Don't forget the summer of RIOT LOOT STEAL KILL that was sanctioned by the left and in many cases financially supported as well. What gives the Jan 6th commission this holier than God approach that is and has been part of the American system since it's inception?
A standing ovation of one person is not necessarily heard as far away as LA, but Jake hear it well! So well written so well said. There are so many eloquent African American voices who ask the same questions as all us "racist white supremacists." Like Officer Tatum who asks why doesn't BLM stand up and scream each and every weekend in Chicago where black youth are mowed down by fellow blacks? Where is Sharpton and Jackson etc when there is a drive by and a 1 year old like Tyron Patton is killed in KC. No BLM out there screaming no Sharpton. It only matters when it's a white cop. So should we become as emotionally detached of these innocent black children that are being killed as the black leaders within the communities where this is rampant? The problem is in the community. Where are the dads? Stop blaming me for your dirty laundry. I have NO ISSUES with individuals of any race or creed who are law abiding, hard working, productive members of society. But I do have an issue that what happened in the US and all around the world some 300 years ago is somehow my fault. I can say we never owned a slave, we never mistreated a slave and being brought up in NY we never had segregated counters or water fountains. And thank God for History because people like me were taught about these unjust practices knew they were wrong. We were witness to over time and through legislation stopping these injustices from happening. When Obama became president I was not happy, but I had one hope, now we can put all this racial nonsense behind us! If you can become the president of the USA don't tell me you are being discriminated against! Instead he gave us the second continental divide, black vs white! I get the frustration that blacks experience when they are stopped. Unfortunately statistics indicate that blacks are more likely than whites to commit the crime they are being stopped for. There are vast studies on crime statistics and people who match a certain profile seem to find themselves suffering from the actions of others within their race. When Fat Old White Men start bombing buildings or committing drive-by shootings, go ahead and profile me. Will I like it? NO. Might I mouth off? PROBABLY but will I comply and not get myself shot OH HELL YEAH! Jake your articles make me run off in sixty eight directions but so much builds up and festers as I listen to the news each day. Is it just me or is it that the left, the democratic party & just stupid people continue to do the same things over and over and expect different results? Until people start cleaning up their own homes and fix the problems that are systemic within their community nothing will get better. Off the racism for one second but a news commentator this AM said is it me or am I missing something. When you hear about these shootings in America especially by disturbed young men, why is it you never see on the news a picture of a mom and dad standing in front of a normal house saying that they just don't understand it, he was a good child, normal in every way, went to church on Sunday, participated in family events played sports etc...there never is that functional household with mom and dad there to show their support! So like poverty knows no race so is it true for crime and hatred. But with education, discipline, and a moral family structure the chances of breaking the chains of poverty, crime and hatred stand a better chance.
I agree that more thoughtful conversation is needed on this any many hot-button issues. Too many discussions, actions and reactions are based on egocentric perspectives. More knowledge, empathy and good will is needed. When it comes to racism, too many people take a simplistic view, e.g., "slavery was a long time ago, I wasn't responsible for slavery, civil rights laws passed back in the 60s fixed all that, stop crying and just lift yourself up by your bootstraps". I may be wrong, but it seems to me that few people take the time to learn and understand things beyond slavery and segregation, and too few people practice empathy ("walk a mile in someone else's shoes). For example, real estate red-lining was a pervasive and documented means of preventing black people from moving into white neighborhoods that had better schools, businesses, community centers, and infrastructure that provide a sound foundation for people to improve and thrive. This practice limited the opportunities for upward mobility, and its consequences are still apparent today. When the interstate highway system was constructed in the 50s, overpasses and interchanges were intentionally routed through black neighborhoods across the country (this has been verified through research of public documents), leading to more blight and less opportunity (check out the podcast on how the Claiborne Highway destroyed the Treme neighborhood in NOLA). Education leads to knowledge and opportunity, but education is funded by property taxes. Since property values in disadvantaged neighborhoods were/are low, this became/still is a vicious cycle. These are but 2 examples of the many forms of systemic racism. Many of these structural inequities have been addressed by laws, but people's attitudes cannot be legislated, and attitudes of a significant cross section of our society continue to be a barrier to fully equal opportunity. Of course there are exceptional people in any group that rise above an uneven playing field. But that has been a slow process, that has largely been made possible by the hard work and sacrifices of outspoken advocates that irritated some folks back then, just as today's outspoken advocates irritate some folks now. With today's multimedia saturation, there are many more advocates, and some are clearly less accurate, knowledgeable, reasoned and responsible than others. But outspoken advocacy has led to clearly-needed change. Just as the playing fields were uneven for several generations, it will take several more generations for disadvantaged communities to recover and develop. I think the younger generation has more empathy and good will. My hope (maybe naive, maybe not) is that as older attitudes die out, progress will continue and racial divisions will melt away. I can dream, can't I?