The President addresses the Nation

by designs 257 Replies latest social current

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  Simon

  The 'black on black' expression is in response to claims of 'white on black' crime which is what started this whole thing. Crump implied that whites were gunning down black kids and it needed to stop - which it would, if it were true The reality is that interracial violence is rarer than intraracial violence. That a minority makes up the majority of crime statistics is what concerns people.

  "Parents need to have a conversation to tell them not to run from or disrespect the cops" ... what the heck? Why don't kids know this anyway? Why don't they know to treat EVERYONE with respect?! Isn't this the heart of the problem?
• 

  wasblind

  Personally, I don't think any previous injustices ever justify the kind of sick thuggery and violence we see on the news (much of it suppressed) and I think the message that the past 'excuses' such behavior is a bad one to even hint at. All it does is perpetuate a cycle - can victims of today's black crime for instance use that to justify harsh treatment of other blacks in future? No - because it comes back to the fundamental issue:___Simon

  Previous injustices aren't as in the past as you might think

  Case and point : Thirteenth Admendment was made to make

  what was now outlawed legal again

  People who couldn't find work and caught standin' around

  were arrested and forced to hard labor.

  They now had to work freely for the man who refuse to hire them

  Fast forward to Today. people of color more often have higher jail sentences than whites

  even if it's for the same crime. One may be jailed and the others

  on short term probation or freed

  People of color are more likely to have a hard time findin'

  employment because of thier record. No Job, No chance of

  a better life

  Yes, this can make people rob , cheat and kill people of thier own race

  Let's not forget. The prison system is a business that is in need of labor

  As they say " Same mess, different day "
• 

  sammielee24

  If you subscribe to Pat Buchanan's viewpoint you must think Rush Limbaugh is the Prince of Peace.

  ---however, I never said I subscribe to his viewpoint, what I did say, was that the statistics he used in the article have been picked up in other articles in other venues left and right of the political spectrum. The stats were the interest in regards to crime within groups - sammieswife
• 

  Simon

  I don't think Americas problems are because of the color of it's commander in chief but that comment shows up the person making it. It's allowing a few to syphon off mass amounts of wealth and sell the people at the bottom down the river - white and black, they don't discriminate when it comes to profit. That is the problem.

  US foreign policy harms its standing in the world and the race issues remind people that the US is a pretty backward country when you consider what was being done to its citizens in living memory.

  Yes, lots of countries have race issues but the US does everything so much bigger and better than everyone else and was doing it openly quite recently and according to some is still doing it.

  At least now y'all can unite against the 'anti-American' ;)
• 

  Simon

  wasablind: i agree about the incarceration rate (there was a topic about US prisons recently) but the recent claims of 'injustice' seriously undermine the claims for some.

  We have to be careful with the stats and what they really tell us. Are more blacks imprisoned for certain crimes because of injustice or increased offending rates? More blacks use the stand-your-ground law as a successful defense - is that good or bad?

  One thing worth investigation is the conviction rates when there are all white vs part black juries. Again, it can be intrerpreted two ways - prejudice or reverse prejudice (ie. black guy wants to find black accused innocent just for being black). Given the recent comments and opinion of guilt or innocence based solely on color coming predominently from the black community you can appreciate why some would think that. Fear of racism is held on both sides.
• 

  designs

  The Pat Bucnanan's know exactly the nuance to use to perpetuate their form of racism. What they are loath to do is talk about the things they did as the ruling power to subjugate and marginalize multiple generations of minorities and the consequences.

  After the Civil War, within about two decades, the victory over the Indigenous Nations of the country was declared, the final war fought. Reservations, Internment camps, were set up, their culture's history erased, even a child's name was changed to a good little 'Christian' name. Crappy living conditions, poor educational opportunities and fewer job opportunites were the fate that awaited multiple generations of reservation kids. But the Buchanan's will dutifully point out the- high drop out rates and the alcohol and drug use of these races they consider inferior.
• 

  Simon

  BTW: One of the motivations for independence was a trifecta of changes that the rich landowners considered were a threat to their current and future wealth:

  Treaties with the native population not to expand beyond the Appellations (land they were eyeing)

  Removal of taxes on imported East Indian tea (competition)*

  Growing anti-slavery sentiment and movements in England

  Not the popular uprising againt tyranny ... the tyrants were the ones doing the rebelling to keep the status quo.

  The US has always put wealth ahead of people and trampled the poor underfoot. Its just been perfected.

  * caused by attempts to bail-out the East India Tea co. I guess nothing ever really changes and history just repeats.
• 

  Simon

  Remember too that concentration camps were used in the Civil war - there is a lot of evil history if you look beyond the taught propaganda history. Pictures look like something out of nazi Germany many years later.
• 

  Simon

  Incidentally, why isn't there the ongoing suspicion and hatred of Germans? They attempted far worse and far more blatent ethnic killing far more recently.

  Is it that people havent listened and brought closure? Maybe Truth and Reconcilliation hearings would be healthy. Many countries have had them but not the US with one of the worst records ...
• 

  designs

  Simon- You can see and hear just how uncomfortable people are when our President simply asks us to contemplate our history and our current society. As a country we have some time to go before a Truth and Reconciliation mea culpa, in many respects we are still at the whistling past the graveyard stage.