So lemme get this straight: some people are very upset about injustice
and lawlessness. So they respond by: rioting, burning, and looting.
The latest civil unrest was prompted by
the horrifying death of George Floyd, a black man who died at the hands of
rogue white cop, captured on a bystander's video, and spread around the
world. Truly, there is much in the video
to upset anyone, and the actions of the police are totally inexcusable.
Actually, it's kind of refreshing to have
something in the news NOT related to coronavirus, or Trump, or the upcoming
election, or the usual daily dose of blundering incompetence of our elected
"leaders". But I fail to
follow the logic that says that the appropriate response involves creating mobs
of lawless hoodlums out to destroy everything they can get their hands on. If peace, justice, and respect for the rights
of all is the goal, this is NOT the way to do it! The only message that sends is that black
people are mean and destructive, and thus police best just go after them and put
them all away.
This latest outburst of civil unrest is
certainly not unique. For the past several
years, we Americans have been subjected to the same thing repeatedly. Here is the usual synopsis: a person - and it's always a black person -
is killed or seriously injured at the hands of the police, or a white person. The black community screams out that the black
person was 100% innocent, and the police or white person is 100% guilty. Riots ensue, and angry black people destroy
their own community.
But wait - there's generally more to the
story. There are questions, like: What transpired before? What lead up to the initial escalation? Normally, we find out that the black
narrative is missing some key details. Typically,
we find that the victim was NOT just an innocent victim, "targeted" simply
because of their skin color. Rather, they
did something. They committed a crime,
they resisted or disobeyed, they fought back at the police, or tried to escape.
In the case of George Floyd, we do not
yet know what happened. The questions
have not yet been answered. There was some
brief mention about a counterfeit bill. But
we don't know yet whether this is true, or any of the details. And most importantly, we don't know what happened
AFTER this as-yet-unconfirmed rumor of attempted counterfeiting. So once again, the public at-large has jumped
to the conclusion that he just another innocent victim. He might be - he might not. We just don't know yet.
Furthermore, let's be clear: the cop who did this did NOT "get away
with it". He was immediately fired,
and two days later he was charged with murder.
His companions were also fired, and will probably also be charged with
murder. So far, justice IS prevailing. So again I ask: why all the protests? What do they want?
Well, here is the answer:
Protesting is fun!! Or at least, more fun than working, taking care
of your family, going to school, studying, and other acts of responsible maturity. The sad truth is that there are too many low-life,
or no-life dregs of society who live for this sort of thing. The phenomena is race-neutral, too. Remember the Occupy Wall Street movement a
few years ago? It was really just one
gigantic 24-7 party, right there in the Manhattan Business District, camping out
and singing and carrying signs night and day.
And those of us with a real life were left asking: what exactly is it they're protesting?
It's like when football star Colin Kaepernick
decided to kneel in protest during the national anthem at a ball game. What was it he was protesting? Something about racial inequality or racial
injustice or something? Granted, racial
injustice may indeed exist, but what does that have to do with the national
anthem, or with football? Besides, the
guy was getting paid, like, a boatload of money to play ball - doesn't sound
very unjust to me. The message -
assuming there even WAS a message - was totally lost in context.
But as messy, convoluted, and confusing
the Occupy Movement and the Kaepernick Movement were, at least they were peaceful. Sadly, it can and does get a lot worse. When enough no-lifes and thugs and other
human trash get together, ostensibly to "protest" something, mob rule
takes over and anything goes.
The one positive aspect of this whole affair
is that at least the police brutality WAS captured on video. In this day of easily affordable electronic
gadgets in everyone's pocket, it's harder and harder for police, or ANY scofflaw,
to "get away" with anything in public. Electronic recording devices are everywhere. Even the lawless rioters get caught on video.
So to the Black Lives Matter crowd and other
who live to protest, I say: get a
life. Go home. Hug your parents and/or your children. And please don't call me a racist. I have had many wonderful black friends and
coworkers over the years whom I have loved and admired. Thankfully, the thugs and human scum are the
minority.
The same is true of the police. Despite the occasional rogue cop, the vast
majority of them really are heroes and good guys. Definitely work to improve the system and get
rid of the bad ones. Meanwhile, respect them, and they will respect
you back.
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