A common theme I see among those who disagree with the Ferguson protests goes something like, Its stupid that this gets all the medias attention and yet a white man was gunned down/a woman was raped and murdered/a child was neglected and then died and these stories get no attention! Ferguson is just the popular thing right now and thats the only reason why its getting attention. I have a few things to say about that kind of response that is not intended to shame anyone who has said it, but rather to think more critically about these issues. 1. No one is saying that those other tragic stories arent injustices. It is appropriate to bring them to light and discuss them, lament over them, protest again the type of injustice involved, and work to prevent similar instances from happening. 2. In the overwhelming majority of instances where I see the above type of response to Ferguson, these other cases of tragedy and injustice are only brought to light in order to try to discredit and dismiss the Ferguson protests. Additionally most of the people who have that type of response are not people who regularly speak out against tragedies and injustices and seem to only be doing so now to show their disagreement with the Ferguson protests/publicity. However, there are several people who disagree with the Ferguson protests and who do regularly speak out against injustices. I am merely trying to point out a trend. 3. The Ferguson protests go far beyond the personal integrity of a police officer. The Ferguson protests are trying to address systemic racial prejudices. Because such systemic injustices are experienced by so very many, it makes sense that Ferguson is a movement that is picking up momentum and has been in the spotlight more. Ferguson is merely a tipping point for many and has given people an opportunity and a platform to speak out against such injustices being practiced by those who are supposed to be enforcing justice. Certainly Ive had my fair share of inflammatory responses to people who disagree with the Ferguson protests. I dont always listen well and Im guilty of dismissing some people as ignorant or even stupid. For that I apologize. Everyone has their own ideas of justice and it is hard to find common ground with others who disagree. Anger is not uncalled for. But instead of trying to dismiss and distract from the Ferguson protests, or instead of dismissing people who agree with the Ferguson ruling, we should work towards understanding the other, listening with opening minds, and work towards solutions so that healing can begin.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 04:57:34 +0000
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