To (some of) my white friends: the anger towards what happened in ferguson is much more about what has happened in the past, well, always in this country, many people of color do not feel that the police are here to protect and serve, that the system is fair or that they have an equal shot at the American dream. This just reinforces that feeling, irrespective of the details. If you dont believe that white privilege exists, I encourage you to put yourself in a situation where that privilege is taken away, it is a shocking realization and can really open your eyes. Now multiply that by generations. Yes, neither person in the situation reacted properly, but dont make it about just michael brown, look at the larger picture, and dont pass judgment. You dont know, dont fool yourself into thinking that you can look at the situation through your experiences and understand fully. To (some of) my black friends: I dont know what it is like, living in the USA as a black person, so I cant say what is the right way or wrong way to react. All I can say is that I try to understand and see things from other perspectives, but I will never truly understand, so I cannot pass judgment on anyone for being angry about what happened. That being said, we werent there, and while I am in no way condoning what the officer did, I can say that by and large, white people are scared of and intimidated by black people, and the officer most likely acted out of fear, not hate. I dont like seeing this used as a statement on business as usual from white America, I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, and without being part of the grand jury, we honestly cant pass judgment. I implore you to give the benefit of the doubt here too, that the members of the jury acted with their hearts and saw the evidence for what it was, and not acted racially. Maybe I am naive, but I think that people by and large would do the right thing. I wasnt there, so I cant honestly say who was in the right. The worst part about all of this is that two lives are ruined. And that the racial divide is as deep as it has been in my lifetime, and that makes me very sad. I look forward to a country where white America and black America (and Hispanic and Asian) are one and the same, and we all grow up with similar experiences. Until then, all we can do is give others the benefit of the doubt, and hope that they treat everyone fairly and equal despite color of skin, and do the same ourselves. I love you all....but just as a friend. #allpeoplematter
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 20:48:10 +0000
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