What some people are taking from the whole Ferguson race/poverty police use of excessive force and injustices is somehow saying all white police officers are bad and must be racists. Somehow, by calling out systemic and historical forms of oppression we are challenging the notions of what is socially acceptable, and we question the current system of power and authority. We are attacking the good guys. So, by not addressing the institutional racism and making this a personal attack on cops we are suppressing/avoiding/discounting all the racism and discrimination that is still occurring by saying we are discriminating against cops. We are being reverse racist (this is not a real thing). We say we live in a post racial society even though its obviously not true. Its all bubbling beneath the surface and Ferguson may be a tipping point which allows all the growing discontent to spill all over the place - into a Its hott in herr mess! I do not discount the work good law enforcement officers do, or the dangers of their job, or the dead bodies they find on really hot days. I acknowledge and recognize that they deal with truly scary and psychotic criminals, domestic abusers, drunks, murderers, sickos, wackos, weirdos, ruffians, jerks, assholes, douchbags, biters, hitters, suicidal folks, and spitters. I have good friends, family members, and folks I love and respect who are, or were police officers, sheriffs, and other depts and branches of law enforcement & civil servants. Of course for me its obvious its not about all cops are racists, this for me is about our current system of oppression which continues to put young black men in the situation where they are being shot by cops or vigilantes instead of graduating from college. It is the negative biases and stereotypes that continue to perpetuate in our culture, to the point folks in power get away with murder. For this to change and not be an issue about race, in the future, we need to confront the real issues and change our current system. The only way that can happen is if the oppressor changes the rules or the oppressed demands for the rules to change. In the words of JFK, Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. As a white ally, you can do a lot more to help move our society towards the direction of peace, if you challenge your current belief systems and ask different questions. Like, do you really think black Americans want to keep living this way? No. They dont, and neither do I, and neither should you.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 06:08:13 +0000
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