"Black Lives Matter" - it's stupid. Just cut the crap.....

[Hikergirl]

 

[The Mystery Machine]

"Black Lives Matter", "Blue Lives Matter", "Purple Lives Matter", "<any descriptor> Lives Matter"....

They're all just stupid.

How about "ALL Lives Matter"?

Anything else just perpetuates disparity and violence.

Flame me if you like. I think I've had it with all the violence.

Because cops are shooting black people for no reason.

 

[kandb]

How about being stopped for being the wrong color in a white neighborhood with virtually no crime? It happens and we were told "if you don't like it you people can stay out of my town."

Or being asked during a routine traffic stop if my new car was REALLY mine, if it was legal, if I had any drugs on me and WHY was I in THAT neighborhood. Ummm Bc I freaken LIVE HERE. All while he literally had his head looking around my tires like I was transporting guns and drugs.

There are certain towns on my area that we, people of color, know not to go to. Towns that we purposefully don't drive through because it seems the cops always harass people of color. That's the world WE live in.

There's also black neighborhoods where white people know not to go to. It goes both ways, unfortunately just one side is always sensationalized in the media

 

[kandb]

Because cops are shooting black people for no reason.

Did you ever wonder why you don't hear about whites getting shot by cops? Know why, because it doesn't get the sensationalism that a "cop shooting a black person gets". A mildly retarded man(white) got shot and killed a few years back by cops where I live. The guy was unarmed and in a parking spot and got nervous and was trying to pull out of the spot. The cops shot him saying he almost "hit" them. Not one cop had a scratch on them. They shot him dead and it was in the paper for 1 day. Why wasn't that on the national news?

 

[taitai]

Black neighborhoods that whites know not to go because the police will stop them for no reason?

 

[kandb]

There are hundreds of whites killed by police every year. Do you think if you examined everyone of those cases, people would say they were "justified"? I highly doubt it but the media wouldn't get millions of people to follow the story, so they don't report on them.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I don't usually get involved in message board discussions like this but I'm just so saddened by so many events like this lately.
I understand that when people feel angry/wronged/passionate about something they want to complain/protest. I respect that because even if it's something that I disagree with I think it's important to stand for something. If done the right way then you just might sway the other side. That's a good thing because the world needs all sorts of ideas otherwise we'd all be the same and, well, that would be boring. We need to keep moving or we will just become stagnant.

That being said- I wish there would be no more protests/demonstrations. As a wise man once said- Be the change you want to see in the world. Meaning in my opinion, get involved. Help change the perception that all people of a specific group are good/bad otherwise. Educate the groups you feel are wronged. You can never have too much knowledge. Teach all people to be proud but not arrogant or aggressive. Be humble not condescending. Be kind. Teach them to be the people that they want others to be.

Racism exists in every culture. It's terrible to say but it's true. That doesn't mean though that every person in every culture is a racist. That's not even remotely true. However there is even prejudice within cultures. It is my hope that that eventually there won't be. It will take time though and fighting and protesting is not what is going to make that change. We as individuals are the ones that can make the change. If every person did their small part it would result in big change.

At this point, for me, and many I know the protests don't impart anything that teaches others except that we are all waiting for them to turn violent. That's awful to say but that's pretty much what has been happening.
Hopefully in my lifetime the change will be absolute, but as long as we keep moving in the right direction (we are all just humans) I will consider that positive.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I have been pondering your post today.
I think the difference between Black lives matter vs. let's cure cancer is that cancer isn't blaming another diease. In this case Black lives matter are saying that rasist cops are murdering black men for no reason except their skin colour, when those same cops they are blaming are 18 x more likely to die from being shot on the line of duty, which is why I think some people are countering with blue lives matter. A poster up thread shared a list of the "poster children" of black lives matter.
To give some perspective Trayveen died Feb 2012. In 2012 131 officer died in the line of duty, 2013 109, 2014 122, 2015 123, 2016 58 and counting. Now is it any wonder cops are nervous.

You are right though that just because it isn't the biggest problem doesn't mean there isn't a problem (of some sort, I personally don't think there are widespread rasist cops are the root of the issue)

See when I read this what I see is someone making it a one side vs. another. You are making it about racist cops out to murder black people. That's either misunderstanding or twisting the whole thing. When I read comments here, it seems people have this idea that if you recognize there is a problem with law enforcement and race, you are saying cops are racist and want target certain races because they are just outright racists.
That's not it. Its about recognizing there is a problem with the whole system and in a larger sense society as a whole with the way various races are viewed on a subconsious level.
I know that is definitely going to be twisted with some posters here but whatever.

 

[taitai]

Did you ever wonder why you don't hear about whites getting shot by cops? Know why, because it doesn't get the sensationalism that a "cop shooting a black person gets". A mildly retarded man(white) got shot and killed a few years back by cops where I live. The guy was unarmed and in a parking spot and got nervous and was trying to pull out of the spot. The cops shot him saying he almost "hit" them. Not one cop had a scratch on them. They shot him dead and it was in the paper for 1 day. Why wasn't that on the national news?

I don't know. What did you do to protest it and bring attention to it? What did the man's family and friends and the community do?

This isn't just about the senseless, unwarranted shootings. It is about arrests and prosecution rates and incarceration rates and sentences. All of those are orders of magnitude worse for blacks than whites for the EXACT SAME CRIMES. It is a systemic issue and needs a systemic solution.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

There's also black neighborhoods where white people know not to go to. It goes both ways, unfortunately just one side is always sensationalized in the media

a neighborhood that white people don't go to Bc they're afraid the cops will pull them over for no reason?? Do tell.

I grew up in a predominately black and Hispanic neighborhood and work there and white peopld did not and do not get stopped for no reason.

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

As someone who has been part of a Black Lives Matter protest, many people are involved because they see it as something tangible they can do to help. Obviously I can't control what the police do. I know what my own attitudes are, and I do my best to combat my own ingrained racism. Showing support for the people of color in my community was something that was important to me at the time.

I don't see any of these situations as cut and dry. It's not like the majority of the cops went out that day with the intention to kill someone. If you watch the case of Philando Castille, the cop was clearly scared. It's a dangerous job, and when you think that someone might draw a gun on you, you overreact. Maybe he wasn't trained well enough, or competent enough to be trusted with a weapon. But it's absolutely mandatory in my eyes that we begin by discussing why exactly cops are more scared when they see a black teenager selling CDs than a hardened white criminal. There is ingrained and institutionalized racism in our country, and I think if you choose to ignore it's pretty sad.

I think that this is one of those issues where it's pretty much impossible to convince the other side by chatting on an internet forum (about Disney World, no less). So perhaps we should get back to discussing the new Frozen ride.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Black neighborhoods that whites know not to go because the police will stop them for no reason?

Did I miss something. Certain areas, sadly their predominantly black neighborhoods, have heavy criminal/gang activity. It's not just white folks who avoid those areas. Don't get the "pulled over for no reason" part.

 

[mnrose]

Just an example of what some posters are trying to communicate. I had a lawyer who worked for me in suburban NJ, in a overwhelmingly white area (easily 95% white). It was a nice, upscale suburban area. Very little crime. He always left at least 15 minutes early for work to build in time to be pulled over by the cops. He was pulled over, literally, dozens of times while he worked for me for no reason whatsoever. His crime, apparently was driving an expensive foreign car in a white town. Not always the same town cops BTW....to get to work, he drove through maybe a dozen small towns. It was eye opening to me. I was never pulled over, ever. Not once. White women in expensive foreign autos were not suspected of crimes. He was. It was the first time I understood white privilege. I never even thought about the possibility of being pulled over randomly. Never happened. Happened to him all.the.time.

 

[TLSnell1981]

As someone who has been part of a Black Lives Matter protest, many people are involved because they see it as something tangible they can do to help. Obviously I can't control what the police do. I know what my own attitudes are, and I do my best to combat my own ingrained racism. Showing support for the people of color in my community was something that was important to me at the time.
.

I listened to a few of the BLM protester interviews last night. Why do they block streets and bridges? Why do the want to close businesses? Why do they threaten to burn buildings? Maybe, they are a very small minority of the demonstrators? There are a couple of causes that I'm quite passionate about. Although, I've never felt the need or desire to disrupt and/or destroy other folks lives, force business closures or destroy buildings. . Actually, it turns me off.....doesn't generate sympathy, compassion or understanding. I honestly don't get it.

There are large numbers of irate and agitated folks involved in this movement. You only need a few to make things go very wrong. You are also creating potentially dangerous situations and opportunities for the extreme wackos, such as the sniper incident...made it very easy for him.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I listened to a few of the BLM protester interviews last night. Why do they block streets and bridges? Why do the want to close businesses? Why do they threaten to burn buildings? Maybe, they are a very small minority of the demonstrators? There are a couple of causes that I'm quite passionate about. Although, I've never felt the need or desire to disrupt and/or destroy other folks lives, force business closures or destroy buildings. . Actually, it turns me off.....doesn't generate sympathy, compassion or understanding. I honestly don't get it.

There are large numbers of irate and agitated folks involved in this movement. You only need a few to make things go very wrong. You are also creating potentially dangerous situations and opportunities for the extreme wackos, such as the sniper incident...made it very easy for him.

Honestly when I read things things this, I just see excuses to dismiss the ideas behind BLM either because you don't agree or don't want to acknowledge problems to sweep them under the rug.
Any type of issues people have are going to have the same problems you mention. We all not there are some issues that we can't really talk, about here which cause people to speak out, protest, hold marches, often passionately defend their stance, many times those issues attract extremists or are used by wackos to act out violently.
I'm sure you aren't trying to argue that people should just keep, their mouths shut and not speak out about things they feel are unjust or need to change.
Unfortunately it does sound like you are saying some people should do just that.

 

[BigAlsGal]

No lives really matter...in the grand scheme of things. Every human could be eradicated from the planet and somehow the universe would still keep expanding.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I must be really lucky to have the people around me that I do, because I thought we were all much, much further than this in the grand scheme of things.

I'm bewildered by just how wrong my assumption was.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I must be really lucky to have the people around me that I do, because I thought we were all much, much further than this in the grand scheme of things.

I'm bewildered by just how wrong my assumption was.

That's the problem with humanity. We think we matter. Take heart though. My opinion doesn't matter either.

 

[Pixie Dust ✨]

I have lost so much respect for so many people that I wish I never opened this thread.

The CB just isn't an enjoyable place to be right now, for a variety of reasons.

 

[gwynne]

I must be really lucky to have the people around me that I do, because I thought we were all much, much further than this in the grand scheme of things.

I'm bewildered by just how wrong my assumption was.

It's bewildering, but I'm not giving up hope. And I agree we should be much further along as a society.
I do feel blessed to have people near me that understand it's possible to care about more than one thing at a time.