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Idiocracy

Highlander said:
Look we all want the same thing but pushing back and forth against each other is counterproductive.
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Untrue. Not everyone is on the same page here. Some people are supporting the violent repression of their fellow citizens for protesting inequality. And we have decades and decades telling us that not pushing back against that system does not fix that system.

Highlander said:
  How do you reach across a chasm of hatred (and I mean real hatred that exists between Whites and Blacks and Blacks and Whites)?
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Again, untrue. Most white and black people don't hate each other. There is common ground. The crowds protesting are multi-racial.

It takes only the most cursory research into what groups like BLM are saying to find out what they actually want. It's a better use of your time than memorizing meaningless platitudes and lamenting the lack of happy plantation stories.
 
I was thinking the other day that although it's for the wrong reasons, the insurrection act might actually be a better option than putting the police forces in front of these demonstrations. The police is the familiar symbol of oppression, and every example of overpolicing in these protests furthers and fuels the divide.

The armed forces are probably a much better representation of middle america instead of 200K a year police officers wielding military equipment that they shouldn't have. It's hard to accept the symbol of the military in the streets, but done creatively, without weapons of war, standing with the protesters instead of in a line ahead of them, with an emphasis on de-escalation instead of confrontation, I think it could be a better option that what we've seen.

Regardless, the whole response has been shameful, and although this by no means started with Trump, I firmly believe his endorsement and normalizing of discrimination and casual racism has destroyed the progress made over the last 8 years prior. Biden has been more visible and a better leader on this crisis than the sitting president. I hope that affects the polls, even if the fracture in the country won't be bridged in a single term, or even 5.
 
599896882700001700d4fd45.jpg


Most people believe they aren?t racist and that they?re doing what?s best (why do it otherwise?). We are a product of our environments whether we like it or not. A lot of people are being confronted with where they sit in the lower section of this diagram.

I?m not white but I?ve been on this chart in several places. The system is pervasive and insidious. I feel it is our responsibility, if we have the power and privilege (most of us here are cis-male), to point out and affect change over any system or behaviour we encounter that demeans and others a person for that which they cannot change.

Donald Trump has actively espoused and encouraged racist ideology and actions by government bodies (ICE, CBP, NG, Army/Navy/Air Force, regional police unions, DoJ, Congress) and citizens alike.
 
https://twitter.com/cbsnews/status/1267460927630176257
https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1267914632573775873
https://twitter.com/farmckon/status/1267918313310556161
 
Frycer14 said:
I was thinking the other day that although it's for the wrong reasons, the insurrection act might actually be a better option than putting the police forces in front of these demonstrations. The police is the familiar symbol of oppression, and every example of overpolicing in these protests furthers and fuels the divide.

The armed forces are probably a much better representation of middle america instead of 200K a year police officers wielding military equipment that they shouldn't have. It's hard to accept the symbol of the military in the streets, but done creatively, without weapons of war, standing with the protesters instead of in a line ahead of them, with an emphasis on de-escalation instead of confrontation, I think it could be a better option that what we've seen.

Regardless, the whole response has been shameful, and although this by no means started with Trump, I firmly believe his endorsement and normalizing of discrimination and casual racism has destroyed the progress made over the last 8 years prior. Biden has been more visible and a better leader on this crisis than the sitting president. I hope that affects the polls, even if the fracture in the country won't be bridged in a single term, or even 5.
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You and I both know the middle chunk of your thought is not going to happen.
 
Bender said:
You and I both know the middle chunk of your thought is not going to happen.
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You're of course right. I'm not even sure if it's even remotely feasible, let alone advisable.

I certainly hope the last part of my rambling comes to fruition though. I was watching the last John Oliver Last Week Tonight, and he took on the "mail in voter fraud" angle that Trump is clearly attempting to derail the election on. It was well done. I particularly enjoyed his characterization of Tucker Carlson as a "human boat shoe" and subsequent takedown.
 
Just dropping off some viewing and reading material for myself later today
https://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/jun/23/frontline-policing-police/

https://twitter.com/clairewillett/status/1266894029498675200
(Thread)
 
https://twitter.com/nickhamiltonla/status/1268023885665992704
This wasn?t during a protest

THE OPPOSITE end of the Policing Spectrum:
https://twitter.com/maishawty/status/1266966240087756805
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/02/police-marching-with-protesters-george-floyd-reform
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/01/what-happened-to-crime-in-camden/549542/
 
https://twitter.com/rekkhan/status/1267874984719982596

Oppression 101: when they protest, make it look like they?re violent rioters so you can control the narrative and have built in justification for the level of force you are aiming to use.

In Hong Kong where they are still fighting for democracy, protestors caught on quick:
https://twitter.com/snorlaxdoie_/status/1267458397927960578
 
https://twitter.com/NYPDShea/status/1268187062001455111

Along those lines here's a tweet from the NYPD commissioner about bricks supposedly left around by protesters. But despite all of New York's security cameras they chose to film cops taking them away, not share footage of them being left for use by dangerous criminals. Almost makes you think it's a complete crock of propagandist garbage.
 
Nik said:
Along those lines here's a tweet from the NYPD commissioner about bricks supposedly left around by protesters. But despite all of New York's security cameras they chose to film cops taking them away, not share footage of them being left for use by dangerous criminals. Almost makes you think it's a complete crock of propagandist garbage.
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@MattBinder has also pinpointed where this video was taken and noted that it's basically nowhere near any protests/events that have been happening in Brooklyn.
 
https://nypost.com/2020/06/01/looters-swipe-2-4m-worth-of-watches-from-soho-rolex-store/

Looters broke into a Soho Rolex store during rioting and stole $2.4 million worth of watches, police sources said Monday.

...

?The Rolex store is empty,? a police source said. ?They stole like $2.4 million in Rolexes.?

But the store?s spokesman said ?no watches of any kind were stolen, as there weren?t any on display in the store. There were simply windows broken and some vitrines smashed.?
Click to expand...
 
CarltonTheBear said:
@MattBinder has also pinpointed where this video was taken and noted that it's basically nowhere near any protests/events that have been happening in Brooklyn.
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/evanchill/status/1268208475148034049
https://twitter.com/mattbinder/status/1268217783193567232
https://twitter.com/ChaudhriTaimour/status/1268203831286026242
 
https://twitter.com/MilwaukeePolice/status/1268062665487892483

Here's the Milwaukee Police trying to claim someone threw a "molotov cocktail" at them.

That's a water bottle and a portable water filter gadget.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
https://twitter.com/MilwaukeePolice/status/1268062665487892483

Here's the Milwaukee Police trying to claim someone threw a "molotov cocktail" at them.

That's a water bottle and a portable water filter gadget.
Click to expand...

I think I've seen enough of this. I mean honestly this is so enraging. The cops have already arrested 11,000 people. 11,000! I have a hard time believing 11,000 people truly needed to be arrested. And how many times have we already seen that police purposely have turned off their body cams? There is so much rot here and they are emboldened by a president who is a fascist thug.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/01/trump-stands-by-while-erdogan-orders-attack-protesters/580093/

The writing was on the wall so many times before. I can't believe there wasn't more unrest for this either, and now the US is paying the price. I'll be happy to not step foot in the States again until there's some level of reconciliation.
 
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