bullsnewdynasty wrote: The "movement" you're talking about is loosely defined and there's no agreement upon actual objectives other than eliminating racism, which will never happen completely given that there are bad people in every profession.
The vagueness is understandable by common people who are afraid and hurting due to these problems. It's not really understandable IMO from actual leaders of organizations, especially political organizations. I'm seeing a lot of politicians "making strong statements", "condemning injustice", and "promoting change". Not seeing a lot of legislation being drafted. This is the moment where politicians can finally put up or shut up and be replaced. Inept ass patronizers is what I predict they'll mostly prove to be. I hope I'm wrong.
I agree, the focus should be on policies and productive changes. Unfortunately that is a widespread government problem.
It's not that easy though. Police are already understaffed and underpaid, now people want to implement new regulations that will deter anyone from wanting to become a police officer if liability is increased substantially.
So the argument is- if we try to rein in the police at all, no one will want to become a cop and then we won't have a police force, and then where will be? Police force reform has been a major issue among most large urban police forces since the 60's, and we haven't seen police forces shrivel up and blow away. If someone being held liable if they apply a choke hold to someone for 9 minutes until they die is going to stop person X from joining the force, that's a good thing.
bullsnewdynasty wrote: Riots are not okay just because they've happened before. Riots will divide people and are not productive, which was my original point.
They haven't just 'happened before'. They've been part of nearly every significant social movement in this country, going back to the founders. I wish that it didn't have to be that way, but wishing doesn't make it so.
Which will continue to divide the country, because people don't think the same way you do.
Lots of people don't like riots. As in, the vast majority of the country.
From what I've been hearing and reading, while the vast majority don't like seeing the destruction and violence that's taking place, they do UNDERSTAND why it's happening.
People now have nothing to do with what happened 400 years ago. Nobody currently walking this earth was around even 100 years ago.
the black community in america is still worse off than other communities because of what happened 400 years ago. make no mistake about it. it took 250 of those years before slavery was even abolished (WHITE culture in the south hasn't gotten over it to this day, let alone the black community). it took another hundred to secure nominally equal rights. there will probably still be residual effects 400 years from NOW. MLK said that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. i see racial justice as an asymptote. not sure where we are along the curve, but we'll probably never quite get there unless unexpected and drastic measure are undertaken
unfortunately, the fight for true equality and the healing of wounds is a process that takes a long, long time. and then the scars remain as a reminder
Victim mentality and blaming white people who had nothing to do with slavery does nothing but further racial divide.
Black millionaire athletes like Kaepernick are terrible spokesmen for inequality. They are living proof that America is a land of opportunity, and the most wealthy and prosperous country on Earth.
Dresden wrote:I heard a comment on the radio today that I liked. Someone was asking if the protestors are to blame for all the destruction and violence that has erupted, and the radio host replied that really, it's our whole society that is to blame. I think that's true. You can't just blame the protestors for this. It's just as much the fault of that policeman who killed Floyd. Or his fellow officers who did nothing to prevent it. Or the police force that failed to properly discipline him the other times complaints were filed against him. Or the police union that stood behind him. Or the citizen's review board in MN that failed in their duties to oversee the police force. O the federal agency that had recommended changes be made in the MN police force, yet did nothing to follow up when their mandates were ignored. And on and on. It's the system we've been living in, and have let go on despite numerous warnings that things like this were happening. We didn't act fast enough, or strongly enough to address the problems, and as a result, we now have this on our hands.
while there's certainly blame that goes beyond the perpetrators, as individuals it's perfectly reasonable for them to be fully prosecuted for their actions. maybe some leniency in penalty could be shown based on circumstances, but even that is hard to justify
my problem is when people try to place CULTURAL blame on a large group for its problems. for example, blaming black cultural values for the high fatherless rate. culture develops organically. there are, of course, prominent cultural figures that have more sway, but it's not like the community gets together and takes a vote on how to proceed culturally. if a particular community is worse off than society at large, the root of it is always systemic inequality (unless of course we're talking about a group bound by, say, genetic abnormality). the symptoms express themselves in myriad ways that often don't seem to make sense unless you dig deeper
God help Ukraine God help those fleeing misery to come here God help the Middle East God help the climate God help US health care
AshyLarrysDiaper wrote: They haven't just 'happened before'. They've been part of nearly every significant social movement in this country, going back to the founders. I wish that it didn't have to be that way, but wishing doesn't make it so.
Which will continue to divide the country, because people don't think the same way you do.
Lots of people don't like riots. As in, the vast majority of the country.
From what I've been hearing and reading, while the vast majority don't like seeing the destruction and violence that's taking place, they do UNDERSTAND why it's happening.
Yeah, people decided to honor Floyd by breaking into Nike and stealing a bunch of clothes, in the middle of ruining downtown Chicago.
By equivocating in denouncing this garbage, you are destroying any kind of goodwill or bipartisan solution. This country is a house divided if we can't even call out criminal activity for what it is.
Dominater wrote:People now have nothing to do with what happened 400 years ago. Nobody currently walking this earth was around even 100 years ago.
the black community in america is still worse off than other communities because of what happened 400 years ago. make no mistake about it. it took 250 of those years before slavery was even abolished (WHITE culture in the south hasn't gotten over it to this day, let alone the black community). it took another hundred to secure nominally equal rights. there will probably still be residual effects 400 years from NOW. MLK said that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. i see racial justice as an asymptote. not sure where we are along the curve, but we'll probably never quite get there unless unexpected and drastic measure are undertaken
unfortunately, the fight for true equality and the healing of wounds is a process that takes a long, long time. and then the scars remain as a reminder
Victim mentality and blaming white people who had nothing to do with slavery does nothing but further racial divide.
did i say anything about blaming white people today for slavery? no, i didn't. the pretty transparent point i was making is that, yes, the actions of white people even centuries ago can cause residual effects even today
but if you ask me whether people who continue to fly confederate flags deserve some blame for continuing racial inequality, my answer is hell yes. because if THEY can't let go of what happened 150 years ago, nobody can reasonably expect the black community to "get over it"
Black millionaire athletes like Kaepernick are terrible spokesmen for inequality.
that makes no damn sense. if privileged white people weren't spokespeople for inequality, slavery would still exist. if privileged men didn't speak out on behalf of women, women still wouldn't have the right to vote. it is NECESSARY for the privileged class to speak out in order for change to be affected. the alternative is violent revolution in which the non-privileged actively take what they are owed
you're suggesting that if a person comes into some money, they should immediately stop speaking their mind. which is preposterous and maybe even irresponsible. colin kaepernick's thought process is not "well, now that i have my first big nfl contract, i shouldn't speak for others (or even about what i myself have been through) anymore." nor should it be. what's more, famous people have an exponentially larger ability to affect change than some kid in the ghetto does. if they see that as a responsibility to speak on behalf of that kid, that's admirable in my book
the strong majority of wealthy black athletes are intimately familiar with society's inequities. including extended family members that are STILL living it. coming into money does not cause amnesia. nor does it justify detached ignorance
bruce springsteen's career would not be nearly as important if he didn't write empathetic songs channeling people whose lives he has not personally led. telling him not to write those songs because he's wealthy doesn't make any sense either
God help Ukraine God help those fleeing misery to come here God help the Middle East God help the climate God help US health care
AshyLarrysDiaper wrote:Jesus. Trump just announced he's deploying the military to NYC, CHI, DC, ATL, Minneapolis and LA, apparently.
As he held a bible upside in front of a church. Told you all he was going to do was flare things up, not calm them down. It's a who has the bigger you know what contest to him.
I'm surprised the court docs of him and child rape haven't made a bigger circulation along with his SSN being posted all by the hack group Anonymous.
2018C3 wrote:This riot stuff is idiotic. I live in the suburbs, and just drove to four different grocery stores in three different local towns in the Naperville area and they were all closed. It looked like they were also closing the fast food places.
I just got back, and have not yet seen anything on the news.
I just heard why 2nd hand, but do not want to spread any unconfirmed rumors. If what I was told is true, it will be in the news.
What happened yesterday, was a local Best Buy was looted yesterday, so several bushiness in the surrounding area were advised to close, and police were guarding the lots. Now today I have noticed a few more business closed and payed to have the windows boarded up.
bullsnewdynasty wrote: Which will continue to divide the country, because people don't think the same way you do.
Lots of people don't like riots. As in, the vast majority of the country.
From what I've been hearing and reading, while the vast majority don't like seeing the destruction and violence that's taking place, they do UNDERSTAND why it's happening.
Yeah, people decided to honor Floyd by breaking into Nike and stealing a bunch of clothes, in the middle of ruining downtown Chicago.
nobody said that looting honors floyd. stop creating false narratives
By equivocating in denouncing this garbage, you are destroying any kind of goodwill or bipartisan solution. This country is a house divided if we can't even call out criminal activity for what it is.
again, not a single person here has not suggested that it is OK to loot and burn ****. it is not, however, difficult to both denounce and understand the legitimate anger behind some of it
God help Ukraine God help those fleeing misery to come here God help the Middle East God help the climate God help US health care
dice wrote:blackballed is a very specific term that suggests some kind of collusion, which i certainly don't think happened. it seems pretty clear that in the first year or two he simply wasn't considered a good enough player to warrant the distraction and possible boycotts that would come with having him on the roster. and at this point nobody could reasonably expect him to even play at an nfl backup level. that public workout he had a while back was clearly for show
I don't know if the league colluded not to sign him, but at the very least, I think he was not signed due to his political beliefs and actions. I don't actually have a problem with that really though because he choose to mix politics/work in a way that impacted his employer.
If it could be arbitrated completely fairly, then I think if your personal beliefs impact your firm negatively and the workforce negatively, then a company should have the right to fire you. In this case, Kaepernick damaged the NFL along with his team pretty clearly.
I agree for what he was kneeling for, and I agree that doing it at NFL games brought more attention to the issue. However, as a player, you don't get to use the NFL games as your soapbox. If he brought up the same issues on twitter, then I think it would be different.
think of the racial makeup at nba games. countless white people across america buy lebron jerseys, many of whom are indeed trump supporters. i think that a lot more people would NOT buy his merch because of his political stance than would buy it simply because of what he speaks out about
In general, I agree that's probably true. I'd guess LeBron's appeal has generally not crossed over to Trump's die hard base. I'd guess most people voting for Trump wouldn't be that offended by the comments because Trump has been one of the most polarizing presidents ever. He routinely is blasted terribly by all kinds of people. A huge portion of his voters also don't really care for him so much but just think he is better than the alternative as well.
AshyLarrysDiaper wrote: They haven't just 'happened before'. They've been part of nearly every significant social movement in this country, going back to the founders. I wish that it didn't have to be that way, but wishing doesn't make it so.
Which will continue to divide the country, because people don't think the same way you do.
Lots of people don't like riots. As in, the vast majority of the country.
From what I've been hearing and reading, while the vast majority don't like seeing the destruction and violence that's taking place, they do UNDERSTAND why it's happening.
These riots are going have undesired consequences, I have a fiend who owns a business in the area, This guy has always been anti-gun and never had the desire to own one. He called me this morning and said he has now decided to purchase one. I would not be surprised if after this gun sales go up nation wide.
What triggered this, is a friend of his fathers has a store that got looted. Also a few years ago a man walked into his store and threatened to kill him causing a commotion in the store. This happened after he asked the guys girlfriend to not allow her dog to crap in the grass on his lot which he owns and maintains (it was a re-occurring issue from someone who lived in a near by apartment behind his store). That time after the threat he called the police and they responded.
dice wrote:the black community in america is still worse off than other communities because of what happened 400 years ago. make no mistake about it. it took 250 of those years before slavery was even abolished (WHITE culture in the south hasn't gotten over it to this day, let alone the black community). it took another hundred to secure nominally equal rights. there will probably still be residual effects 400 years from NOW. MLK said that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. i see racial justice as an asymptote. not sure where we are along the curve, but we'll probably never quite get there unless unexpected and drastic measure are undertaken
unfortunately, the fight for true equality and the healing of wounds is a process that takes a long, long time. and then the scars remain as a reminder
Victim mentality and blaming white people who had nothing to do with slavery does nothing but further racial divide.
did i say anything about blaming white people today for slavery? no, i didn't. the pretty transparent point i was making is that, yes, the actions of white people even centuries ago can cause residual effects even today
but if you ask me whether people who continue to fly confederate flags deserve some blame for continuing racial inequality, my answer is hell yes. because if THEY can't let go of what happened 150 years ago, nobody can reasonably expect the black community to "get over it"
Black millionaire athletes like Kaepernick are terrible spokesmen for inequality.
that makes no damn sense. if privileged white people weren't spokespeople for inequality, slavery would still exist. if privileged men didn't speak out on behalf of women, women still wouldn't have the right to vote. it is NECESSARY for the privileged class to speak out in order for change to be affected. the alternative is violent revolution in which the non-privileged actively take what they are owed
you're suggesting that if a person comes into some money, they should immediately stop speaking their mind. which is preposterous and maybe even irresponsible. colin kaepernick's thought process is not "well, now that i have my first big nfl contract, i shouldn't speak for others (or even about what i myself have been through) anymore." nor should it be. what's more, famous people have an exponentially larger ability to affect change than some kid in the ghetto does. if they see that as a responsibility to speak on behalf of that kid, that's admirable in my book
the strong majority of wealthy black athletes are intimately familiar with society's inequities. including extended family members that are STILL living it. coming into money does not cause amnesia. nor does it justify detached ignorance
bruce springsteen's career would not be nearly as important if he didn't write empathetic songs channeling people whose lives he has not personally led. telling him not to write those songs because he's wealthy doesn't make any sense either
Kaepernick can say whatever he wants, that doesn't mean people have to agree with him.
Trying to start a conversation by bringing up slavery and basically calling a bunch of people racist is a quick way to get tuned out, because people don't like being insulted.
dice wrote:
Spoiler:
bullsnewdynasty wrote:
Dresden wrote: From what I've been hearing and reading, while the vast majority don't like seeing the destruction and violence that's taking place, they do UNDERSTAND why it's happening.
Yeah, people decided to honor Floyd by breaking into Nike and stealing a bunch of clothes, in the middle of ruining downtown Chicago.
nobody said that looting honors floyd. stop creating false narratives
By equivocating in denouncing this garbage, you are destroying any kind of goodwill or bipartisan solution. This country is a house divided if we can't even call out criminal activity for what it is.
again, not a single person here has not suggested that it is OK to loot and burn ****. it is not, however, difficult to both denounce and understand the legitimate anger behind some of it
Don't pretend that there isn't tacit sympathy for what's going on, and people who aren't outspoken in calling this out are probably the same hypocrites who said Trump supported white supremacists by equivocating.
Celebs of all stripes are falling over themselves to release statements about the killing and score points/avoid being shamed.
It's not clear why this has been pushed to the forefront of national priorities and been turned into a bellwether for moral virtue. This ranks very low on a list of causes of death as well as reasons blacks are lagging behind. A years worth of unjustified police killings of blacks may be surpassed by a weeks worth of disease spreading and violence through the protests and riots.
By lining up as sycophants for BLM, celebs are likely causing unnecessary death and, unfortunately, I suspect contributing to the re-election of Trump. Nobody else but Trump has the balls to go hard after the rioters for fear of slipping up and being accused of criticizing protesters (who themselves are likely killing people by spreading disease).
I suspect a lot of people afraid to speak up for fear of being called racist or Uncle Tom hate seeing their country burning and disease spreading over one mans death. Trump lack of fear to call out the rioters as the criminals they are probably appeals to them. Timur Kuran's work on preference falsification covers this and was very useful for understanding Trump's first election win.
In general, people are so scared of being accused of or even insinuated to be racist (or Uncle Tom) that they suspend critical reasoning and bend over backwards to show support for black causes. As a nation we've been cowed into accepting prime importance of every black grievance. I don't think this is healthy. And everything that we need to make change is finite and should be apportioned based on critical reasoning, not emotion and not shame.
bullsnewdynasty wrote: Victim mentality and blaming white people who had nothing to do with slavery does nothing but further racial divide.
did i say anything about blaming white people today for slavery? no, i didn't. the pretty transparent point i was making is that, yes, the actions of white people even centuries ago can cause residual effects even today
but if you ask me whether people who continue to fly confederate flags deserve some blame for continuing racial inequality, my answer is hell yes. because if THEY can't let go of what happened 150 years ago, nobody can reasonably expect the black community to "get over it"
Black millionaire athletes like Kaepernick are terrible spokesmen for inequality.
that makes no damn sense. if privileged white people weren't spokespeople for inequality, slavery would still exist. if privileged men didn't speak out on behalf of women, women still wouldn't have the right to vote. it is NECESSARY for the privileged class to speak out in order for change to be affected. the alternative is violent revolution in which the non-privileged actively take what they are owed
you're suggesting that if a person comes into some money, they should immediately stop speaking their mind. which is preposterous and maybe even irresponsible. colin kaepernick's thought process is not "well, now that i have my first big nfl contract, i shouldn't speak for others (or even about what i myself have been through) anymore." nor should it be. what's more, famous people have an exponentially larger ability to affect change than some kid in the ghetto does. if they see that as a responsibility to speak on behalf of that kid, that's admirable in my book
the strong majority of wealthy black athletes are intimately familiar with society's inequities. including extended family members that are STILL living it. coming into money does not cause amnesia. nor does it justify detached ignorance
bruce springsteen's career would not be nearly as important if he didn't write empathetic songs channeling people whose lives he has not personally led. telling him not to write those songs because he's wealthy doesn't make any sense either
Kaepernick can say whatever he wants, that doesn't mean people have to agree with him.
nobody suggested otherwise. strawman argument
but you're absolutely right. people are not obligated to believe that racial inequality exists in this country. but it does. and that's what kaepernick knelt for. hundreds of other players, some white, followed suit
Trying to start a conversation by bringing up slavery and basically calling a bunch of people racist is a quick way to get tuned out, because people don't like being insulted.
1) slavery is the root of all of this 2) who did i call racist? confederate flag supporters? did you take personal offense to that? you sure are inventing a lot of stuff that other people supposedly said in this thread
dice wrote:Don't pretend that there isn't tacit sympathy for what's going on, and people who aren't outspoken in calling this out are probably the same hypocrites who said Trump supported white supremacists by equivocating.
i haven't seen anything that could reasonably called sympathy for looting and rioting in this thread. maybe some people feel that, but it's foreign to me
trump pretended not to know who david duke is in order to not denounce him. there isn't any question about his equivocation. that the KKK strongly supports him is all the evidence you need
white supremacy is a fundamental, constant and pervasive force in america. rioting and looting are not. and the latter is, in some part, a symptom of the former. while unlikely, i would not be surprised at all if they find links between the charged cop in minneapolis and white supremacist groups. and no, that doesn't mean that rioting and looting are acceptable, before you pretend that i said that
looting a nike store is about the dumbest thing you can do optically if you're trying to advance black equality ("those thugs sure do love their air jordans")
God help Ukraine God help those fleeing misery to come here God help the Middle East God help the climate God help US health care
logical_art wrote:It's not clear why this has been pushed to the forefront of national priorities and been turned into a bellwether for moral virtue.
what's much more unclear is why anybody would make it a personal priority to expend so much time and effort QUESTIONING why this is a major news story. it's weird. constantly doing so suggests an agenda all its own. why the hell would anybody be so uncomfortable about a lot of attention being paid to a cop defiantly looking into a camera held by someone pleading with him to stop, then continuing the process of killing an innocent civilian? even excluding the very legitimate race conversation, why in the world would anybody expect this NOT to be a major news story?
as for why it was this particular incident that set off rioting nationwide, i would imagine that pent up feelings resulting from quarantine has something to do with it. along with the toxic national culture clash environment we find ourselves in. but mostly it is the brazenness of the act and the similarity to another national story. a black man is killed by police for no reason while pleading for his life on camera and it sets off a national movement ("i can't breathe"), then it happens AGAIN, and in an even worse manner? ho. lee. s**t.
God help Ukraine God help those fleeing misery to come here God help the Middle East God help the climate God help US health care
“The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism and we’ve seen it all before but nothing changes. That’s why these protests have been so explosive. But without leadership and an understanding of what the problem is, there will never be change. And white Americans have avoided reckoning with this problem forever because it’s been our privilege to be able to avoid it. That also has to change.
It’s unbelievable. If Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people. But he doesn’t care about bringing people together. Even now. That’s how deranged he is. It’s all about him. It’s all about what benefits him personally. It’s never about the greater good. And that’s all he’s ever been.
It’s so clear what needs to be done. We need a president to come out and say simply that ‘Black Lives Matter.’ Just say those three words. But he won’t and he can’t. He can’t because it’s more important to him to mollify the small group of followers who validate his insanity. But it’s more than just Trump. The system has to change. I’ll do whatever I can do to help because that’s what leaders do. But he can’t do anything to put us on a positive path because he’s not a leader.
It’s like what Lindsay Graham and Ted Cruz used to say when they had the courage to say it: He’s unfit. But they have chosen instead to be invisible and obsequious in the face of this carnage. In the end what we have is a fool in place of a president, while the person who really runs the country, Senator Mitch McConnell, destroys the United States for generations to come. McConnell has destroyed and degraded our judicial system. He has tried to destroy heath care. He’s destroyed the environment. He’s the master and Trump’s the stooge, and what’s funny is that Trump doesn’t even know it. Trump’s always wanted to be part of the in-group, but McConnell is an in-group of one and Trump plays the fool.
He’s not just divisive. He’s a destroyer. To be in his presence makes you die. He will eat you alive for his own purposes. I’m appalled that we have a leader who can’t say ‘Black Lives Matter.’ That’s why he hides in the White House basement. He is a coward. He creates a situation and runs away like a grade-schooler. Actually, I think it’s best to ignore him. There is nothing he can do to make this better because of who he is: a deranged idiot.
[The protests] are very necessary, but they need to be organized better. It’s frustrating. When Dr. King did a protest, you knew when to show, when to come back the next day. But if you’re just organizing protests and everyone is coming and going in every direction, it doesn’t work that way. If it was nonviolent, they knew to be nonviolent, but this is muddled. More leadership would be very welcome so these incredible mass demonstrations can’t be used by people for other means. We can limit the bad, but only if things are organized better.”
-gregg popovich, united states air force veteran
God help Ukraine God help those fleeing misery to come here God help the Middle East God help the climate God help US health care
but you're absolutely right. people are not obligated to believe that racial inequality exists in this country. but it does. and that's what kaepernick knelt for. hundreds of other players, some white, followed suit
1) slavery is the root of all of this 2) who did i call racist? confederate flag supporters? did you take personal offense to that? you sure are inventing a lot of stuff that other people supposedly said in this thread
Kaepernick's entire platform is that the US is a racist country, stop trying to hide from it and embrace it.
Anybody who brings up slavery in 2020 has a victim complex. Nobody living on this earth had anything to do with slavery. Most people's ancestors came to the United States with nothing.
The United States is the most free, prosperous country in the history of the world. It would be nice if Kaepernick showed a little appreciation after earning generational wealth. Try living in China or North Korea where protesting gets you put in prison or a labor camp.
i haven't seen anything that could reasonably called sympathy for looting and rioting in this thread. maybe some people feel that, but it's foreign to me
trump pretended not to know who david duke is in order to not denounce him. there isn't any question about his equivocation. that the KKK strongly supports him is all the evidence you need
white supremacy is a fundamental, constant and pervasive force in america. rioting and looting are not. and the latter is, in some part, a symptom of the former. while unlikely, i would not be surprised at all if they find links between the charged cop in minneapolis and white supremacist groups. and no, that doesn't mean that rioting and looting are acceptable, before you pretend that i said that
looting a nike store is about the dumbest thing you can do optically if you're trying to advance black equality ("those thugs sure do love their air jordans")
It's no different, it just doesn't suit your political point of view. And there's evidence all over the thread.
bullsnewdynasty wrote: Which will continue to divide the country, because people don't think the same way you do.
Lots of people don't like riots. As in, the vast majority of the country.
From what I've been hearing and reading, while the vast majority don't like seeing the destruction and violence that's taking place, they do UNDERSTAND why it's happening.
Yeah, people decided to honor Floyd by breaking into Nike and stealing a bunch of clothes, in the middle of ruining downtown Chicago.
By equivocating in denouncing this garbage, you are destroying any kind of goodwill or bipartisan solution. This country is a house divided if we can't even call out criminal activity for what it is.
If saying that people understand why the rioting is happening is in your mind enough to "destroy any kind of goodwill or bipartisan solution", then there wasn't much of an effort on your part (or the mindset you represent) in the first place.
dice wrote:“The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism and we’ve seen it all before but nothing changes. That’s why these protests have been so explosive. But without leadership and an understanding of what the problem is, there will never be change. And white Americans have avoided reckoning with this problem forever because it’s been our privilege to be able to avoid it. That also has to change.
It’s unbelievable. If Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people. But he doesn’t care about bringing people together. Even now. That’s how deranged he is. It’s all about him. It’s all about what benefits him personally. It’s never about the greater good. And that’s all he’s ever been.
It’s so clear what needs to be done. We need a president to come out and say simply that ‘Black Lives Matter.’ Just say those three words. But he won’t and he can’t. He can’t because it’s more important to him to mollify the small group of followers who validate his insanity. But it’s more than just Trump. The system has to change. I’ll do whatever I can do to help because that’s what leaders do. But he can’t do anything to put us on a positive path because he’s not a leader.
It’s like what Lindsay Graham and Ted Cruz used to say when they had the courage to say it: He’s unfit. But they have chosen instead to be invisible and obsequious in the face of this carnage. In the end what we have is a fool in place of a president, while the person who really runs the country, Senator Mitch McConnell, destroys the United States for generations to come. McConnell has destroyed and degraded our judicial system. He has tried to destroy heath care. He’s destroyed the environment. He’s the master and Trump’s the stooge, and what’s funny is that Trump doesn’t even know it. Trump’s always wanted to be part of the in-group, but McConnell is an in-group of one and Trump plays the fool.
He’s not just divisive. He’s a destroyer. To be in his presence makes you die. He will eat you alive for his own purposes. I’m appalled that we have a leader who can’t say ‘Black Lives Matter.’ That’s why he hides in the White House basement. He is a coward. He creates a situation and runs away like a grade-schooler. Actually, I think it’s best to ignore him. There is nothing he can do to make this better because of who he is: a deranged idiot.
[The protests] are very necessary, but they need to be organized better. It’s frustrating. When Dr. King did a protest, you knew when to show, when to come back the next day. But if you’re just organizing protests and everyone is coming and going in every direction, it doesn’t work that way. If it was nonviolent, they knew to be nonviolent, but this is muddled. More leadership would be very welcome so these incredible mass demonstrations can’t be used by people for other means. We can limit the bad, but only if things are organized better.”
-gregg popovich, united states air force veteran
Its not just Trump. Both political parties have taken extreme stances, and whether they know it or not it's their actions that are actively working towards dividing this country. Common seance has been tossed out the window.
I wish we could have more presidential candidates who are independent with the best interest of the people, and are not tied to these stupid two party Democratic / Republican ideals. These two parties constantly fighting everyday in the news is what has caused what we are seeing today.
Maybe the solution is to cut all corporate and private donations to any candidate that runs, This way any candidate could run on personal ideals.
I personally would like to see the two party system we have in place disappear, and have every government official run as independent from the lowest levels on up.
