#BlackLivesMatter

In 1968, two US athletes, Tommy Smith and John Carlos put there arms up in protest at the class gap that was, and still is, present between blacks and caucasians in the US

For these actions both athletes were taken out of the olympics, sent home, and barred from competition

Fast forward to 2017, when Collin Kaepernick started the "Take a knee" movement in the NFL, for these actions, he was also blacklisted from ever competing again

We like to think that politics have never been a part of sports, but ironically, it almost always has been

Now, the reason I'm bringing this up is because we like to ignore things, when something isn't right it's generally easier to ignore it and both unintentionally, and intentionally, silence those who speak up against the common hum of modern discourse

I now want to bring up another comparison, one that is a little more bleak

Take the anti-lockdown protests, where individuals were pushing and shoving officers, now take that same situation and change the skin color, and tell me that the outcome would be the same

When I make this contrast, I can't say that the outcome would be the same, and that in and of itself leads to why there is an issue

Racism is still a part of modern society, minorities are treated differently than those who can be considered white

Another contrast can be compared with "the talk"

I'm sure many of my followers have had this awkward conversation with their parents, where you talk about how your body's changing, and about the birds and the bees

Unfortunately this conversation is different for many minorities

Instead of talking about how your body is changing, it's about how the world perceives you as an individual

How you can't run like the other kids, how you have to talk to police officers, and how you will be treated differently, purely based off the color of your skin

We have a problem, and we need to understand how we can help, and I wish I had the answer, but I think a lot comes from understanding what's going on at a deeper level, and maybe wrapping our heads around our own thoughts a little more

First off, racisum takes many forms, from the blatant to the subtle

Blatant racisum is pretty obvious

It's an outrage and hatred to those who are different from you, and though despicable and deplorable in every form, it often comes from a place of insecurity

Subtle racism often takes the form of fear of immigrants and others entering a country, and the fear of seemingly not knowing what they are here for, and the paranoia surrounding that

Terms like "security" and "protection" are often thrown around in this form

This fear, comes from the unfamiliar, and humans just like other animals, are instinctually hesitant and defensive when coming into contact with the unfamiliar

Giving into these feelings is how racisum is born

I will admit I have felt these feelings in the past, and sometimes still do, I feel incredibly guilty for it

So does feeling this way making us racist? A little yeah, but understanding them allows us to spot those feelings and move forward in a better direction

I want to move onto police for a quick second, and discuss how this plays into current and past events

Police have always been on the opposing side to insurrection movements, but the amount of force use on minorities has always been disproportionate to caucasian led movements

I genuinely believe that most people are good and try to be good, I know I do, we sometimes just do a really shit job of it

Non-the-less, when humans are in situations of extremely duress and pumped up on adrenaline do things that are incredibly stupid to downright lethal

Understanding how to deal with these situations takes a lot of practice and a lot of discipline

Australian police training takes 5-6 years to become a fully fledged officer of the law

In contrast, it takes only one year for a US officer to complete their training

I'm not an expert, and this is my opinion on this point

But as an engineer, 1 year of engineering school vs 6 years of engineering schools is so educationally disproportionate it's like asking a high schooler to design a rocket for NASA

My uncle also happens to be a police officer, and over time he has gotten more and more jaded

When you are constantly dealing with people at their worst, it is very understandable how some of these situations can arise

But in no way does that mean it is ok

There is a lot that needs to change and I can't do a good job of explaining it,

John Olivers segment on police accountability can do a pretty good job of explaining this in a lot more detail

I personally do not agree with many of the methods that are being used currently, but I can understand the frustration that is being felt throughout the country

Oppression based on skin color is a very real thing and pretending otherwise is idiotic at best, and racist at worst

#BlackLivesMatter