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I've waited a good while to weigh in on the riots and violence spewing over, but here's the thread that you're probably not ready to handle:
I think we can all agree that George Floyd's murder was unjust and all the officers involved should be charged for their respective roles in what I would consider an escalation that caused a very preventable death.
The problem arises from the ensuing riots and looting. Is it wrong? Is it justified? Why? We can start by addressing the race issue that has always and will always exist in this country. I believe that people's perception of the riots are directly a race issue.
The origin of racism in humans starts in the home. Racism is a learned behavior. It's learned from parents and siblings. These ideas about race come from conversations at the dinner table, watching the news, movies, sports, etc. People we view at home as role models.
I grew up in a town that was 99% white. Being half black in an area like that, you could say I have a good understanding of how all this works. Generally, people I grew up around didn't know anyone black outside of my family members, or myself.
I'm not gaslighting my hometown or anyone there, and I love where I grew up, but there was certainly a good amount of racism that took place during my childhood. There were different types of racists as well. There were hate monger traditionalists.
There were "I'm not racist, I've got 4 black tires and a color TV" types, and there were ones who thought they weren't, but their true colors shown in moments of anger or distress. I won't name anyone, because that's not important, but most people know where they lie.
There are many members of the community who treated me with love, respect, and never made me feel any different, but others who made it clear that I was inferior. I started noticing the differences at a young age. It starts with kids noticing your skin looks different.
Next you notice how some teachers blame you for distractions in class when you're not talking. From there, it's being accused first when someone is missing something. It's being the only one to get punished when all your friends are doing something wrong too.
As you get older, it's getting followed in stores, and being gawked at by the entire class anytime slavery or civil rights comes up in a History class. It's girls telling you that you can't meet their parents because "momma and daddy don't believe in that".
There's plenty worse than any of that, but the point is, there was a lot of hostility from a bunch of people who don't know any black people but me. Although I never felt different on the inside, these folk made sure I knew I was black everyday, and knew it wasn't ok with them.
So the question is, where does these people's perception of black people come from? Start with movies and TV. Blacks are generally shown as criminals and aggressive villains. Black people are depicted as lazy, unintelligent, and helplessly in need of a white savior.
Next is news media. National news loves sensationalizing crime and violence as well as highlighting and profiting off of misery. In urban areas, they particularly highlight the crimes committed by minorities. This is typical of any media outlet.
Sports is last. With Black people being perceived as lazy and unintelligent by other media, it allows Whites to justify beliefs that black athletes rely on talent alone and don't have the required intellect for the "smarter" skill positions.
So now we get back to the riots. Why is it that when College Park gets destroyed by predominately white people after Joe Paterno got fired that no one really says much. In 1990 Detroit is burned down because the Pistons won the championship, but things just got wild..
I'm against rioting and looting of any kind, but why it it that when it's because of a police murder it's "animals and thugs", but when it's about fucking sports, it's "drunks and people who got a little out of hand"? Why is it any different? RACE
Why must every issue be so fueled by what race someone is? In 2020, why does race still mean so much? I guess for me it's always been a little easier. I've never had a problem identifying myself, it's just that others have a problem identifying me.
I am an American. I like baseball, motorcycles, guns, beer, and country music, but why is it never that simple? The color of my skin always comes up. That's what people refuse to acknowledge. Liking certain things is too often contributed to race.
The fact is, I'm a product of where I was raised, not what I look like. We ALL are. My skin color doesn't determine any hobby or interest I have. Where I come from does. The point I'm trying to make is that we've got to stop letting the media make up our minds about people.
If you want to prevent another George Floyd from happening, here's my advice: No matter if you're Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc. Go out today and talk to someone different than you. Learn about someone different than you. Become friends with someone different
Care about someone different. Love someone different than you. Don't be afraid! Talking, befriending, and loving someone different than you will do more for this country than any tweet or Instagram post could ever do. If you really want to see a change in our culture,
Open up your heart and Love your neighbor. Teach your children the same way. Love can be a learned behavior too.
