A Navy Veteran’s perspective on racism

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I’m wondering if having police offers who are members of the same race or ethnic group be the majority of the officers in a particular area. I also think that those same officers should be required to actually live in the assigned area neighborhoods. That way they could establish a good comfortable rapport with the people. Put the cops back on the beat, have them walking the streets and neighborhoods so that they know everyone and everyone knows them. People naturally want to associate with others they’re most comfortable with right? Is that racist? No. It’s natural and should be acknowledged and accepted. Same goes for teachers. They too should have to live in the district they teach in. Just make it a condition of employment. So easy to do.
 
That homeless guy sleeping under a tree is a human being
That meth addict begging for change is a human being
That single mother of 2 struggling to make the same pay as her male counterparts is a human being
That gay couple holding hands as they walk through the park are human beings
Maybe one day this is how we'll see and treat people instead of what their appearance is. Can you imagine a country like that?
 
azelkhntr said:
I’m wondering if having police offers who are members of the same race or ethnic group be the majority of the officers in a particular area. I also think that those same officers should be required to actually live in the assigned area neighborhoods. That way they could establish a good comfortable rapport with the people. Put the cops back on the beat, have them walking the streets and neighborhoods so that they know everyone and everyone knows them. People naturally want to associate with others they’re most comfortable with right? Is that racist? No. It’s natural and should be acknowledged and accepted. Same goes for teachers. They too should have to live in the district they teach in. Just make it a condition of employment. So easy to do.
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This is essentially the Camden model. They dissolved their police force and rebuilt it with a community policing focus. I think many precincts will need that to occur.

Edit: though I'm not sure I'd say it's easy to implement. Humans are incredibly resistant to change.
 
All racism is wrong, not just white being racist against blacks. I have black friends, hispanic friends and one native american friend and we get along just fine. That’s the way it should be. Race should never be an issue. Saying whites are racist against blacks is a racist comment to begin with. I am actually offended by that. Assuming anything based on race period is wrong. I think companies hiring a white guy over a black guy because he’s black is absolutely wrong. I think hiring a minority over a better qualified white guy to meet a percentage of minorities is wrong too. I think it’s wrong to assume anything based on race. Affirmative action has escalated racism, not helped it. I disagree with the article where it states we need to scrap our current governmental system and rewrite one for the “modern age”. I did get a lot from the writer’s perspective though. Racism sucks. Don’t assume all whites are racist, and don’t assume non-whites can’t be racist.
 
Despite the racist drable of just a limited few people on this thread, I’m humbled by the the thoughtful responses of the majority. We all seem to recognize that racial injustice exists. It needs to be acknowledged. It needs to be talked about openly. There may not be a perfect solution that completely eliminates it, but we can and should do better and find ways that we can make things better even if it means that it will never be eliminated.

I think much of our society looks to government or others for the solution. I have little faith in that approach. You can argue left leaning approaches or right leaning approaches, each with pros and cons. Neither of which provides the solution. We’ve done both. Look at the power changes, left to right to left over the past 100 years. All of them had the solution. None of them solved it. The only solution here is grass roots. We all acknowledge that we are HUMANS. No black, no white, no native, no Christian, no Muslim, no Jew. We are humans and should treat each other accordingly. Only in that will we solve this complex problem.

The good that comes out of this is that it should cause us all to do some soul searching and introspection. If it doesn’t, then I’d submit you are part of the problem. In my personal situation, I manage a large global team of people that comprise significant ethnic, cultural and gender diversity. I’ve been fortunate over my 30+ yr career to have spent vast amounts of time abroad - experience a variety of cultures, political systems and ways of life. One thing those experiences did for me was to make me appreciate what we have here in the US. Another thing it did for me was make me realize that happiness is more a product of attitude than material possession. Some of the happiest people I’ve even met didn’t have a “pot to piss in” to use and American term that takes ona whole new meaning when you meeting people in countries in Southeast Asia or Latin America who measure their income in dollars per month vs. per hour.

So I’ve always comforted myself in knowing that I understood multi-cultiurallism. That I had empathy and compassions for those less fortunate. That I was not racist. But in comforting myself, I have failed to look at the injustices in my own country, and I have failed to do my part to right the wrongs. Recent events have caused me to look at the demographic makeup of my team in the US. Unfortunately, it looks a lot like Trump’s cabinet - primarily a bunch of old white guys. They are all incredibly talented. I love them all. But have I done my part to proactively reach out to recruit people from a more diverse background? The answer is no. So I perpetuate the status quo. I AM part of the problem. My intention going forward is to be part of the solution.

About two years ago, I made a decision to actively encourage my managers to hire more “young” talent. The business I am in requires a high level of expertise, so we had traditionally focused on people with a minimum of 10 years of experience. I’ll have to say that I was a bit nervous about this because it was a risk and outside of my comfort zone. We brought in some young talent fresh out of university, and I was blown away by the positive impact they had on team dynamics. They may not have had the experience of others on the team, but they brought a level of energy and enthusiasm that challenged our “status quo” and ultimately challenged everyone else to adjust their attitudes and up their game. It was eye opening for me.

And then all of “this” happened. And now I‘m wondering if the same things are not true about other types of diversity. What if I intentionally brought on more females? More ethnic/racial diversity? What additional positive impacts could that have on my team dynamics and ultimately team productivity?

Apologies for the long diatribe, but essentially my point here is that unless we all look inside ourselves and honestly assess are we part of the problem or part of the solution, then we will continue to kick the can down the road on this issue. I’ve gone from being comfortable with knowing that I’m not a racist, to be uncomfortable with the fact that I’m not doing enough to end racism.

Thanks again to all the constructive comments from the HT community on this thread. Despite the obvious few who likely will never “get it” on this issue, you’ve all encouraged me to really think about myself and what I can do in my own life to make a difference.
 
azelkhntr said:
Lots of history to cover. You’ll have to do your own research on that. Focus on the great gains made between 1941 up to the implementation of the Great Society and the negative after effects of that. Society is polarized politically by design. The powers that be behind the curtain don’t want you to know the truth of the real political reality. I can’t think of one redeeming value under the D banner any longer. They ain’t what they used to be that’s sure. But what is.
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Wow, this is a classic strategy of division in fascism and other realms. Throw out “facts” and don’t back them up. Then when asked for resources put the work on the other. If you can find no redeeming value in the Democratic value system that’s interesting. I agree with a lot from the Democratic Party and Republican Party. Are you committed to liberty? Freedom of speech? Religion? Separation of church and state? Free markets (which neither party actually is)? I challenge you to rethink that statement. I bet you actually agree with values on both sides of this BS two party system. Don’t divide. I believe in you. Both parties actually have tons of great core values I agree with, and some I don’t. I’m striving to cooperate and not compete. We’re all in this together. This isn’t a game. This game isn’t Seahawks vs. Cowboys. Here’s a good article About what each party “stands for.”

harvardlpr.com

Harvard Law & Policy Review

harvardlpr.com harvardlpr.com
 
VikingsGuy said:
That reminds me of the Mayor in Missisippi Burning, "And I'm here to tell ya, our negroes were happy till those beatnik college kids came down here stirrin' things up."

Sorry, I am not convinced the 40s and 50s were a wonderful time for black Americans or their relationship with the police ("lots of history to cover, you'll have to do you own research on that").



tlDR; (it's far more complicated than you suggest - and it doesn't excuse a clear pattern of police misconduct)

Like all overly simplistic but plausible explanations for complex problems there is a portion of truth to this - but it is not as simple as you suggest. There are many critics of the Great Society and I am one of them - but to say that it is the primary cause of our current police behavior and routine racism endured by black Americans in 2020 is just off. And to suggest this was the purposeful intent of the Dem party is a huge over reach.

But you really should be specific if you are telling us to do our own research. Which parts of the Great Society initiative are you referring to? Voting rights for African Americans, economic assistance to all schools, health insurance for the elderly and the poor regardless of race, fair housing laws, government protection for the environment, funding for the arts, an end to discriminatory immigration policies or welfare? I assume it is welfare, but if you are against any of those other prongs of the strategy let us know.

As for the welfare portion, it was race neutral and has ended up transferring far more money to poor whites than poor blacks due to the larger pool of whites in the population. If the GS is the primary cause why are we not seeing the same police behaviors directed to whites - we got more of the money? And why aren't all poor white all voting D?

And if this is all a long term D plot, why did Clinton drive welfare reform? And a tangential question, why did Clinton and Biden partner up to adopt Nixon's Southern strategy of criminalization and prison expansion if this is all a ploy to guarantee black votes?

Thomas Sowell, a great conservative economist from Stanford's Hoover Institute (who happened to be black) was a huge critic of the Great Society, but he was not against helping the poor per se. Rather his criticism stemmed from the "how". He blames the how of the early welfare system on the fact that most conservative Rs and Ds in congress at the time wouldn't get behind giving welfare to "able bodied men" and so the laws were initially focused on women and children without a man in the home. According to Sowell, this was the biggest reason that the GS hurt families - it took the poorest Americans and gave them financial incentives to create single parent homes. And with all the additional pressures on black communities as we were trying to unwind a century of segregation the problem felt the greatest there. It was not the liberal Ds who drove this unfortunate incentive, it was the conservative Ds and Rs.

[As an aside, Sowell's Conflict of Visions trilogy are worth the read]

But Sowell does not blame GS alone, he also shows that across races a number of social changes hit at the same time - and hit poor people (black and white) the hardest. The reduction of church attendance, increase of divorce, waves of drug crisises etc. A complex set of circumstances that has worked against the poorest Americans. Add to this the effect of harsh criminalization of non-violent drug offenses and other "reforms" and we have created a bad situation for the poor. Look at what meth has done to poor white communities.

Then on top of this add the race specific challenges where poor blacks, especially poor blacks involved in relatively minor criminal behavior are much more harshly treated and we can begin to understand where we find ourselves today. Not so simple, and the "bootstraps" argument just doesn't hold water anymore.



I agree, but it is not only the Ds, and frankly for the last 4 years the Rs have been much more aggressive and successful in this arena. It is going to be the downfall of this great experiment if both sides don't take a hard look in the mirror.

I just finished reading "Why we're polarized". The author lays out a fairly interesting case on how our current system and society drives us to this natural result. For the first 8 chapters he does a decent job of laying blame all around. Sadly in the 9th chapter he dedicates one full chapter to why Republicans are evil. In the 10th and final chapter he got off his soap box and offered some next steps - still left of center but the obnoxious tone of the 9th chapter was gone. It's worth a read.
Click to expand...

Well said. Makes me want to research and learn.
 
@JLS I am sorry to hear that as a fellow sportsman you have been treated with such a lack of respect when in the field. It is a shame that hate exists in the world and worse yet it is learned. We as human beings don't get our ideals from space aliens or genetic encoding. It is taught to us, most likely by our parents.

This being the case we can change and that includes everyone. I found Malcolm X myself to be an inspiration and yes I am a white man. His pilgrimage to Mecca taught him that the racism he saw in the United States was an American issue. Seeing people of every color showing love and gratitude towards each other can do that.

We can change and must. Obviously it can't happen overnight and it may be a painful process but it can change.

As sportsmen we should have an appreciation of the diversity in nature and if we do, well we should damn well appreciate the diversity in the human race.

I have introduced my girlfriend, the love of my life, a woman I would gladly give my life to save, to hunting. She is black and when we are out in the wilderness enjoying the beauty that God or evolution or whatever has provided for us and someone that is not a sportsman but a poser that can't value the diverse world we live in threatens her, well, she won't face hate alone.

So JLS keep fishing and if we ever are fishing the same stretch of water or hunting the same area of beautiful land and you find yourself face to face with hate, I will do what I can to make sure you don't face it alone.
 
Kensley said:
Lets get to something constructive with our forum. What can we do within the hunting community to improve ourselves in the discrimination matter. I think right now the hunting community is better then it ever was, but we could do things to make it better. Maybe organizing wild game cookouts within our community's, Or more public donation of wild game pantrys around the country. Maybe community clean ups organized by hunting communitys. Idk but I think its a good opprotunity to organize something that goes out of our way to interact with people who may not have or know anybody within the hunting community.
Click to expand...

Love it. Cooperate, not competition. We are in this together.
 
@JLS just gets negative comments in the field because he is a lousy shot and his dog is way better looking than him.

He probably does deserve sympathy, but I don’t think we should have to be the ones to change in order to give it to him.
#hestoowhite #truthaintbigotry
 
JLS said:
Yeah, that's not easy to swallow. I was thinking about some of your earlier musings. I don't think any of us need to feel guilty unless you continue to express racist values and/or speech. I don't feel guilty. I grew up in a middle class white suburbia household. I frequently used racist terms, because that's what I heard my family use so I thought it was okay and normal. When I went to college and became integrated with different races, I learned differently and I did things differently. We emphasize equality for all in our house.

This thread has been interesting. It's brought out the best and the worst. It's brought out examples of opinions from black people that align with individual viewpoints, and invokes the title "What the left doesn't....". Equality isn't political. It's not about things being conservative enough or liberal enough. It's about the fact that every person on this earth is equal and we should all strive to ensure that is the case in all facets of life.

It's highly unlikely 100 people will view our country's inequality issue(s) in the same light. We don't have to. Is Morgan Freeman correct? I don't know. He brings up some interesting viewpoints, and some well worth considering. One of my favorite football players, Champ Bailey, speaks out very vehemently about the racism in our society and the fear black people live with. They offer differing views and perspectives, and are both very fortunate in a financial sense. So who is more correct? Rob Bishop offers interesting perspectives in reference to public lands, but I sure don't want him representing my views on it. That's not to say the majority of black people view Freeman's stance in the same way.

I for the life of me can't understand why it's that hard for some people to simply acknowledge there are people in this country who feel racially oppressed, and would like all of us to work to collectively change that. It won't be changed by reciting the pledge of allegiance. It has nothing to do with your religion. It's simply about starting within yourself, and then expanding that to make discrimination an intolerable action in America. You can't climb the mountain until you acknowledge it's there.
Click to expand...

I'm literally stunned by the diatribe of JLS. Really? Are you kidding me? This is a joke right? I encourage all who read this to read it again, and again, and again.
 
My bad on that. Obviously living in a large metropolitan area and seeing what is going on where family live, it has been an interesting time. If JLS is a bad shot he can work on that. My dog is better looking than me too, so yeah I sympathize. As for being white, I have experienced racism and hate for being a white man. Granted I was in Asia at the time.
 
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