I just passed a crowd of protesters.
And when I dared to interact with them...giving them a thumbs up...I only got hateful mid-finger reactions...with threats to damage my car as i drove by.
They are upset. I get that.
They are being discriminated against.
They are suffering disproportionately from unemployment and bad health.
But too often they're forgetting that many whites and people who have "made it" of all colors are suffering from their wrath.
Perhaps we need an MLK....?
So, you had a bad experience? Did you get killed? Or arrested for nothing?
I can't feel for you. I've been on the receiving end for sixty five years.
Sorry your "thumbs-up" was not well-received. Hopefully the hateful mid-finger reactions and threats of property damage did not cause you any kind of trauma. Sounds like you managed to drive away with your life and your car intact.
"They are upset. I get that. They are being discriminated against. They are suffering disproportionately from unemployment and bad health. But too often they're forgetting that many whites and people who have "made it" of all colors are suffering from their wrath."
By shifting the focus to YOUR pain and the suffering of "many whites and people who have made it," that suggests to me, in my humble opinion, that you DON'T get it. Structural corruption and systemic racism obviously has far-reaching and long-lasting impacts on minorities and their communities. Unfortunately, we cannot escape the collateral damage that is sure to manifest when the oppressed finally revolt. Nobody is happy about that. But to focus on the collateral damage (for lack of a better term) is to miss the heart of the matter.
Here's a clue: If one cannot make the statement "Black Lives Matter" without adding a 'but' or 'and' or replacing 'black' with 'all' then that suggests to me that one doesn't care enough to prioritize the basic needs and rights of black people who simply want to live free of discrimination and specifically free of police brutality.
We have an opportunity here to make things right. But if 'many whites and people who have made it' take the position that they're the ones who are too often forgotten, then I think we're doomed. I would suggest that 'many whites and people who have made it' are suffering from the inability to introspect and recognize their own biases and silent complicity. The quicker they GET IT, the sooner we all can heal and rebuild.
Do we need an MLK? I think we ALL need to take a good, hard, long look in the mirror and commit to doing our work. We all have biases.
Unfortunately, their anger will lead to more sicknesses and death. The Us will be so far ahead of the rest of the world in not being able to manage the pandemic we will lose all respect.
The numerous gatherings all over the country this weekend show the Majority of people demonstrating are White, because nobody with half a brain thinks when the cops run out of black targets they wwon't start on everybody else! If the group you saw was heavily black, it was not a good idea to gesture, from a white person it can seem presumptuous.
He didn't do anything wrong, they were just nasty people. The race of these people was not mentioned. It doesn't matter.
Anger. People like that have something in common with Donald Trump, they thrive on division. Many of my friends went to the memorial for George Floyd at Dilworth Plaza in Philadelphia, told me they were met with hostility from other protesters. That being said everything was peaceful. And then it wasn't. Very disappointing but should've been expected. The next day hundreds of good people came out to clean up Center City. Sadly local gangs of roving thieves systematically looted in broad daylight all over the city. So sad.
"But too often they're forgetting that many whites and people who have "made it" of all colors are suffering from their wrath." And it's not just these people. The vast majority of people who are dealing with very serious problems like poverty, job loss, maybe medical like covid were NOT out there looting, committing arson and violence, but imagine it from their perspective. Now life has just been made harder for them. Where will their justice be?
@Flowerwall - Bingo. You touched on what I was feeling. Thank you for your empathy.
From what I've read - so many black-owned businesses are, in fact, suffering the worst.
Those who employ black and minority employees are suffering the worst attacks, and damage.
As I said, above; "They are upset. I get that.They are being discriminated against.
They are suffering disproportionately from unemployment and bad health."
Apparently a lot of folk don't see this.