Posted on 12/11/2016 10:29:54 AM PST by Kaslin
We are at a critical juncture in American history.
This past July, a Rasmussen poll indicated that, “For the first time in his presidency, a majority of Americans believe race relations have gotten worse under President Obama.” That was five long months ago, and today, racial tensions are even higher in the aftermath of the Trump election.
On the one hand, white supremacists, who represent the tiniest, fringe minority of white Americans, have been thrust into the mainstream spotlight as they celebrate Trump’s victory as their own (despite being denounced by the Trump campaign). Not only so, but The Intercept noted that, “Trump’s election has led to an explosion in anti-black, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim, intimidation and violence. Swastika graffiti has been reported on billboards, and in parks, public transit, and schools all across the country.”
Even if some of this data is exaggerated or inaccurate – one must read reports by the SPLC, which is one of the sources referenced here, with great care – the celebratory mood of white supremacists cannot be denied.
On the other hand, radical black Americans, also representing a tiny, fringe minority of their people, have fueled their own fires of racial hatred, calling for extreme anti-white measures, including things like urging black jurors “to scare whites by automatically acquitting African-Americans accused of murdering or raping whites, no matter what the facts.” (This proposal was put forward by Elie Mystal, a Harvard law school graduate and an editor of Above the Law.)
Not surprisingly, in today’s racially charged environment, when UC Irvine organized a forum with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, “who was planning to speak on how we can solve problems of police brutality and racial tensions,” the Black Student Union, along with Black Lives Matter, organized a protest.
The two groups “were seen holding signs to ‘kill police officers ‘and ‘Blue Lives Don’t Matter’ along with F*** The Police.
“Protesters were chanting, ‘Rise up, resist, put those killer cops in jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell!’”
Similar examples of racial hatred, both anti-black and anti-white, can easily be multiplied, along with expressions of racial hatred towards other groups (be they Hispanics or cops), and there are no signs of these tensions abating.
Adding further fuel to the fire, President Obama has stated that he “absolutely” experienced racism during his presidency, while an article on Slate claims it was not “just anger over jobs and immigration” that got Trump elected. Instead, we are told, “White voters hope Trump will restore the racial hierarchy upended by Barack Obama.”
Yes, everything is racial these days, to the point that one article made the claim that the reason Beyoncé didn’t receive a Grammy nomination for her recent country song was because the Grammy’s are racist.
What other explanation could there be? As one tweeter expressed it, “@blackvoices country enough?! Pfft nope she was snubbed because she's Black let's be real!!”
This is reminiscent of the joke about a Jewish stutterer who was rejected for a job as a radio announcer because, as he complained to a friend, “It’s because they don’t like Jews.” But of course!
Unfortunately, there are professional race-baiters who thrive on divisive, identity politics and who are more successful the more they provoke hostilities. And people of faith are not immune to their tactics.
Looking at all this through the eyes of a white American, I see groups like Black Lives Matter stirring up anger, hatred, and acrimony, exploiting things like the “Hands up! Don’t shoot!” myth to deepen national tensions.
In response, white Americans who are put off by the dangerous rhetoric of extreme Black Lives Matter groups, become further blinded to the legitimate grievances of many black Americans, including a substantial number of law-abiding blacks who are deeply frustrated by our nation’s justice system.
And so the cycle continues unless we make a determined effort to break it – and break it we must.
I suggest that:
1) We refuse to give the race-baiters the time of day. They may provoke others, but they won’t provoke us.
2) We refuse to be driven by our emotions. It’s fine to be passionate – in fact, we should be passionate about justice and truth and equity – but it’s dangerous to put emotions before rational thinking. Let’s put facts before feelings.
3) We determine to talk to each other, not past each other. After many years of interaction with Americans (and internationals) of every stripe, I have found that people who respect each other amid their differences have a much better chance of understanding each other. A little humility never hurt. Your view (or mine) is not the only view that counts.
4) We recognize our need for one another (yes, that’s right, I said “need”). To the extent America is divided, America will not be great. As Abraham Lincoln reminded our nation many years ago (quoting the words of Jesus, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” In truth, divided we really do fall; united we really do stand.
Let’s work together, then, to address genuine areas of racial and social concern while refusing to give one inch of ground to those who seek to divide us. They will lose their power if we keep them on the fringe.
I’ve had lots of experience with liberals, having gone through their routine through eight years of Bush. From now on it’s all conspiracy theories, the sky is falling, flag burning, claiming the economy is the worst in 5,000 years, every hurricane is caused by Trump, everyone is poor, WWIII is just around the corner, it’s my right to block traffic and defecate on cars while protesting, oil companies are eating children, and especially racism racism racism. There’s no reasoning with these people. They won’t listen to anyone except themselves.
They're still looking for divisions to exploit.
Look for the appearance of 'new' minorities.
Really? Do you actually listen to black Americans or are you just writing this paragraph to balance the one saying that it's a fringe minority of whites that are racist?
“Look for the appearance of ‘new’ minorities.”
I’m rooting for the Native Lesbian Eskimos! They are TOTALLY underrepresented!
*SMIRK*
I have NEVER understood the racism charges against Trump.
There have been other charges that are false, but at least I understand where the idiots got their ideas-——the racism charges make absolutely no sense.
He has said nothing derogatory towards ANY race.
.
.
I will not be lectured to about race relations by Michael Brown! Hee hee
Different Michael Brown. LOL
It may be a minority, but I'm not so sure it's tiny.
Evidently some folks think than in February 2012, race relations were just peachy. That’s when Treyvon Martin was beating a man’s head into the cement. Why? He dared ask Martin where he was going in the neighborhood late at night.
When George Zimmerman shot him in self defense, Black activists claimed this was extremely unfair. This led to protests, and the building of animosity that resulted in the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown beat a police officer. He tried to wrestle his gun away from him and was not successful in that attempt. He had left the scene, and was returning to assault (or worse) the officer again, when the officer issued commands and Brown continued toward the office with malicious intent.
In both instances, Black men had been doing something against the law. They had demonstrated they were potential threats to the life of ‘another’, one being a police officer.
Black Lives Matter sprang forth from the Brown case, when riots followed and major mayhem too place in Ferguson for days.
Around this period, from 2012 to 2114 a Black activist tactic against Whites surfaced, called the “Knock out Game”. As a result Whites were beaten initially from behind and then knocked down, kicked in the head and body. People in their 70s were targets. Some people died. It was open season on Whites.
Now this article asks us, please don’t let race divide us. As part of the presentation, the writer states that race relations were bad going into the election but are much worse now.
Side by side Black Lives Matter and White Racial groups are compared. Somehow, it doesn’t dawn on this writer that BLM has been in the streets for years now. Where are the White Racial group’s riots? Who have they killed? Where are the Blacks that have been knocked out from behind?
These tit for tat descriptions as if both sides are equally bad, are preposterous. White routinely trash White racists groups. Where are the Blacks resoundingly trashing Black racist groups? It’s comical what passes for reason, even when a Black person does try to address these issues.
They are so steeped in the misinformation, or perhaps it’s that they are simply afraid of the Blacklash if they are entirely honest, that they equate things that are not equatable.
I’m sick and tired of this double standard. The persons asking for reason are not reasoned themselves. They refuse to address head on what is going on here. White are always considered to be equal to the worst that Black folks have done. That simply is not true in this environment, and the write should say so. None the less, pushing the false narrative, he asks Whites to join in and not let race divide us.
Yes Whites, you should accept the false narrative. You should accept that you’re every bit as bad as the killers of innocent people, even though you didn’t kill innocent people. You should accept the responsibility for rioting in the streets for days, even though you didn’t instigate that.
Tell me, what is worse than beating 70 year olds and killing Whites at will?
Trump hasn’t even been sworn in yet, and yet the race baiting of Obama for the last eight full years, is something the writer seems unaware of.
Now that Obama is being blamed, (some) Blacks are being outed for what they have been up to, and White are on record with the idea they’ve had it, so have some Blacks and Hispanics, now there is a call for not letting race divide us.
One side issue that must be aired here is this. In Chicago race hasn’t been divided. Blacks are killing Blacks there in record numbers. This is all on the Obama watch, a guy that was going to heal race relations.
Spare me the big crocodile tears about race relations.
When Blacks were doing things that resulted in their deaths, nobody owned up to the fact they caused their own deaths.
No, you can’t beat someone’s head into the sidewalk and be deemed not trying to kill them.
No, you can’t beat a police officer, try to steal his gun, get away, and then try to return and finish the job, and be deemed not a threat to the officer’s life.
Pity people with a pen are not all smart enough to see the racism in the acts committed by Black people.
I guess enabling them is more important.
“And so the cycle continues unless we make a determined effort to break it – and break it we must.”
Sorry, Jack, but 99.999% of American Negroes are racist bigots who hate whites.
We will either win this fight or lose it, but we cannot talk our way out of it.
The huge majority of Blacks, and the huge majority of Whites are not racist. Most go about their lives without any feelings of hate.
The media and the left do everything in their power to find instances of racism and to blow them up all out of proportion.
No need. The past eight years of obama rule have set race relations in the US back fifty years.
Hyperbole much?
Jesus Christ: You can't impeach Him and He ain't gonna resign.
She says, "remember how we used to sit close together when we were dating? What happened?"
He looks at her and says, "I didn't move."
When it comes to race, I didn't move and I don't plan on moving.
If there is any "dividing" happening it is not because I changed.
I would say the answer is yes.
And when you start from that kind of assumption you start seeing racism everywhere.
It is ironic that he has the same mind set as the BLM group.
“Hyperbole much?”
Oh, I wish it were hyperbole.
“And when you start from that kind of assumption you start seeing racism everywhere.”
You are wrong to assume that it is an assumption.
“It is ironic that he has the same mind set as the BLM group.”
TAFFAARD, ya feeble-minded POS.
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