Derbyshire’s decades old anecdote about the theme park was silly; his tone was offensive in much of the essay.
But the sad truth is, we are often not talking about the actions of “a few.” When one third of Baltimore’s young black men are under the supervision of the criminal justice system, that is, awaiting trial, in jail, or on probation, and there are others who have never been caught or who have served their time, we are not talking about a few, a small fraction.
Granted that some of that number might be innocent and unfairly charged or convicted. Granted that some of that number might not have committed crimes against persons or property - just smoking marijuana perhaps - although that is such a small offense an over-worked criminal justice system tends to let it go.
It is not a small number, and Baltimore is not the only city with a similar fraction of young black men with criminal histories.
Which one of these is silly?
Stabbing at National Zoo During African American Family Day
Teen fights, especially among girls, force early closure of north Alabama water park
Police Shut Down Wave Country Due To Unruly Crowd
There are many others to choose from...