Ferguson Is the Wrong Tragedy to Wake America Up [groan]

Time Magazine ^ | November 24, 2014 | Professor John McWhorter, Columbia University

[2ndDivisionVet]

For many, the main lesson of the Ferguson verdict is that Michael Brown would still be alive if he were white — that Darren Wilson’s gunshots were the spawn of the racism always just beneath the surface of the white American soul.

However, in light of what we heard last night, I feel that the Ferguson incident is instructive to America in a larger sense. The key element in the Brown-Wilson encounter was not any specific action either man took — it was the preset hostility to the cops that Brown apparently harbored. And that hostility was key because it was indeed totally justified.

The right-wing take on Brown, that he was simply a “thug,” is a know-nothing position. The question we must ask is: What is the situation that makes two young black men comfortable dismissing a police officer’s request to step aside?

These men were expressing a community-wide sense that the official keepers of order are morally bankrupt. What America owes communities like Ferguson — and black America in general — is a sincere grappling with that take on law enforcement that is so endemic in black communities nationwide. As Northwestern philosopher Charles Mills has put it, “Black citizens are still differentially vulnerable to police violence, thereby illustrating their second class citizenship.”(continued)

[nascarnation]

Between abortions and black-on-black murders, they are doing a pretty good job of reducing the number of Democrat voters.

[Cementjungle]

The reality of it all is the fact that despite all the efforts, they haven't been able to come up with any case of institutional racism they're claiming is all around us. The Zimmerman case was a big dud in that regard, and the Ferguson case only proved that thugs get themselves into trouble.

One would think that such rampant violations of civil rights and outright racism would make it easy to find cases to showcase... but they can't find a single one to hang their hats on.

[Sherman Logan]

Yes.

NYT didn’t much like it.

http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/11/26/reviews/001126.26dentlt.html

I found the review fascinating. It castigates McWhorter for not providing sufficient evidence for his contention of black anti-intellectualism, but then chooses not to provide evidence to the contrary. Probably because it doesn’t exist.

[Sherman Logan]

I have noticed that when black people are crossing the road and I stop to let them pass, they often slow down and sort of swagger, presumably as a way to show their contempt for my courtesy.

I, on the other hand, always get out of someone’s way as quickly as I can, as a matter of common courtesy. And I don’t care in the least what color they might be.

[imardmd1]

Perhaps if you read through the main article, and see that my post was in response to Post #1 asking for comments on the article, it would seem less idiotic and make more sense to you.

As one facet, I was sort of pointing out that here on FR we seem to have developed a segment of observers whose comments demonstrate a persisent prejudice against law enforcement officers, especially if the cop feels he has to terminate the life of a dog who is out of the owner's control and is attacking the officer; rather than presuming that the policeman is presumed to be operating to the benefit of the community and is not to be hindered from it--that he is not a criminal in a blue suit with a badge, as some infer here.

My tongue-in-cheek quote of old W. C. Fields servd to underscore the point.

Are you getting this now, or do you need a course in how to read between the lines? (*No snideness required or desired --)

[imardmd1]

. . . they often slow down and sort of swagger, presumably as a way to show their contempt for my courtesy.

This is showing up a lot these days, a sort of perversion of Ghandi's "passive resistance" to demonstrate their control of the pace of the interaction. This is called "an attitude," isn't it? It is kind of irritating, which is the object of the occurrence, to determinedly incite exasperation and anger on the recipient and hilarity on the part of the perpetrator.

The other manifestation is to sort of ignore you, to suggest that you are not recognized as even being worthy to be concerned about.

[wintertime]

Something that used to happen in Philadelphia to the graduate students in the health studies was having a driver of a car gun the engine and speed toward the students who were crossing the street. The drivers and passengers thought it was great fun to see the white students sprint in fear.

I knew of several white students and employees who were brutally mugged. A physician at the hospital was stabbed and barely managed to live.

I am soooooo glad to be out of there and living in a nearly 100% white county.

[wintertime]

Why am I not surprised that this article was posted by you.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Is there some part of your brain that thinks I give a rodent’s posterior what you think of my article selection?