08-26-2020, 05:58 PM
It's a very complex situation but a simple situation too.
Racism and prejudice has existed since the dawn of man all over the globe. It has always existed and it always will. It can't be talked away and it can't be legislated away. And it can't be hated away either.
The whole thing exploded with the George Floyd murder. Well, other than a lot of talk and destruction and looting of property belonging to people who had nothing to do with it, what exactly has changed that actually addresses the problem? Have politicians taken action or have they tweeted angry diatribes and gone back to their reelection campaigns? Where are all the new laws and procedures that will once and for all stop all this?
Seems to me, this is all about police departments. Extremists say get rid of police departments. That is obviously ludicrous. A society without law enforcement would be doomed. That is clearly not a solution to anything.
So, how do you change police departments? The very nature of the job means you will have a lot of the wrong kind of individuals pursuing law enforcement as a career. You get to carry a gun and have power over people. Do you really want people who are drawn by this on police forces? But, can you have enough cops without this type of individual?
How do you vet applicants in a way that will expose this aspect of someone's personality? How do you simulate the conditions, create the stress that will cause bad responses to show themselves in the field during psychological evaluations and training? It's probably next to impossible.
The public reacts to these incidents with anger and rightfully so. They want answers and they want them now and rightfully so.
But the real problem is there is no right now answer. Has Mike Brown done enough? I really don't know. But what is enough and who has done enough? Plenty of anger, plenty of words, lots of arguments, no action at all. Until it stops being nothing more than a political talking point and starts being a call to action by both sides of the political spectrum, nothing will change and the divide just keeps getting deeper and deeper. Stomping feet on this side or that side and pointing fingers or blowing shit up isn't the solution.
I don't know what the solution is but I do know that there is no solution form this side or that side. It has to be both sides coming together in the middle. I see and hear a lot of finger pointing and accusations and a helluva lot of anger. What I don't see or hear is the call for understanding and unity.
Racism and prejudice has existed since the dawn of man all over the globe. It has always existed and it always will. It can't be talked away and it can't be legislated away. And it can't be hated away either.
The whole thing exploded with the George Floyd murder. Well, other than a lot of talk and destruction and looting of property belonging to people who had nothing to do with it, what exactly has changed that actually addresses the problem? Have politicians taken action or have they tweeted angry diatribes and gone back to their reelection campaigns? Where are all the new laws and procedures that will once and for all stop all this?
Seems to me, this is all about police departments. Extremists say get rid of police departments. That is obviously ludicrous. A society without law enforcement would be doomed. That is clearly not a solution to anything.
So, how do you change police departments? The very nature of the job means you will have a lot of the wrong kind of individuals pursuing law enforcement as a career. You get to carry a gun and have power over people. Do you really want people who are drawn by this on police forces? But, can you have enough cops without this type of individual?
How do you vet applicants in a way that will expose this aspect of someone's personality? How do you simulate the conditions, create the stress that will cause bad responses to show themselves in the field during psychological evaluations and training? It's probably next to impossible.
The public reacts to these incidents with anger and rightfully so. They want answers and they want them now and rightfully so.
But the real problem is there is no right now answer. Has Mike Brown done enough? I really don't know. But what is enough and who has done enough? Plenty of anger, plenty of words, lots of arguments, no action at all. Until it stops being nothing more than a political talking point and starts being a call to action by both sides of the political spectrum, nothing will change and the divide just keeps getting deeper and deeper. Stomping feet on this side or that side and pointing fingers or blowing shit up isn't the solution.
I don't know what the solution is but I do know that there is no solution form this side or that side. It has to be both sides coming together in the middle. I see and hear a lot of finger pointing and accusations and a helluva lot of anger. What I don't see or hear is the call for understanding and unity.
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” ― Albert Einstein
http://www.reverbnation.com/leftyohio singersongwriterrocknroll
http://www.reverbnation.com/leftyohio singersongwriterrocknroll
