GregPersons

"Supposed to" is not the world, though. Actually, there are people protesting to "defund education" — Republican lawmakers. They just don't call it that. They call it "tax cuts." What if we tried swapping Police and Education budgets? Imagine!

Racism isn't a new problem. I dunno about you, but I've done plenty of sweet talking to racists to gently get them to understand. Have you ever seen that work? Nobody is going to admit they are wrong to me. Nobody ever admits they're wrong. It's an American trait. We're always right. Always. And if we seem contradictory, that's just fake news. But, it's like the acceptance of gay marriage. People were very homophobic in public. Now, quite a bit less. Racism is more deeply ingrained into America than that. Over the generations, the racism has shrunk, a bit. But again if someone thinks the level of racism, the degree to which racism infects every part of American society, if they think it's at an acceptable level, then that person's character is not worthy of respect. They should know. So, nobody is going to say "Gee I see things differently, thanks so much" — not to me, or to anybody. Nobody in America has ever earnestly said that to anybody in a political discussion. Instead, if a view changes, you'll simply see a change in their behavior later over time. And they'll just act like they ALWAYS thought that. That's fine too.

What did I skip? We have at least some agreement that laws are and have been racist. What else should we talk about? Which laws are more racist? I gave you some pretty good examples. What are you supplying this conversation? It seems like the easy opinion here is that the police have no culpability in this. You told me police are like robots. That's where we're at with it.

I'm not here to change hearts and minds, though that would be ideal. My main purpose is just to make sure that racists — do you deny the presence of racism on this board? — know they're hated. Why is racism acceptable to you, is my question? You're chill about this whole thing. You think I'm way over the line. What should I do to chill out about racism, as you have?

It must be the default. I don't think I have adjusted my profile.

Your question is close. You have White Privilege as a fact. There's nothing you can do to "remove" that privilege. As long as you are White, you will have that Privilege. What makes you racist is that instead of using that privilege against racism, you are using it in support of racism. To be clear, this is no admission of "loss" in the sense that you are "correct" and have "beaten me with logic." Our exchanges should show you that not to be the case; you've tried a lot of points and they've all been refuted. A lot of questions that have been answered. What I am is giving up on is your capacity to learn for now.

When you have more cops, they need to justify their jobs. They need to justify the salary increases. They need to justify the budget increases. More crime results. And Stop and Frisk is the perfect example. Cops will find crime. It's what they do. But a lot of what has been considered "criminal" in effect is just "being black in public." Which is just the modern continuation of Jim Crow. It's all in a continuum. This never actually ended, it's just changed shape and taken different forms. Also, agreed on ***** Bloomberg but I don't know if I'm giving him credit that he admitted it was racist. Maybe he did. My recollection off-hand was that it was a mealy-mouthed apology with a lot of passive language and dodging any actual responsibility and didn't offer any corrective actions. I could be misremembering his statements on it.

Racists have ruined all of our lives, unless you agree that the American Experiment is looking like a rousing success? Rooting out racism is the solution. Not sitting quietly. With my sincere respect, grow a pair.

You can't even connect the dots when you're the one laying them out. You're trying to insist that because slavery happened 300 years ago, it has no impact on your life. The Constitution, also 300 years ago, does have an impact on your life, you seem to agree. The series of cause & effect that is history means..... what does it mean Jim?....... it means it all has an impact on your present day life. You are simply in denial. You are comparable, in intelligence, to a dog. You don't understand how you got here. You don't understand where you are, really. You just know how to chase, and lick peanut butter off cops' balls. I wasted way too much time with you. You're going on ignore.

Pretending the law as written is the only problem is ignoring reality. Police are not like robots. Police are human beings. You're not going to waste both of our time suggesting the problem is just "a few bad apples," right Deek? I am against looting! Are you? If you're concerned about looting, are you aware of Civil Asset Forfeiture?

Would you like to be treated by me saying "You can't and don't mean that"? So, you treating people the way you'd like to be treated. You can't and don't mean that. If a group you felt was part of your community — whatever part of your identity you feel is "your people" besides Bills fan — was being killed by police, over and over, and nothing was being done about it... would you like it if people responded to you with "Not my problem"? As a matter of fact, racists pissed all over my life and the lives of every person I know and have ever met. Same with you, actually, even if you don't realize it. You're covered in piss like everyone else.

Yes to both questions. Both are true. "The War on Drugs" is exhibit A, and the fact that marijuana is now legal, but there are still hundreds or thousands, a horrifying amount of Black/POC Americans still imprisoned, even in states where it's legal, and the group profiting from the legalization is White people. "Stop and Frisk" would be exhibit B. There is money made on maintaining levels of criminality, in all kinds of ways. Are you aware of For-Profit Prisons?

I don't know much about Baltimore either. But if they're considering defunding the police (something Jaraxxus told us already happened), then that would actually be very different from the same fruitless strategies.

Live however you want, but as I've said, "doing nothing" isn't doing anything for anybody but yourself. You're free to be entirely passive. If you've ever wondered, "if i had a time machine and could go back to Nazi Germany, what would I do?" You'd be doing this. Do you have any friends or family who've been racist around you? Does that impact your evaluation of a person's character much, or not very?

The argument is "Trump is a fascist" The evidence is "most of Trump's statements and policies" Maybe you'd like to tell us how Trump is actually very democratic instead of fascist?

I was just told Baltimore already defunded their police, and were fully community policing. It appears that's not true. Was @Jaraxxus saying something untrue?? Our Jaraxxus??

They're optional identities. You don't have to be racist or fascist if you don't want to be. I'm giving you permission. The bar is quite low to join anti-racism and anti-fascism. Despite the media's portrayal, all these things are is simply speaking out against racism and fascism. That's it! That's all you have to do to not be racist and fascist. Simply do not support their forms, and call them out as being bad. Unless you think they're good! In which case, frame those degrees! Great sarcasm, brah! Seriously though, your post really well thought out, well reasoned, and provided a solid counter argument with real life examples. It's really hard to find ANY examples of Trump supporting fascism. Can't think of any!!!! /s It's extremely common to see that kind of argument these days. Do you really not have any guesses at all? Nothing you can think of, in his policies or statements? Nothing reads "fascist" to you from anything you've read or heard from Trump? Have you seen/read anything from Trump?

Okay this is not me attacking you, this is an attempt to educate. "There is a right way to protest" is a form of control, it is a form of racism. It is applied only by White America to minorities. White America never, to this day!, holds themselves accountable to a "right way to protest." What was the Boston Tea Party? American Revolution? Civil War? Even recently, with Covid protests in Michigan — compare the treatment of those White protestors with Black protestors. Compare the reactions to the two. The only "right way to protest" is the way that is effective. White America should be so thankful that Black Americans are a culture of peaceful good people. Black America should want revenge... and all Black people have ever wanted is equality. It's such a heartbreakingly humble request, and it's so horrifying to see White people think it's a debate, and a matter of opinion, that Black Lives Matter enough to stand up to police brutality.

Sick meme, brah. Mind stating your point a bit clearer?

You're right — I still had you on ignore, I showed that post & was surprised by your thoughtfulness & responded, but forgot to take you off ignore before I logged off. That was the last post I made before logging off. And then when I returned, I had 20 notifications or whatever and I don't remember what thread it was in, and lost track of it. I am interested in your response, but I don't know if I will find it. I appreciate that you answered it honestly anyway, even if I don't see it. If you remember which thread it was, I'll look. As to your revised accusation — I was not trying to pass myself off as a black victim of crime at any point. If you'd asked me that directly, I could have simply told you, no, that's not what I was ever claiming. You kept wondering about my phrasing of "We're begging for our lives" — this is true. "We" as in, Americans, who support the end of police brutality. I am begging people to be aware of what is happening, and to do what they can, whatever small part, to end it. I attempted to clarify this, multiple times, and even in the original post, it was pretty clear in the context. If I were attempting to pass myself off as a black victim of crime, wouldn't I give you more of a story? You've seen how much I'm willing to type. If I were coming in here trying to represent a specific type of character, wouldn't I go whole hog? Don't I seem to be somebody who would go whole hog on that, if that was the choice I was making? It's obvious that my choice instead has just to been never confirm or deny any of the guesses. I indicated my location, but that's all, and my username indicates I'm male. I've also never asked anybody else's identity here, just follow-ups on what information is volunteered. And some insults. But to the degree that my race, age, employment status, relationship status, etc etc have all been guessed multiple times? Ha. Not even close to the same treatment. What a saint I must be to possess this kind of chill in the face of all the bad breath sent my way.

I don't know what you're talking about, at all. Your guesses are wild about my identity. Agitprop is lucrative? I don't care about who you are or what you do, other than what you've volunteered. I'm interested in the racism, and racists, and since you're defending both but pretending you aren't, here we are. Why didn't I just ask this a long time ago? Do you support racism? How are you not racist, specifically?

What part is confusing? That that statement is propaganda? "Freedom" and "equality" also more propaganda than lived reality.

I read the transcript. I have no idea what point you think you're making. Is it that? What does that have to do with anything we were talking about, Reality? Would this be something you would show to your Black acquaintances/employees, RC? Why not?

You'd know more than I would. I don't know why you're spelling it Moslem, or why you've decided this is my identity. It is again fascinating how each PPP poster has made a different decision on who I am and what my motivations are. Everyone's sure I'm full of BS but nobody can quite decide which villain I should be, exactly.

What do you think that story proves exactly?