Running racism in America thread

America...we got a lotta problems...but not that problem.

 

Well, you're right about a group of people moving mountains to prevent nationwide shifts in policy and attitudes, but it's not celebrities.

It's ALEC - the American Legislative Executive Council, a "nonprofit" that has underwritten legislation for its predominantly conservative members to push through at the state and federal level. ALEC, not Hollywood, wrote and pushed through Voter ID laws in six states in the past ten years, making it harder for the elderly and inner-city residents to vote. It's ALEC, not celebrities, backing private prisons and tough-on-crime bills that continue the trends of mass incarceration that the 1994 Clinton crime bill exacerbated. ALEC, not celebrities, spurred the backing of attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

ALEC, not celebrities, has the backing of dozens of corporations (List of members of the American Legislative Exchange Council - Wikipedia) in order to push business-friendly legislation through state legislatures.

Last I checked, Hollywood wasn't responsible for our economic inequity, our wasteful and expensive healthcare programs, our stressed and bloated prison system, or our lackluster education. Those four crumbling pillars are the root of our failures in our country.

I'd wager all the money in my pockets, against all the money in your pockets, that organizations like ALEC have a metric ton more influence on the state of our country than every Hollywood liberal elitist you can possibly name. You may lament the decline of our modesty and sobriety, but if it's truly sinking, it's because America is being bought and sold piece by piece by crooks in suits out to make a buck, not some musician or actress who leads a wild life.

 

Every single country I cited is more homogenous. Once again you take random potshots without substance. Congrats.

 

Come on. Don't you know that Coastal Elites control Amurrica?

 

I agree. This should not have resulted in a death. However, once any person is drunk enough to fall asleep in a drive-through, that person has started a chain of bad decisions which put his life and others in danger. Wrestling with police, taking the taser and pointing that taser at police stack up on that and - horrible result - we see what happens. How much criticism would police receive if a person does all that, escapes, and does further damage? I'm on board with lots of police reform and criticism. I'm not sure this is one of those circumstances.

 

You're not giving ALEC enough credit. ALEC often writes the bill and gives it to friendly politicians in state legislatures who propose identical text as bills and push them through.

 

I'm interested in hearing more details. That's horrible on its own, but I'd argue that we need to allow teenagers to make their mistakes, and then educate them as to WHY they are mistakes. Expelling a racist student isn't going to make them less racist. Maybe, just maybe, educating them will.

Admittedly, I'm not one who is quick to expel anyone for any reason. I don't know the surrounding circumstances of the video, so it's hard to say what "should" be done. Were they at a school-sanctioned event? Is there a history of them causing trouble? Was it hindering the learning of other students?

I'd argue expulsion is the absolute last resort reserved for students who are either a physical danger to their classmates or who so disrupt the classroom that they hinder the learning of their classmates.

Saying something undesirable once in a video is an absolutely unacceptable reason to expel a student.

 

Here's the damning sequence in the CNN piece:
But as Brooks runs from the officers, he comes into view of the surveillance camera, followed by Rolfe. Both are carrying Tasers.
As he follows Brooks, Rolfe is seen switching the Taser from his right hand to his left, and reaching for his gun.
At that moment, Brooks turns back and appears to point the Taser at Rolfe, who unholsters his handgun and fires.
The footage shows Brooks fall to the ground.

I was under the impression that the victim had stolen the stun gun of the officer who killed him, thereby leaving the officer with only his real gun as a weapon. Apparently not.

Rayshard Brooks' final moments were caught on video. Here's what the footage shows - CNN

 

I don't know if this has been posted, but if not, I'm putting it here for consideration.

It's about statue removal, and I think it's a tougher call than taking down, say, a statue of Robert E. Lee.

I actually don't think this one should be torn down.

Calls to remove controversial Abraham Lincoln statue in Boston

 

Pardon, Boston, your Southie is showing.

 

My thought process:
“Oh a story about removing an Abraham Lincoln statue? No way that’s going to work.”

“Oh shit, that’s a problematic Abraham Lincoln statue.”