I say they wall the black sections of the city off and let them burn all they want. After all, isn't that what the Mayor wants?
Ken Burch (35,715 posts) http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026580082
Regarding Baltimore: Black people have the moral authority to call for nonviolence-whites don't.
I hope that necessary and radical change DOES arrive in Baltimore and the rest of the nation with no violenceat all. That would be the best way, in an ideal world. However, in an ideal world, radical change obviously wouldn't be needed siince things would already be, well, ideal.
But, as long as the vast majority of White America continues to unquestioningly defend all police violence against people of color(not just African-Americans, but Latinos, Native Americans and Muslim-Americans of all races) then white people(and I say this AS a middle-aged white male in my fifties) are not entitled to lecture anyone about things like looting stores.
We, as a race, are obligated, before we can say anything sanctimonious about property damage, must join forces to confront every vestige of our racial hate-fears (hatred and fear are always linked) to call on all our fellow whites to stop, once and for all, seeing people of other races as a pestilence and the enemy. We are obligated to organize our own communities to work for social justice and economic and human equality for all(including for ourselves, because we can only end poverty, unemployment and exploitation of ourselves by ending those scourges for all people), and to be part of building the national, and international, movement for change that must be built in order for any of the problems we face to be solved.
Until we as whites have done that, we are morally disqualified from denouncing other people's resistance tactics-those tactics are up to them. Period.
If we, as the still-largest part of this Rainbow Republic, can join with all others in this struggle, all racism, exploitation and suffering can be brought to an end. If we don't, it will go on...and we will never be entitled to criticize anyone for anything they do to defy the continued misery we have in our power, in our very strength of numbers, to defeat.
As the great slogan of the Black Power movement reminds us:
"If You're Not Part of the Solution, You're Part of the Problem".
The time has come for us, as white Americans, to all do what we should have done then: We must be part of the solution.
The next step in this thought process is, "Only Muslims should be able to police Muslims since non-Muslims just don't understand the issues of Muslims." "Only Gays should write laws about gays since straight Americans don't understan the issues of gays." "Only Liberals should write laws and police the Nation since they are the only ones who understand or care about the needs of teh people." etc etc etc
linuxman (522 posts)
2. you're right. You're right. I'm not going to call for non violence. I hope they burn the whole city down.
Yup.
Ken Burch (35,715 posts)
3. Wasn't saying you should do that either. Simply pointing out that those of us who are white have no right to tell blacks in Baltimore what they should and shouldn't do. Until we've wiped out white racism, we simply can't have the moral authority to lecture people of color on anything-we're just nt entitled.
Agreed?
You are an idiot.
linuxman (522 posts)
4. bwahahahahaha!
Yes, totally. Until there isn't a single racist thought in the head of any white person, I can't tell black people that burning and looting stores is a terrible ****ing idea if the end goal is to redress their treatment by law enforcement.
Brilliant.
linuxman (522 posts)
8. you're right. Keeping a city from being burned and looted isn't positive intent. Unless it comes from a poc.
delrem (6,170 posts)
13. You are unable to understand, so I repeat Mr. Burch:
"We have an obligation to first fight the things that led to what's happening tonight."
Now you can continue full steam ahead with your righteous rhetoric, and I'm sure you will since it makes you feel good. But that's all it is, rhetoric. And Mr. Burch is right, and perhaps inadvertently you proved it.
No- he isn't. You can't fix a situation if the 'victims' are actively trying to burn the whole place down.
linuxman (522 posts)
16. you can ignore what he wrote if you choose. I'm white, therefore there is no positive intent in my Critique. No skin off my nose.
I'll refrain from criticizing looters and arsonist in any capacity until the very concept of racism is extinct. God knows we can't tackle these two issues at once. Nevermind. I just remembered I can't criticize them at all (Due to my skin color, you understand).
Loot away! With every fifth and handle you earn America's ever-growing support, dear protestors.
So many alerts!
Lil Missy (14,535 posts)
9. That's ridiculous. If someone is trashing and burning my home, business or neighborhood, my city, I damn well have the right to call for nonviolence.
If not for me and mine only, for the sake of a decent society. Riots are just exacerbating the problems.
You can't complain until it's your neighborhood and then only after you apologize for living in a white neighborhood. No- you know what? No you can't complain at all... Whitey
Adenoid_Hynkel (12,472 posts)
15. Oh, please - burning down and looting businesses that have jack shit to do w/ the issue is pretty ****ing stupid and impossible to justify.
All it does is play right into the hands of the racists and authoritarians.
Nixon and the conservative movement built themselves up with their Silent Majority "Law and order" bullshit.
Rioting and violence accomplish nothing, but scaring the shit out of most every one, and is a piss poor excuse for a protest.
AgingAmerican (5,153 posts)
19. Once someone throws a brick through a window. Or attacks a a bystander, 'moral authority' is lost, irregardless of skin color.
Your OP is stupid.
I used to think all the CT about Barry declairing Martial Law before the elections was just BS. But now I watch as multiple cities burn in riots that have nothing to do with an injustice... and I begin to wonder...
