I know that snapping my fingers won't get America's attention. Facts and logic don't seem to either. Police brutality apparently doesn't. Sadly enough, neither do mass shootings. When is America going to finally wake up from its seemingly permanent slumber and realize we have a problem?
Sure, we can pretend that racism no longer exists, especially in light of the fact we elected and re-elected an African-American president. We can pretend that 99% of police brutality cases involving African-Americans were prompted by the eventual victims disobeying the officers' orders. We can pretend that people like Dylann Roof are simply messed up in the head, are aberrations, and there's nothing we could have done to have stopped them. We can also pretend that guns don't kill, that the more we have of them the safer we'll be, and that no law would be able to decrease the frequency of gun violence. But, I'm sorry, that's all complete and utter bullsh*t and it's about time we wake the hell up, realize that, and do something about it!
Racism isn't over. Are we really that naive to believe as soon as we elect an African-American president, racism will then cease to exist? Guess what? We elected 43 white presidents before him, and call it a hunch, but it's going to be a little while before we elect another (No, Ben Carson won't be getting elected). That'd be like a company hiring 43 males, getting called out for it, hiring one female, and then saying, "You see? We're not sexist!" Uh huh...
Racism has been even more pronounced during President Obama's tenure. Before he was elected, it was easier for closet racists to keep their prejudices to themselves. However, after a black man got elected president, guess who came roaring out of their closets? That's right! I'd venture to guess that there have been more online rumors (myths) spread about President Obama than all the other presidents before him combined. Check out chain email fact-checking site Snopes.com sometime. Click on President Obama, scroll down for about five minutes, and then click on Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and scroll down their pages for five seconds a piece and you'll see what I'm talking about. Several of these chain emails deal with President Obama's name and skin color. They paint him as being foreign. The formation of hate groups increased quite substantially after Obama was elected president. Conservative commentators and radio show hosts have questioned his birth certificate, his religion, and often times been certain to point out that his middle name is Hussein. When's the last time a president was called out for being Muslim, had his birth certificate questioned, and was painted as being foreign? Take your time. I'll be waiting patiently...
Also, do we really believe all of these reported cases of police brutality against African-Americans were prompted by the victims themselves? Really? There have even been times when we've had video or audio to show the cop was in the wrong, yet I'll hear people say, "Well, we still don't know the whole story." or "What choice did the cop have?" Then after protests or riots break out following these unfortunate occurrences, I'll hear many whites say, "Well, that's not going to solve anything." or "This does nothing to help with stereotypes against them." Yes, I often times find closet racists uttering the latter of the two. Seriously, what further proof do we need than a cop shooting a black man in the back as he's running away that the cop was in the wrong? Don't give me the he-should-have-obeyed-the-cop's-orders or the-cop-might-have-felt-threatened-like-he-said excuses. Even if the victim had been guilty of a crime, there are better, more professional and ethical ways of handling the situation. The guy can't run forever. Call for back-up, chase him down, and cuff him. As for the latter excuse, yes, as was reported on an episode of Family Feud I just concocted in my mind, the #1 most threatening situation is when a person is running away from you. I'm sorry, but such cases are happening far too frequently in the African-American community to ignore any longer. Cops are there to protect and serve the community, and make people feel safe - this includes African-Americans as well.
Then I can't tell you how much it irked me to hear Fox News anchors and politicians like Rick Santorum call the Charleston shooting an attack on faith and not on race. Do these people not have functioning eyes or ears? Apparently they don't have functioning brains. The shooter, Dylann Roof, said that he was at the church to "shoot black people." He also said, "You (yes, blacks) rape our women, and you're taking over this country, and you have to go." How stupid do people have to be to not realize this mass shooting was based on race and not faith?
Roof: "I'm here to shoot black people."
Fox News: "How dare he attack Christianity!"
Roof: "You (blacks) rape our women, and you're taking over this country, and you have to go."
Fox News: "Christians rape Roof's women and are taking over the country?"
If Roof had said no such things, then there may be more of a debate on the matter, but not much of one given Roof's history of sporting logos which symbolize racism, and telling racist jokes, not to mention his Facebook page, which might as well have been titled, "A Young White Supremacist's Perspective On The World." But Roof said point-blank that he was there to kill blacks, so let's cut it with the bullsh*t, shall we?
When it comes to the gun argument, I'm sorry, but yes, guns do kill, and yes, we have a problem with guns in this country. You know what I often times hear from people in other developed countries, such as in Europe and Australia? "What is it with your country's obsession with guns?" You know what I don't hear much about in those countries? Mass shootings.
ABC News reported a study two years ago pertaining to gun ownership and gun-related deaths in the United States and other countries. Take a wild guess who leads the world both in gun ownership and gun-related deaths? Yes, the United States. In fact, the numbers aren't even close.
1. United States: 88.8 (guns per 100) and 10.2 (gun-related deaths per 100,000)
2. Switzerland: 45.7 and 3.84
That's right, gun ownership in the U.S. is almost twice that of the second ranked country in the study, Switzerland. Not only that, but the U.S. also suffers over two-and-a-half times more gun-related deaths than Switzerland.
Studies also show that guns in the home increase the odds of being a victim of a gun-related death (either homicide or suicide), that guns are rarely used in self-defense, and that gun-control laws work. If you don't believe me, read the links I've provided at the end of this writing. "Guns don't kill; people kill," right? No, actually. When it comes to gun-related deaths, there are two common denominators: Guns and people. So, yes, when it comes to gun-related deaths, guns do play a large role in killing people. That's what they were designed for after all (no, they weren't designed to lay on or to sleep and cuddle with at night).
I find it ironically humorous that the likes of Fox News, right-wing radio talk show hosts, and even Republican politicians like to claim that racism is sparse in this country, if it even exists at all; that people like Dylann Roof are simply deranged individuals; that nothing could have been done to stop them; and that the only person to blame for such incidents are the perpetrators themselves. Then they'll go on to say, "We support the death penalty in this case!" What good is that going to do, though? What good does it do to ignore the core problems of a situation and simply execute a young, troubled individual, continuing to leave us just as prone as we had been previously to falling victim to a similar tragedy in the future? They'll say differently, but it's likely due to greed. Why does the NRA constantly attempt to stimulate fear in people that the government could take away their guns at any given second? The reasoning definitely isn't logical or fact-based, and they aren't sincerely concerned about the well-being of their customers. No, it comes down to frightening people enough to purchase their products. Yes, it's about money. Why do Fox News and right-wing radio talk show hosts attempt to prompt fear into their viewers and listeners' minds with regard to Muslims, homosexuals, and minorities (blacks in particular), among others? To boost their ratings, earnings, and power. That's it. Why do Republican politicians often times use scare tactics with regard to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), taxes, war, and terrorism and defense spending, among other issues? To frighten people into voting for them, in order to obtain more power and money. There are likely many factors that contribute to a person like Dylann Roof shooting and killing nine people in a hate crime of such a grand magnitude. The parents should have definitely been smarter about matters, especially when it comes to handing this trouble man a handgun for his 21st birthday. They and his friends probably shouldn't have been so dismissive about his racist jokes and sporting racist paraphernalia. Not only that, though, the question has to be asked, where does a person like Dylann Roof hear about and learn to hate black people? The easiest possibility would be from his parents, sure, but we can't ignore Roof's words. The words he and others like him have spouted sound an awful lot like they were coming from the mouths of NRA leaders, Fox News anchors, and right-wing radio talk show hosts. These individuals make a living off spreading fear based on outright lies, exaggerations, and fallacies in order to earn more fame, power, and fortune, and this constant fear-baiting could very well play a factor in such tragedies.
It's about time we stop living in denial about racism and gun violence in this country. Racism may not be an easy subject for most to talk about, but the longer we deny its existence, the more prone we're going to be as a nation to go through a continuous cycle of unwarranted hatred and violence against the African-American community. We need to call out the NRA, Fox News, and right-wing radio talk show hosts for their fear-baiting. We need to hold cops accountable when they cross the line and abuse their power, and with that, another person's life. We need to pressure our representatives to strengthen gun laws. It's about damn time where, regardless of a person's age, gender, race, creed, or orientation, he or she is able to: Drive around the neighborhood; walk the streets at night; go to a mall, swimming pool, or movie theater; and attend a church service feeling at ease.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/09/19/u-s-has-more-guns-and-gun-deaths-than-any-other-country-study-finds/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-guns-in-home-increase-suicide-homicide-risk/
http://news.yahoo.com/guns-rarely-used-self-defense-us-205812892.html
http://www.newsweek.com/handgun-law-connecticut-helped-decrease-gun-homicides-342363
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/opinion/the-gun-challenge-strict-laws-work.html
Sure, we can pretend that racism no longer exists, especially in light of the fact we elected and re-elected an African-American president. We can pretend that 99% of police brutality cases involving African-Americans were prompted by the eventual victims disobeying the officers' orders. We can pretend that people like Dylann Roof are simply messed up in the head, are aberrations, and there's nothing we could have done to have stopped them. We can also pretend that guns don't kill, that the more we have of them the safer we'll be, and that no law would be able to decrease the frequency of gun violence. But, I'm sorry, that's all complete and utter bullsh*t and it's about time we wake the hell up, realize that, and do something about it!
Racism isn't over. Are we really that naive to believe as soon as we elect an African-American president, racism will then cease to exist? Guess what? We elected 43 white presidents before him, and call it a hunch, but it's going to be a little while before we elect another (No, Ben Carson won't be getting elected). That'd be like a company hiring 43 males, getting called out for it, hiring one female, and then saying, "You see? We're not sexist!" Uh huh...
Racism has been even more pronounced during President Obama's tenure. Before he was elected, it was easier for closet racists to keep their prejudices to themselves. However, after a black man got elected president, guess who came roaring out of their closets? That's right! I'd venture to guess that there have been more online rumors (myths) spread about President Obama than all the other presidents before him combined. Check out chain email fact-checking site Snopes.com sometime. Click on President Obama, scroll down for about five minutes, and then click on Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and scroll down their pages for five seconds a piece and you'll see what I'm talking about. Several of these chain emails deal with President Obama's name and skin color. They paint him as being foreign. The formation of hate groups increased quite substantially after Obama was elected president. Conservative commentators and radio show hosts have questioned his birth certificate, his religion, and often times been certain to point out that his middle name is Hussein. When's the last time a president was called out for being Muslim, had his birth certificate questioned, and was painted as being foreign? Take your time. I'll be waiting patiently...
Also, do we really believe all of these reported cases of police brutality against African-Americans were prompted by the victims themselves? Really? There have even been times when we've had video or audio to show the cop was in the wrong, yet I'll hear people say, "Well, we still don't know the whole story." or "What choice did the cop have?" Then after protests or riots break out following these unfortunate occurrences, I'll hear many whites say, "Well, that's not going to solve anything." or "This does nothing to help with stereotypes against them." Yes, I often times find closet racists uttering the latter of the two. Seriously, what further proof do we need than a cop shooting a black man in the back as he's running away that the cop was in the wrong? Don't give me the he-should-have-obeyed-the-cop's-orders or the-cop-might-have-felt-threatened-like-he-said excuses. Even if the victim had been guilty of a crime, there are better, more professional and ethical ways of handling the situation. The guy can't run forever. Call for back-up, chase him down, and cuff him. As for the latter excuse, yes, as was reported on an episode of Family Feud I just concocted in my mind, the #1 most threatening situation is when a person is running away from you. I'm sorry, but such cases are happening far too frequently in the African-American community to ignore any longer. Cops are there to protect and serve the community, and make people feel safe - this includes African-Americans as well.
Then I can't tell you how much it irked me to hear Fox News anchors and politicians like Rick Santorum call the Charleston shooting an attack on faith and not on race. Do these people not have functioning eyes or ears? Apparently they don't have functioning brains. The shooter, Dylann Roof, said that he was at the church to "shoot black people." He also said, "You (yes, blacks) rape our women, and you're taking over this country, and you have to go." How stupid do people have to be to not realize this mass shooting was based on race and not faith?
Roof: "I'm here to shoot black people."
Fox News: "How dare he attack Christianity!"
Roof: "You (blacks) rape our women, and you're taking over this country, and you have to go."
Fox News: "Christians rape Roof's women and are taking over the country?"
If Roof had said no such things, then there may be more of a debate on the matter, but not much of one given Roof's history of sporting logos which symbolize racism, and telling racist jokes, not to mention his Facebook page, which might as well have been titled, "A Young White Supremacist's Perspective On The World." But Roof said point-blank that he was there to kill blacks, so let's cut it with the bullsh*t, shall we?
When it comes to the gun argument, I'm sorry, but yes, guns do kill, and yes, we have a problem with guns in this country. You know what I often times hear from people in other developed countries, such as in Europe and Australia? "What is it with your country's obsession with guns?" You know what I don't hear much about in those countries? Mass shootings.
ABC News reported a study two years ago pertaining to gun ownership and gun-related deaths in the United States and other countries. Take a wild guess who leads the world both in gun ownership and gun-related deaths? Yes, the United States. In fact, the numbers aren't even close.
1. United States: 88.8 (guns per 100) and 10.2 (gun-related deaths per 100,000)
2. Switzerland: 45.7 and 3.84
That's right, gun ownership in the U.S. is almost twice that of the second ranked country in the study, Switzerland. Not only that, but the U.S. also suffers over two-and-a-half times more gun-related deaths than Switzerland.
Studies also show that guns in the home increase the odds of being a victim of a gun-related death (either homicide or suicide), that guns are rarely used in self-defense, and that gun-control laws work. If you don't believe me, read the links I've provided at the end of this writing. "Guns don't kill; people kill," right? No, actually. When it comes to gun-related deaths, there are two common denominators: Guns and people. So, yes, when it comes to gun-related deaths, guns do play a large role in killing people. That's what they were designed for after all (no, they weren't designed to lay on or to sleep and cuddle with at night).
I find it ironically humorous that the likes of Fox News, right-wing radio talk show hosts, and even Republican politicians like to claim that racism is sparse in this country, if it even exists at all; that people like Dylann Roof are simply deranged individuals; that nothing could have been done to stop them; and that the only person to blame for such incidents are the perpetrators themselves. Then they'll go on to say, "We support the death penalty in this case!" What good is that going to do, though? What good does it do to ignore the core problems of a situation and simply execute a young, troubled individual, continuing to leave us just as prone as we had been previously to falling victim to a similar tragedy in the future? They'll say differently, but it's likely due to greed. Why does the NRA constantly attempt to stimulate fear in people that the government could take away their guns at any given second? The reasoning definitely isn't logical or fact-based, and they aren't sincerely concerned about the well-being of their customers. No, it comes down to frightening people enough to purchase their products. Yes, it's about money. Why do Fox News and right-wing radio talk show hosts attempt to prompt fear into their viewers and listeners' minds with regard to Muslims, homosexuals, and minorities (blacks in particular), among others? To boost their ratings, earnings, and power. That's it. Why do Republican politicians often times use scare tactics with regard to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), taxes, war, and terrorism and defense spending, among other issues? To frighten people into voting for them, in order to obtain more power and money. There are likely many factors that contribute to a person like Dylann Roof shooting and killing nine people in a hate crime of such a grand magnitude. The parents should have definitely been smarter about matters, especially when it comes to handing this trouble man a handgun for his 21st birthday. They and his friends probably shouldn't have been so dismissive about his racist jokes and sporting racist paraphernalia. Not only that, though, the question has to be asked, where does a person like Dylann Roof hear about and learn to hate black people? The easiest possibility would be from his parents, sure, but we can't ignore Roof's words. The words he and others like him have spouted sound an awful lot like they were coming from the mouths of NRA leaders, Fox News anchors, and right-wing radio talk show hosts. These individuals make a living off spreading fear based on outright lies, exaggerations, and fallacies in order to earn more fame, power, and fortune, and this constant fear-baiting could very well play a factor in such tragedies.
It's about time we stop living in denial about racism and gun violence in this country. Racism may not be an easy subject for most to talk about, but the longer we deny its existence, the more prone we're going to be as a nation to go through a continuous cycle of unwarranted hatred and violence against the African-American community. We need to call out the NRA, Fox News, and right-wing radio talk show hosts for their fear-baiting. We need to hold cops accountable when they cross the line and abuse their power, and with that, another person's life. We need to pressure our representatives to strengthen gun laws. It's about damn time where, regardless of a person's age, gender, race, creed, or orientation, he or she is able to: Drive around the neighborhood; walk the streets at night; go to a mall, swimming pool, or movie theater; and attend a church service feeling at ease.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/09/19/u-s-has-more-guns-and-gun-deaths-than-any-other-country-study-finds/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-guns-in-home-increase-suicide-homicide-risk/
http://news.yahoo.com/guns-rarely-used-self-defense-us-205812892.html
http://www.newsweek.com/handgun-law-connecticut-helped-decrease-gun-homicides-342363
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/opinion/the-gun-challenge-strict-laws-work.html
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