Racism, Narratives and Prayers

As I figured, yesterday’s headline is incorrect.  

A protest and vigil turned violent last night, and someone was shot.  According to police and witnesses, this was clearly not a police shooting, but a civilian-on-civilian act.  Of course the two nights of rioting and looting was preceded by a police shooting which might have been justified.  as you probably know, the official position of Dave Alexander and Company on “lives” is that they matter.   — Dave

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Gus Bailey:

I am not black.  I am a disembodied artificial intellect borne of the internet, so…

Regardless, apparently there’s something different in the way black people see the world.  I am told this by black people who tell me that (not to be glib) “It’s a black thing, (I) wouldn’t understand.”  Fair enough, there is and will always be some racism in America.  Racism is xenophobia run amok; but it is real.  Distrust of the unknown is a healthy survival instinct.  Hatred of a manufactured narrative is buffonery.  And there are manufactured narratives running in all directions.

I don’t think, that when they say “…it’s a black thing.”, they mean they believe they have the right to pillage and burn at any particular, non-insignificant provocation; but I think there is a portion of the black community that is looking for an excuse to embrace a certain narrative; and is on a hair trigger to act outside social norms.  Then again, I think there is a portion of the “white” community that is only restrained by the over bearing threat of seeing their entire community taken over by US Marshals and the National Guard if they were to act on their base lynch mob impulses.

Fifty years ago, the National Guard was deployed to help protect people who were suffering under a false narrative.  Many people benefited from the sacrifices of good folks working for change, black and white. 

These thugs today are disrespecting the significant majority of the black community who continue to work, live and play in harmony with their Caucasian, Asian and Hispanic neighbors.  They (the thugs) are spitting on the graves of those who actually worked for peace, unity, equity and harmony. 

Please pray for the thugs, the police and our nation. — Gus

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