I love Christmas movies but I cannot stand the Christmas "classic " A Christmas Story. Why does TBS feel it is sooo good to play on repeat all day during Christmas????
This is a late unpopular opinion and I'm only remembering it because I'm up late working getting ready for court tomorrow...but I do NOT like Seth Meyers on Late Night. I feel like it's way too scripted and not funny at all. And it makes me sad that I don't like him on his show, because I loved him on SNL's Weekend Update (especially with Stefon!).
My UO is I'm sick of everytime someone gets shot by a cop there just has to be a BLM protest. I am NOT in anyway saying that there aren't dirty cops out there. I'm NOT denying the existence of racism. Those things do exist, but I do not believe they are involved in every incident where someone gets shot by a cop But it just seems like every time without fail there is a protest against the police for doing their jobs. There was a trending story in my FB newsfeed about a 16 year old that was already a suspect in another shooting, who pointed his gun at a cop and got shot. Does every death by cop have to be about race? I mean can't people just accept that just maybe your so called little angel wasn't an angel at all and was an actual criminal? I mean if you are stupid enough to point a gun at a cop, then you should expect to be shot. #sorrynotsorry
I am not sure which 16yo child you're talking about in specific so I can't comment about that, but as to why there are a lot of BLM protests: it's because there is no high-level conspiracy of "crooked cops" that is necessarily targeting young black men - that would be relatively easy to ferret out and drag into the light and condemn. The problem with our current system is that we have a long-standing cultural bias, based on race, that acts subconciously to inform our actions. i.e. otherwise good cops who would never consider themselves racists, do racist things because they are not trained properly/carry those unconscious beliefs of a certain set of people.
So BLM protests are to bring awareness to that and seek fundamental and systematic changes to the system so we have LESS (and then eventually none) incidents of police violence towards the black community.
Not everything is about race, that's true: This is. And though it may seem tiresome or out of hand - the people who organize BLM protests and who work tirelessly to make sure these issues aren't swept under the rug are doing so because their lives and the lives of their loved ones are deeply affected.
Also, it's not that they're protesting against the police doing their jobs - it's how they do their jobs and how they're trained. And there are hella stats to support all this, it's not like it comes from nowhere. To reduce it to "they're bitching about the police doing their jobs!" is to dismiss an entire community's experiences. An entire community. That's a helluva lot of dismissal fwiw.
Also - not so stupid. These are, in a lot of cases, kids. Sure you can make the argument that a 16 year old should know better ... then again, so should the governmental bodies that train our police officers. And those are adults! Not kids.
Idk why this even has to be a topic of discussion--I mean, I see why in this forum, but real life? ALSO & I don't mean this as a knock on FTMs, but sometimes I find they are the ones who have that holier than thou attitude about a "natural" birth...until they go into labor. Not necessarily anyone here, but I've seen it way too many times. I'd just be careful throwing these terms around and then having to eat your words later.
C-section, epidurals, unmedicated... Who cares how someone else has their kid??? At the ended of the day as long as mom and baby are healthy, why does it matter to a stranger how the baby was born. Just like bf or ff- as long as baby is fed and growing, why is it anyone else's business?
C-section, epidurals, unmedicated... Who cares how someone else has their kid??? At the ended of the day as long as mom and baby are healthy, why does it matter to a stranger how the baby was born. Just like bf or ff- as long as baby is fed and growing, why is it anyone else's business?
I agree! It makes me wonder though, why do WE care about the words? I get it and personally don't choose any of this language in describing birth (at least not intentionally, I'm sure I've dropped one or two before). I had a vaginal delivery without an epi, but it wasn't unmedicated. I don't fit any of these categories! Maybe a sappy commercial could help in this area like it did with bf and ff.....kidding
I know a lot of people who hate the Big Bang Theory- saying it's offensive to women (I can see the issues with it picking on people on the spectrum- but my friends who are on the spectrum love it because they can relate to the characters)... but I love it, and as a nerdy woman I'm not at all offended. Granted it takes a whole hell of a lot to get me offended. But I get annoyed by the constant "that movie/show/book is offensive to women because of xyz"- like I have a coworker who felt Jurassic World was offensive to women because of a joke Chris Pratt makes about her shoes when they are out in the field. I would have given her crap about wearing high heels in the field- even if they were the only shoes she had because why the hell would you wear high heels in a field with dinosaurs?
My UO is I'm sick of everytime someone gets shot by a cop there just has to be a BLM protest. I am NOT in anyway saying that there aren't dirty cops out there. I'm NOT denying the existence of racism. Those things do exist, but I do not believe they are involved in every incident where someone gets shot by a cop But it just seems like every time without fail there is a protest against the police for doing their jobs. There was a trending story in my FB newsfeed about a 16 year old that was already a suspect in another shooting, who pointed his gun at a cop and got shot. Does every death by cop have to be about race? I mean can't people just accept that just maybe your so called little angel wasn't an angel at all and was an actual criminal? I mean if you are stupid enough to point a gun at a cop, then you should expect to be shot. #sorrynotsorry
I am not sure which 16yo child you're talking about in specific so I can't comment about that, but as to why there are a lot of BLM protests: it's because there is no high-level conspiracy of "crooked cops" that is necessarily targeting young black men - that would be relatively easy to ferret out and drag into the light and condemn. The problem with our current system is that we have a long-standing cultural bias, based on race, that acts subconciously to inform our actions. i.e. otherwise good cops who would never consider themselves racists, do racist things because they are not trained properly/carry those unconscious beliefs of a certain set of people.
So BLM protests are to bring awareness to that and seek fundamental and systematic changes to the system so we have LESS (and then eventually none) incidents of police violence towards the black community.
Not everything is about race, that's true: This is. And though it may seem tiresome or out of hand - the people who organize BLM protests and who work tirelessly to make sure these issues aren't swept under the rug are doing so because their lives and the lives of their loved ones are deeply affected.
Also, it's not that they're protesting against the police doing their jobs - it's how they do their jobs and how they're trained. And there are hella stats to support all this, it's not like it comes from nowhere. To reduce it to "they're bitching about the police doing their jobs!" is to dismiss an entire community's experiences. An entire community. That's a helluva lot of dismissal fwiw.
Also - not so stupid. These are, in a lot of cases, kids. Sure you can make the argument that a 16 year old should know better ... then again, so should the governmental bodies that train our police officers. And those are adults! Not kids.
C-section, epidurals, unmedicated... Who cares how someone else has their kid??? At the ended of the day as long as mom and baby are healthy, why does it matter to a stranger how the baby was born. Just like bf or ff- as long as baby is fed and growing, why is it anyone else's business?
This. I wanted a so called unmedicated birth. It's still on the table. But with everything that has come up with my situation in the past few days, if there is anything I've learned, it's that NOTHING goes according to plan. So honestly now idc how it happens as long as everyone is happy and healthy. Of course I do have the people now who knew of my initial plan and are giving their lovely criticisms about how they were right and I was so quick to change my mind, just like they said... Yeah, but no. I'm not changing my mind about anything for anyone but the safety of myself and baby. Everyone else can just deal bc you do what you need to do.
I agree! It makes me wonder though, why do WE care about the words? I get it and personally don't choose any of this language in describing birth (at least not intentionally, I'm sure I've dropped one or two before). I had a vaginal delivery without an epi, but it wasn't unmedicated. I don't fit any of these categories! Maybe a sappy commercial could help in this area like it did with bf and ff.....kidding
Patriarchy!
I mentioned this above, but the fact that there's any perceived hierarchy of how to birth a baby is one of the more insidious features of patriarchy--where women are forced to conceive of ourselves in opposition to masculine domination and to promote our "authentic" selves and our "natural" glories. But while we are asserting ourselves as nature goddesses in some misguided second-wave attempt to stand outside the patriarchy, we're playing their game and making their job easier by continuing to use *their* terminology of "natural" and "unnatural," and using that to compete with one another, exactly as the patriarchy wants us to do.
And, of course, then we care about the words because we want to fuck with the patriarchy:)
I agree! It makes me wonder though, why do WE care about the words? I get it and personally don't choose any of this language in describing birth (at least not intentionally, I'm sure I've dropped one or two before). I had a vaginal delivery without an epi, but it wasn't unmedicated. I don't fit any of these categories! Maybe a sappy commercial could help in this area like it did with bf and ff.....kidding
Patriarchy!
I mentioned this above, but the fact that there's any perceived hierarchy of how to birth a baby is one of the more insidious features of patriarchy--where women are forced to conceive of ourselves in opposition to masculine domination and to promote our "authentic" selves and our "natural" glories. But while we are asserting ourselves as nature goddesses in some misguided second-wave attempt to stand outside the patriarchy, we're playing their game and making their job easier by continuing to use *their* terminology of "natural" and "unnatural," and using that to compete with one another, exactly as the patriarchy wants us to do.
And, of course, then we care about the words because we want to fuck with the patriarchy:)
Fuck the patriarchy, stop saying "natural"
I hear you. I don't say natural, don't worry. I've worked in the violence against women field all of my higher education and career thus far so I agree with you and you said it very well. I guess what I really wonder about isn't why we care about the words, but why we (general we) play into the drama of it. Women divided benefits the patriarchy!
I know a lot of people who hate the Big Bang Theory- saying it's offensive to women (I can see the issues with it picking on people on the spectrum- but my friends who are on the spectrum love it because they can relate to the characters)... but I love it, and as a nerdy woman I'm not at all offended. Granted it takes a whole hell of a lot to get me offended. But I get annoyed by the constant "that movie/show/book is offensive to women because of xyz"- like I have a coworker who felt Jurassic World was offensive to women because of a joke Chris Pratt makes about her shoes when they are out in the field. I would have given her crap about wearing high heels in the field- even if they were the only shoes she had because why the hell would you wear high heels in a field with dinosaurs?
I love this show. I am an engineer and so are most of my friends. Besides the comic books, these really are my people. Amy and Bernadette are FANTASTIC. I can see how people might be offended by Penny's character, but honestly when we end up hanging out with a non sciency/technical person that is exactly what it seems like. I have seen the confused look and the internal thought of "these people are crazy" on several people. I can see how the show might not appeal to everyone, but I definitely don't see it as offensive.
As far as wearing high heels in the field... I think its offensive of the movie writers to depict a woman who is not be prepared to do her job just kidding, it's a movie dinosaurs
I know a lot of people who hate the Big Bang Theory- saying it's offensive to women (I can see the issues with it picking on people on the spectrum- but my friends who are on the spectrum love it because they can relate to the characters)... but I love it, and as a nerdy woman I'm not at all offended. Granted it takes a whole hell of a lot to get me offended. But I get annoyed by the constant "that movie/show/book is offensive to women because of xyz"- like I have a coworker who felt Jurassic World was offensive to women because of a joke Chris Pratt makes about her shoes when they are out in the field. I would have given her crap about wearing high heels in the field- even if they were the only shoes she had because why the hell would you wear high heels in a field with dinosaurs?
I love this show. I am an engineer and so are most of my friends. Besides the comic books, these really are my people. Amy and Bernadette are FANTASTIC. I can see how people might be offended by Penny's character, but honestly when we end up hanging out with a non sciency/technical person that is exactly what it seems like. I have seen the confused look and the internal thought of "these people are crazy" on several people. I can see how the show might not appeal to everyone, but I definitely don't see it as offensive.
As far as wearing high heels in the field... I think its offensive of the movie writers to depict a woman who is not be prepared to do her job just kidding, it's a movie dinosaurs
Lol since she was a spokes person and not a field person I feel this argument is invalid lol. I also see how Penny can be annoying/offensive- but that's also the look people give me when I start in on the technical aspect of working in a library. I'm not a gung-ho comic book person- but as I've have to read some graphic novels for work I'm finding I enjoy them more and more (like Ms. Marvel is AWESOME)
I agree! It makes me wonder though, why do WE care about the words? I get it and personally don't choose any of this language in describing birth (at least not intentionally, I'm sure I've dropped one or two before). I had a vaginal delivery without an epi, but it wasn't unmedicated. I don't fit any of these categories! Maybe a sappy commercial could help in this area like it did with bf and ff.....kidding
Patriarchy!
I mentioned this above, but the fact that there's any perceived hierarchy of how to birth a baby is one of the more insidious features of patriarchy--where women are forced to conceive of ourselves in opposition to masculine domination and to promote our "authentic" selves and our "natural" glories. But while we are asserting ourselves as nature goddesses in some misguided second-wave attempt to stand outside the patriarchy, we're playing their game and making their job easier by continuing to use *their* terminology of "natural" and "unnatural," and using that to compete with one another, exactly as the patriarchy wants us to do.
And, of course, then we care about the words because we want to fuck with the patriarchy:)
I had a CS with my first and I have learned to be not only ok with that but happy with it. I was healthy, she was healthy, they put her on my chest immediately, and I BF as soon as we were out of the OR and in recovery. With baby 2, I'm hoping for a VBAC, but not because it's natural or because it's popular or because there is anything wrong with a CS. I want the quicker recovery and I would prefer not to go several weeks before I can pick up my toddler when I'm home alone with both of them. I have my reasons and they have nothing to do with what is or is not natural. Another UO? I take Tylenol for a headache. You better believe I'll opt for all the pain meds in the most painful experience of my life. But IDGAF what the next mom does, as long as it is in the best interest of herself and her baby, I'm all for it! I love that we live in a country with so many options! Home birth? Go for it! Elective CS? By all means! Be your own advocate and do what will make you and your baby happy and healthy. Screw what everyone else says. /rant
My UO is I'm sick of everytime someone gets shot by a cop there just has to be a BLM protest. I am NOT in anyway saying that there aren't dirty cops out there. I'm NOT denying the existence of racism. Those things do exist, but I do not believe they are involved in every incident where someone gets shot by a cop But it just seems like every time without fail there is a protest against the police for doing their jobs. There was a trending story in my FB newsfeed about a 16 year old that was already a suspect in another shooting, who pointed his gun at a cop and got shot. Does every death by cop have to be about race? I mean can't people just accept that just maybe your so called little angel wasn't an angel at all and was an actual criminal? I mean if you are stupid enough to point a gun at a cop, then you should expect to be shot. #sorrynotsorry
I am not sure which 16yo child you're talking about in specific so I can't comment about that, but as to why there are a lot of BLM protests: it's because there is no high-level conspiracy of "crooked cops" that is necessarily targeting young black men - that would be relatively easy to ferret out and drag into the light and condemn. The problem with our current system is that we have a long-standing cultural bias, based on race, that acts subconciously to inform our actions. i.e. otherwise good cops who would never consider themselves racists, do racist things because they are not trained properly/carry those unconscious beliefs of a certain set of people.
So BLM protests are to bring awareness to that and seek fundamental and systematic changes to the system so we have LESS (and then eventually none) incidents of police violence towards the black community.
Not everything is about race, that's true: This is. And though it may seem tiresome or out of hand - the people who organize BLM protests and who work tirelessly to make sure these issues aren't swept under the rug are doing so because their lives and the lives of their loved ones are deeply affected.
Also, it's not that they're protesting against the police doing their jobs - it's how they do their jobs and how they're trained. And there are hella stats to support all this, it's not like it comes from nowhere. To reduce it to "they're bitching about the police doing their jobs!" is to dismiss an entire community's experiences. An entire community. That's a helluva lot of dismissal fwiw.
Also - not so stupid. These are, in a lot of cases, kids. Sure you can make the argument that a 16 year old should know better ... then again, so should the governmental bodies that train our police officers. And those are adults! Not kids.
Good cops doing racist things bc their not trained properly~ What?! I know I'll get flamed for this but I'm not going to be quiet on this issue. The initial shootings that have sparked this nonsense in the first place were justified. Specifically in cases where the officer was put in a position where his weapon was attempted to be taken. Where the "good cop" messed up is he didn't protect himself sooner. BLM (in my area as well as the areas on the news) are spreading hate, looting, wrecking their own neighborhoods, and conveniently only protesting when a civilian is shot by an officer. Wait. When a WHITE officer has shot a BLACK civilian. What about a black officer shooting a white civilian? What about the black officers that are being beaten and shot? Where are the protests then? I've not seen ONE. What BLM protest have you heard/read/seen doesn't have violence, destruction, and hate? THAT'S how they want to make sure their issues aren't swept under the rug??? What about the issue they've now contributed to where cops aren't coming home? Their wives and children are left without husbands and fathers? That's an age old issue that again they're contributing to not creating. So does this mean I get to go loot, beat people, and spread hate bc my husband is out there and I don't want THAT issue swept under the rug? No. Also, what happened when police gave BLM what they wanted and backed out of the neighborhoods?? Crime went up 80% in Maryland. 165 homicides just this year in Chicago and shootings are up 80%. Are there bad cops? Absolutely. Are there bad people in the communities that are affiliated with BLM? Yes. It's not undermining BLM feelings are cop racism. It's "how THEY'RE trained." All lives matter. BLM is gassing the racism issue by segregating themselves in their name and message they send out into the world.
Been married since 2009. Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter) Several MCs DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
I agree it shouldn't matter how the baby got here - in a bathtub, in your yoga pants on the way to the hospital (true story in our family - not me), induction 2 weeks late, or 2 weeks early and emergency C-Section. As long as both mom and child are doing well - what does it matter? Which leads me to UO1 - Birth plans - I so don't get them. People keep asking me about my birth plan - uh do what the dr tells me. I'm a freaking project manager by trade and I don't plan on really deciding anything ahead of time. At the moment I do want to try to go without an epidural - thanks to my ginger-ness I'm blessed with a high pain tolerance but cursed with a low success rate with pain management/Novocaine/anesthesia. With my luck I'd suck up my hatred/fear of needles and get it and it will last all of an hour or only work on one side and I'll still be stuck in bed with a catheter when I just want to walk or stand. But I totally reserve my right to change my mind and power to the people who want it and can get it.
Here's my super UO though that's going to get me lit on fire - I just found out this weekend they disbanded generation y and I have now been re-branded as a millennial and it really bothers me for some reason. True I'm in the "cusp years" bracket - but I just don't relate to millennials. How can you just arbitrarily change the dates and get rid of an entire generation?
@gingerbride26 - Generation Y has been associated with Millennials for a good while now. I was born in '83, so depending on who is classifying Gen-Xers and Millennials, I fall into either group. And honestly, if Gen-Xers start in 1965, I feel like I actually do relate better to the Millennial generation. I was a teenager when the internet came along, chat rooms, cell phones, boy bands, etc. They contributed to who I am today, more so than The Doors and Saturday Night Fever. Are you sure you're not thinking of Generation Z/Post Millennials? The Millennial generation is thought to be optimistic, over-achievers. It's the Gen Z/Post Millennials that are supposed to be entitled and narcissistic.
My UO is I'm sick of everytime someone gets shot by a cop there just has to be a BLM protest. I am NOT in anyway saying that there aren't dirty cops out there. I'm NOT denying the existence of racism. Those things do exist, but I do not believe they are involved in every incident where someone gets shot by a cop But it just seems like every time without fail there is a protest against the police for doing their jobs. There was a trending story in my FB newsfeed about a 16 year old that was already a suspect in another shooting, who pointed his gun at a cop and got shot. Does every death by cop have to be about race? I mean can't people just accept that just maybe your so called little angel wasn't an angel at all and was an actual criminal? I mean if you are stupid enough to point a gun at a cop, then you should expect to be shot. #sorrynotsorry
I am not sure which 16yo child you're talking about in specific so I can't comment about that, but as to why there are a lot of BLM protests: it's because there is no high-level conspiracy of "crooked cops" that is necessarily targeting young black men - that would be relatively easy to ferret out and drag into the light and condemn. The problem with our current system is that we have a long-standing cultural bias, based on race, that acts subconciously to inform our actions. i.e. otherwise good cops who would never consider themselves racists, do racist things because they are not trained properly/carry those unconscious beliefs of a certain set of people.
So BLM protests are to bring awareness to that and seek fundamental and systematic changes to the system so we have LESS (and then eventually none) incidents of police violence towards the black community.
Not everything is about race, that's true: This is. And though it may seem tiresome or out of hand - the people who organize BLM protests and who work tirelessly to make sure these issues aren't swept under the rug are doing so because their lives and the lives of their loved ones are deeply affected.
Also, it's not that they're protesting against the police doing their jobs - it's how they do their jobs and how they're trained. And there are hella stats to support all this, it's not like it comes from nowhere. To reduce it to "they're bitching about the police doing their jobs!" is to dismiss an entire community's experiences. An entire community. That's a helluva lot of dismissal fwiw.
Also - not so stupid. These are, in a lot of cases, kids. Sure you can make the argument that a 16 year old should know better ... then again, so should the governmental bodies that train our police officers. And those are adults! Not kids.
Good cops doing racist things bc their not trained properly~ What?! I know I'll get flamed for this but I'm not going to be quiet on this issue. The initial shootings that have sparked this nonsense in the first place were justified. Specifically in cases where the officer was put in a position where his weapon was attempted to be taken. Where the "good cop" messed up is he didn't protect himself sooner. BLM (in my area as well as the areas on the news) are spreading hate, looting, wrecking their own neighborhoods, and conveniently only protesting when a civilian is shot by an officer. Wait. When a WHITE officer has shot a BLACK civilian. What about a black officer shooting a white civilian? What about the black officers that are being beaten and shot? Where are the protests then? I've not seen ONE. What BLM protest have you heard/read/seen doesn't have violence, destruction, and hate? THAT'S how they want to make sure their issues aren't swept under the rug??? What about the issue they've now contributed to where cops aren't coming home? Their wives and children are left without husbands and fathers? That's an age old issue that again they're contributing to not creating. So does this mean I get to go loot, beat people, and spread hate bc my husband is out there and I don't want THAT issue swept under the rug? No. Also, what happened when police gave BLM what they wanted and backed out of the neighborhoods?? Crime went up 80% in Maryland. 165 homicides just this year in Chicago and shootings are up 80%. Are there bad cops? Absolutely. Are there bad people in the communities that are affiliated with BLM? Yes. It's not undermining BLM feelings are cop racism. It's "how THEY'RE trained." All lives matter. BLM is gassing the racism issue by segregating themselves in their name and message they send out into the world.
This is one of the most racist rants I've ever seen on TB. You really do have your head buried in the sand.
I am on my phone so cannot look up the studies and statistics to refute what you are saying (crime up 80%???) but there IS an inherant problem when the first reaction of police faced with a black suspect is to pull out their gun. And the staggering number of blacks getting shot by police is scary.
Saying all lives matter takes away from the issue and tries to bury it. Yes all lives matter, but the point of BLM is to outline the issues that minorities face. As a white person I don't have to worry about how I walk down the street because a cop might mistake me for a suspect, and am confident if approached by a police officer I wont be treated with suspicion. Sadly I dont think many minorities have that confidence.
Angel baby June 2013, DD born 22 April 2014, BFP 10 Sept 2015 - Due 22 May 2016
This is one of the most racist rants I've ever seen on TB. You really do have your head buried in the sand.
I am on my phone so cannot look up the studies and statistics to refute what you are saying (crime up 80%???) but there IS an inherant problem when the first reaction of police faced with a black suspect is to pull out their gun. And the staggering number of blacks getting shot by police is scary.
Not Maryland as a whole, but shootings in Baltimore DID go up 80% from 2014 to 2015.
@doozer1345 - You didn't read what I said at all, and it was long and sloggish, but I think if you did you would see your points actually don't address what I said. You took issue with bad training/BLMs protesting, and I get it since you seem to have a spouse in law enforcement and that's a tricky situation to see through to look at this objectively. I don't have a spouse in law enforcement and, on the flip side, I come from a group of people that was targeted by immigration authorities and police officers, something which I certainly don't blame police for, but I acknowledge could colour my judgment. That being said: the stats are on my side.
The fact of the matter is this: the reason why we say "Black" Lives Matter as opposed to "All' is that the black community has been traditionally targeted by police enforcement. I shouldn't need to tell you this - this info is widely available and has been for a long time. Between slavery, disenfranchisement (spelling?) of the black community, government housing projects falling into disrepair/white flight from the cities, the education system being bled dry, and an assortment of a lot of other things I can't think of right now because my brain is tired and just wants to get to lunch, the black community has been disproportionately negatively affected. What this means, essentially, and there are studies that back this up - is that a cop is more likely to pull a gun on a black suspect than a white one; a black teenager, especially a boy, is more likely to be shot by a cop; and being black means that the response to anything perceived as less than respect are harsher (see that girl who got body slammed into the pavement for allegedly disrespecting a cop - yes, a girl. As in a child.). In case this wasn't at all clear, and it might not be since I am typing on my phone, we say "black" because though everyone says "all lives matter" - the stats seems to suggest we ought to be reminded every once and while that actually "all" does in fact include "black".
Also, further to that crazy thing you stated about crime going up 80% in Maryland after cops pulled out on the request of BLM ... that's not factual or accurate and also, BLM doesn't ask Cops to pull out of their neighborhoods - having a world without any form of officers is not feasible. What they're asking for is some sort of policy that allows for policy changes that holds cops accountable for their actions ... you know, like all members of society are held accountable for their actions? Like, if a pharmacist changes your medicine without your consent, or a doctor operates on you without telling you, etc.
Also, @kami09 - oh, fuck yes that's racist. Racism is the belief of superiority of one "race" over another based on societal norms/prejudices/history/structures. Saying things like BLM is "nonsense" and quoting stats that are hella wrong that perpetuate those stereotypes - that's racist. Sure, you can colour it whichever you want - say, "Well, it's just a word!" but given the particular ranting over "natural birth" on this board not a day ago, I think we can all agree that words have power, and hiding behind things being all too "PC" now just shows your own privilege of never having been in a position to not appreciate the current trend towards PC. Which, you know - awesome for you! But ... that is only your reality, and it's dismissive and wrong to dismiss others' realities based on what you have experienced in your daily life.
@avidkeo - The city where I'm from, coincidentally, just had a major BLM protest outside of the main police division that has resulted in the police agreeing to stop carding, which - I mean, I'm skeptical, but if they do - I am hella proud of my city!
My UO is I'm sick of everytime someone gets shot by a cop there just has to be a BLM protest. I am NOT in anyway saying that there aren't dirty cops out there. I'm NOT denying the existence of racism. Those things do exist, but I do not believe they are involved in every incident where someone gets shot by a cop But it just seems like every time without fail there is a protest against the police for doing their jobs. There was a trending story in my FB newsfeed about a 16 year old that was already a suspect in another shooting, who pointed his gun at a cop and got shot. Does every death by cop have to be about race? I mean can't people just accept that just maybe your so called little angel wasn't an angel at all and was an actual criminal? I mean if you are stupid enough to point a gun at a cop, then you should expect to be shot. #sorrynotsorry
I am not sure which 16yo child you're talking about in specific so I can't comment about that, but as to why there are a lot of BLM protests: it's because there is no high-level conspiracy of "crooked cops" that is necessarily targeting young black men - that would be relatively easy to ferret out and drag into the light and condemn. The problem with our current system is that we have a long-standing cultural bias, based on race, that acts subconciously to inform our actions. i.e. otherwise good cops who would never consider themselves racists, do racist things because they are not trained properly/carry those unconscious beliefs of a certain set of people.
So BLM protests are to bring awareness to that and seek fundamental and systematic changes to the system so we have LESS (and then eventually none) incidents of police violence towards the black community.
Not everything is about race, that's true: This is. And though it may seem tiresome or out of hand - the people who organize BLM protests and who work tirelessly to make sure these issues aren't swept under the rug are doing so because their lives and the lives of their loved ones are deeply affected.
Also, it's not that they're protesting against the police doing their jobs - it's how they do their jobs and how they're trained. And there are hella stats to support all this, it's not like it comes from nowhere. To reduce it to "they're bitching about the police doing their jobs!" is to dismiss an entire community's experiences. An entire community. That's a helluva lot of dismissal fwiw.
Also - not so stupid. These are, in a lot of cases, kids. Sure you can make the argument that a 16 year old should know better ... then again, so should the governmental bodies that train our police officers. And those are adults! Not kids.
Good cops doing racist things bc their not trained properly~ What?! I know I'll get flamed for this but I'm not going to be quiet on this issue. The initial shootings that have sparked this nonsense in the first place were justified. Specifically in cases where the officer was put in a position where his weapon was attempted to be taken. Where the "good cop" messed up is he didn't protect himself sooner. BLM (in my area as well as the areas on the news) are spreading hate, looting, wrecking their own neighborhoods, and conveniently only protesting when a civilian is shot by an officer. Wait. When a WHITE officer has shot a BLACK civilian. What about a black officer shooting a white civilian? What about the black officers that are being beaten and shot? Where are the protests then? I've not seen ONE. What BLM protest have you heard/read/seen doesn't have violence, destruction, and hate? THAT'S how they want to make sure their issues aren't swept under the rug??? What about the issue they've now contributed to where cops aren't coming home? Their wives and children are left without husbands and fathers? That's an age old issue that again they're contributing to not creating. So does this mean I get to go loot, beat people, and spread hate bc my husband is out there and I don't want THAT issue swept under the rug? No. Also, what happened when police gave BLM what they wanted and backed out of the neighborhoods?? Crime went up 80% in Maryland. 165 homicides just this year in Chicago and shootings are up 80%. Are there bad cops? Absolutely. Are there bad people in the communities that are affiliated with BLM? Yes. It's not undermining BLM feelings are cop racism. It's "how THEY'RE trained." All lives matter. BLM is gassing the racism issue by segregating themselves in their name and message they send out into the world.
This is one of the most racist rants I've ever seen on TB. You really do have your head buried in the sand.
I am on my phone so cannot look up the studies and statistics to refute what you are saying (crime up 80%???) but there IS an inherant problem when the first reaction of police faced with a black suspect is to pull out their gun. And the staggering number of blacks getting shot by police is scary.
Saying all lives matter takes away from the issue and tries to bury it. Yes all lives matter, but the point of BLM is to outline the issues that minorities face. As a white person I don't have to worry about how I walk down the street because a cop might mistake me for a suspect, and am confident if approached by a police officer I wont be treated with suspicion. Sadly I dont think many minorities have that confidence.
I'm certainly not an expert on this subject, but I found myself disappointed and disgusted by the riots and looting that happened in Baltimore and elsewhere in the name of BLM... And annoyed when people argued that it was justified. Maybe I'm just naive, but that seems like such an illogical way to express frustrations with the current state of things.
Yeah, "racist" was the right word for that. Because that's what it was.
I get that people are leery of throwing that word around because in the U.S.A. in 2016 there are few things worse to be accused of than intolerance, but (if possible) step away from focusing on the degree of the perceived slight and look at its nature. Is it racist? Yes. Well there you go then.
And, I mean, we're all racist. It's part of the human condition. I am, you are, everybody is. The most honest thing you can do is not deny that, but recognize it and be mindful of it and try to compensate for the million little ways that seeps into your attitudes and behaviors.
Love the discussion - there was a really good study done by the ivy leagues a few years ago that looked at how being black or having a traditional black name (emphasis on traditional) resulted in being pulled over more often, more convictions, shown less houses when shopping, and not brought in for interviews, even the other variables were controlled.
It was really eye opening as a Caucasian to be confronted with facts regarding privileges I didn't even realized I was given.
In regards to the looting, etc. I hate it when a select few individuals ruin the true reason of the movement, including in Baltimore when the majority of people were protecting their homes and businesses and cleaning up afterwards.
I saw this cartoon and thought it summed up nicely the all lives vs BLM movement.
@avidkeo I don't know where you read anything in my response that was racist but to each his own I guess. @AmmyBelle I don't have a hard time seeing things objectively although knowing I have a spouse in LE would probably cloud someone's judgement on what I say on the issue which is fine. Most of the stats that you're talking about are from news outlets and biased instead of objective. I say all lives matter not as a cop out but bc black people are not the only race that experience racism. I don't agree that a cop is more likely to pull a gun on a black person more so than a white/hispanic/chinese etc person. The stats on that don't take in consideration the environment or situation that is going on. It's bias. Not saying some cops have that mentality and it may be true for some cops but I wouldn't say majority. The Ferguson situation falls into that stat. The kid had his body in the window of the cop car trying to get the officers gun. What would have happened if he had gotten that gun from the officer? Would people have rioted for that officers life? From what you say no bc he was a white cop. For just one article (NY Times) on Maryland stats:https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/after-freddie-gray-death-west-baltimores-police-presence-drops-and-murders-soar.html?_r=0 For just one on Chicago: https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/03/30/chicagos-out-of-control-gun-crime-already-up-84-percent-over-last-year/ here's another one actually:https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-emanuel-fetal-police-met-20151012-story.html I understand bad cops and have met some myself but that doesn't mean they all deserve to have their lives even more at stake bc an organization (BLM) announces on a radio station to make that day a kill a cop day (happened in Nashville if you'd like the article I can send it to you as well). In my belief I think saying all white cops are racist and more inclined to killing black people is just as racist as someone saying all black people or criminals. That's not accurate nor fair.
Been married since 2009. Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter) Several MCs DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Ta-Nehisi Coates had a lot of good stuff about BLM and Baltimore that I'd recommend if anyone wants a more nuanced perspective on that. I'd link to individual pieces but (sort of like BLM itself) it's a messy, complicated story with deep roots in a lot of poisoned soil, and I think to get a full(-ish) understanding you have to try to get as close to the bottom as possible and work up from there.
Otherwise it's just sort of picking an apple off the branch and saying "wow, this is a lousy apple, this tree must suck" without accounting for the soil it grows in or the weather that's damaged it or the worms in the fruit. The simple answer doesn't really get to why things happen, and it surely doesn't help fix them.
I found myself avoiding TB today because last night I saw that the BLM movement was brought up. As one of the very few people of color on this BMB I didn't want to read insults about my culture written by people who have probably taken very little time to listen to or attempt to understand any culture other than their own.
I was so relieved when I finally returned and braved reading what's been said. We may not all agree on every topic, especially on Thursday (which is the point right?), but most of you/us remain respectful of others when sharing your points of view. I have been comforted to see people come to the defense of "others." You could sit back and stay quiet, refuse to rock the boat because the insults aren't directed towards you but, many of you haven't and as the "other" in this scenario I just wanted to say thanks.
I think it was John Oliver (maybe?) who provided a good analogy: By saying "Save the Polar Bears," I'm not saying "F the Spotted Owls." It's just that right now, we have to recognize that there are some serious issues with Polar Bears. I think the same is true with the #BlackLivesMatter movement. There just is no denying the systematic oppression faced by the African-American community and it's time to change it.
@doozer1345 - Out of curiosity, are you going to keep misquoting me? I never said all white cops act racist (though as @Merciel pointed out - because of the cultures we've grown up in, we all have racist tendencies) ... not sure how you could have gotten that out of what I did say. That being said, you're actually wrong when you say "black people are not the only race that experience racism" - or at least, wrong-ish. It's true, black people aren't the only ones who experience negative aspects of racism - Asians, particularly right now Asians from the middle east if you want to visit that UO from way back about Syrian Refugees and Donald Trump, Natives, Latinos, etc. They all experience varying degrees of racism - be it from being denied loans based on their skin colour, being portrayed by white people in movies, or hell, having doctors dismiss their pain (goes doubly, this last one for black women since both women and black americans have been undertreated for pain based on dangerous steeotypes about both). The group that doesn't experience racism is white people - and I know I will get a lot of "reverse-racism" ranting about this - but you guys, that's not a thing. Racism is a systematic opresseion of a race - that means it starts from the bottom and goes all the way to the top - and white people don't experience that level of discrimination. Can a black person be prejudiced against a white person? Yes, of course yes. We're human. Can they be racist against that white person? No - there is a lack of social structures that would turn that prejudice into racism (Actually, I think we also had a UO back when about why discrimination against men is not sexism, which parallels much of this). Can a black person be racist against another black person? Yes. I've watched an episode of Jerry Springer or two, and that was definitely there.
As to your articles (this is why it took so long to respond, I vetted them - even the one from Breitbart) - let's take a closer look.
- The NY Times one about the soaring murder rate in Baltimore. A couple of things: (1) I never denied that having a police presence helps to reduce crime. I specifically said the opposite, but I get it - I wrote a lot, it might have been lost in the details. What I said was that BLM's aim is not to kill cops or have cop-free zones - it's to educate people and put pressure on cop organizations to better understand the issues that are so very real and then train effectively (for example, teach cops to use less deadly force on kids, maybe?). So, it's not exactly applicable to what I was saying. (2) In what world do we live in where police not doing their damn jobs is a cause to further absolve them from repercussions? No seriously - I am completely flummoxed by this "well, we have a job and we show up, we just don't do it." argument that is prevalent in that article - it seems to be a foundation to look critically at the training of police officers and the official responses to things like children being shot down in the streets by authority figures, not an argument for -lessening- awareness of this phenomena? (3) This article.
- The Breitbart article: It uses the NYT articles that have already been criticized by several publications as not being particularly good at the whole journalism thing, and on top of that uses "opinion" as opposed to fact. You can tell because they say things like "Many say...". The truth of the matter is - there is literally nothing here that responds to anything that I've said, they're just a lot of particularly undisguised bias reporting that sells papers/ads
- The Chicago Tribune: See HuffPo article I posted above for why this is problematic. And again - it literally has nothing to do with what I've said. Like ... me saying "BLM is legit and here is why" and listing why it ought to be "black" not "all" and awareness etc is in no way affected by you pointing to a logical increase in crime due to police not actually doing their jobs. I mean ... it's like saying "I'm going to have a girl!" and then someone else responding with "Did you know boys are statistically more likely to go to term!" ... there is literally nothing there.
Totally fine to have an opinion. Totally fine to voice that opinion. What's not cool is talking about your opinion as though it's truth - the truth is that racism happens, it informs the actions of everyone to a degree, and the statistical representation of black kids dying via police is one of those actions and it needs to be addressed - because you can't have a good system of administration where part of the population is afraid to wear a hoodie on their walk back from the store with their skittles.
Yeah, "racist" was the right word for that. Because that's what it was.
I get that people are leery of throwing that word around because in the U.S.A. in 2016 there are few things worse to be accused of than intolerance, but (if possible) step away from focusing on the degree of the perceived slight and look at its nature. Is it racist? Yes. Well there you go then.
And, I mean, we're all racist. It's part of the human condition. I am, you are, everybody is. The most honest thing you can do is not deny that, but recognize it and be mindful of it and try to compensate for the million little ways that seeps into your attitudes and behaviors.
Please quote me where I was racist. I'm curious.
Eta: Ammybelle I didn't mean to quote you
Been married since 2009. Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter) Several MCs DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Do you really want to know or do you want to get defensive about it?
Because if the former, I think it's more helpful to go back and do it as an exercise in self-analysis. Look at every time the argument is structured around attributing specific, negative characteristics or behaviors to "they/them." Consider what characteristics are being attributed and who "they/them" is meant to represent. Further consider what underlying assumptions and logical shortcuts are being taken to reach particular conclusions in the argument, and what attitudes those assumptions might reflect.
@AmmyBelleYou said most white cops are likely to pull a gun on a black person (or kid). Making the point that a white person (or group) is more inclined to do something negative to a black person is insinuating they're racist. That's my interpretation and I may be wrong on that interpretation. I think both sides of the argument are (rightfully) passionate about their stances bc of their belief systems. It's an argument that could go on forever with both of us quoting articles, statistics, and our interpretations of facts on incidents that took/are taking place. I respect and do feel sympathy to those effected by racism whether it be by the hands of a cop or racist asshole. I stand by all lives matter instead of segregating a specific race. Maybe BLM didn't set out to evolve into what it has become (in my area and what is presented in the news) and it's unfortunate when I hear on my local radio for people to kill a cop today in the name of BLM. That's my firsthand reality. Not from the news, articles, stats, etc. I heard it for myself.
Been married since 2009. Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter) Several MCs DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Do you really want to know or do you want to get defensive about it?
Because if the former, I think it's more helpful to go back and do it as an exercise in self-analysis. Look at every time the argument is structured around attributing specific, negative characteristics or behaviors to "they/them." Consider what characteristics are being attributed and who "they/them" is meant to represent. Further consider what underlying assumptions and logical shortcuts are being taken to reach particular conclusions in the argument, and what attitudes those assumptions might reflect.
I'm actually not defensive at all. As I said I am curious. I used "they/them" referring to the group BLM as a whole. We are talking about a group of people. Typically in the english language when referring to a group (in general) using they/them to refer to the group you're talking about is used. I could say the same thing about Ammybelle's arguments using" underlying assumptions and logical shortcuts" but she's talking about cops (which aren't a race) and the argument is about an organization (BLM) vs an organization (law enforcement). So by what you're saying I'm racist and she's discriminatory/prejudice?
Been married since 2009. Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter) Several MCs DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
@doozer1345 - I'm passionate because the stats indicate a particular problem and the response has traditionally not been adequate. Black communities are the most affected - not only in the being shot part, but in the shooters not being taken to task for the shooting - and that is why it's Black Lives Matter - not All Lives Matter. Were the stats to have stated something different, it would be a different conversation. But they don't.
Here's a parallel argument - Currently, we live in a sexist society where women (be they female-born or female-transitioned) are targeted by rapists/sexual harassers/predators. As such, a hashtag was started of #yesallwomen - because it reflects the stats. That is not to say that men (born or trans) do not get targeted for the same treatment, they do. But the overwhelming evidence points to female-identifying people being the targets and so we have a community built on that to raise awareness. To throw up our hands and just say "Well not all men rape, not all women are raped and some women do the raping and some men are the raped! So #yesallpeople" forces the actual issue to lose meaning because it's not addressing the systematic inequality that drives that set of behaviours.
No one wants more death actively. I think, though, there is a danger to distance oneself from ticky-tacky issues to the point where the lives of others no longer carries the weight it should. And it's that fear, I think, that drives more passion for the BLM movement - because to bow under the overwhelming pressure to toe the line and stop questioning, means to allow those lives to go on being uncounted.
No one wants more death actively. I think, though, there is a danger to distance oneself from ticky-tacky issues to the point where the lives of others no longer carries the weight it should. And it's that fear, I think, that drives more passion for the BLM movement - because to bow under the overwhelming pressure to toe the line and stop questioning, means to allow those lives to go on being uncounted.
I agree with this statement completely. I do think officers should absolutely be held accountable in their actions and injustices should be questioned.
Been married since 2009. Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter) Several MCs DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Do you really want to know or do you want to get defensive about it?
Because if the former, I think it's more helpful to go back and do it as an exercise in self-analysis. Look at every time the argument is structured around attributing specific, negative characteristics or behaviors to "they/them." Consider what characteristics are being attributed and who "they/them" is meant to represent. Further consider what underlying assumptions and logical shortcuts are being taken to reach particular conclusions in the argument, and what attitudes those assumptions might reflect.
I'm actually not defensive at all. As I said I am curious. I used "they/them" referring to the group BLM as a whole. We are talking about a group of people. Typically in the english language when referring to a group (in general) using they/them to refer to the group you're talking about is used. I could say the same thing about Ammybelle's arguments using" underlying assumptions and logical shortcuts" but she's talking about cops (which aren't a race) and the argument is about an organization (BLM) vs an organization (law enforcement). So by what you're saying I'm racist and she's discriminatory/prejudice?
Yeah, that's not actually a solid argument, re. me being prejudiced for wanting cops held accountable for their actions. That's just, you know, me wanting the rule of law to continue, in place, strong and managing society.
@doozer1345 I never called you racist but I can tell you why your comments (and anyone else who uses All Lives Matter) offended me, making me feel less than.
All Lives Matter is used because when some see Black Lives Matter they automatically read "white people don't matter." It's sad really, because this one issue isn't about everyone, it's about Black people, and that should be ok. The issue the movement is addressing is the staggering statistics that show that Blacks in America are more likely to be jailed, beaten, or killed during an interaction with police then any other demographic in this country. Not by a little. By a lot. We're also more likely to have police interaction at young ages and receive long term prison sentences. These are FACTS. To deny this or focus on anything other than rectifying this obvious disproportion in our justice system (due to attitudes, beliefs, poor training, and policy) is to place the blame on Black people and say that there is something inherently wrong with us that allows these statistics to be true. Honestly, some of the phrasing you've used in this thread has eluded to your belief that it's Black peoples fault. That's offensive. You think there's something inherently wrong with people who look like me? We set ourselves up to be targets? You honestly believe Black people commit that much more crimes then other racial groups?
Do you really want to know or do you want to get defensive about it?
Because if the former, I think it's more helpful to go back and do it as an exercise in self-analysis. Look at every time the argument is structured around attributing specific, negative characteristics or behaviors to "they/them." Consider what characteristics are being attributed and who "they/them" is meant to represent. Further consider what underlying assumptions and logical shortcuts are being taken to reach particular conclusions in the argument, and what attitudes those assumptions might reflect.
I'm actually not defensive at all. As I said I am curious. I used "they/them" referring to the group BLM as a whole. We are talking about a group of people. Typically in the english language when referring to a group (in general) using they/them to refer to the group you're talking about is used. I could say the same thing about Ammybelle's arguments using" underlying assumptions and logical shortcuts" but she's talking about cops (which aren't a race) and the argument is about an organization (BLM) vs an organization (law enforcement). So by what you're saying I'm racist and she's discriminatory/prejudice?
Yeah, that's not actually a solid argument, re. me being prejudiced for wanting cops held accountable for their actions. That's just, you know, me wanting the rule of law to continue, in place, strong and managing society.
Exactly. My point in saying that was that it's ridiculous to say you're prejudice/discriminatory as well as saying I'm racist by using the words they and them when talking about an organization. It would be racist if I was saying they/them referring to a race of people as if the race was separate from others.
Been married since 2009. Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter) Several MCs DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Re: UO Thursday 4/14
So BLM protests are to bring awareness to that and seek fundamental and systematic changes to the system so we have LESS (and then eventually none) incidents of police violence towards the black community.
Not everything is about race, that's true: This is. And though it may seem tiresome or out of hand - the people who organize BLM protests and who work tirelessly to make sure these issues aren't swept under the rug are doing so because their lives and the lives of their loved ones are deeply affected.
Also, it's not that they're protesting against the police doing their jobs - it's how they do their jobs and how they're trained. And there are hella stats to support all this, it's not like it comes from nowhere. To reduce it to "they're bitching about the police doing their jobs!" is to dismiss an entire community's experiences. An entire community. That's a helluva lot of dismissal fwiw.
Also - not so stupid. These are, in a lot of cases, kids. Sure you can make the argument that a 16 year old should know better ... then again, so should the governmental bodies that train our police officers. And those are adults! Not kids.
I mentioned this above, but the fact that there's any perceived hierarchy of how to birth a baby is one of the more insidious features of patriarchy--where women are forced to conceive of ourselves in opposition to masculine domination and to promote our "authentic" selves and our "natural" glories. But while we are asserting ourselves as nature goddesses in some misguided second-wave attempt to stand outside the patriarchy, we're playing their game and making their job easier by continuing to use *their* terminology of "natural" and "unnatural," and using that to compete with one another, exactly as the patriarchy wants us to do.
And, of course, then we care about the words because we want to fuck with the patriarchy:)
Fuck the patriarchy, stop saying "natural"
I've worked in the violence against women field all of my higher education and career thus far so I agree with you and you said it very well. I guess what I really wonder about isn't why we care about the words, but why we (general we) play into the drama of it. Women divided benefits the patriarchy!
I love this show. I am an engineer and so are most of my friends. Besides the comic books, these really are my people. Amy and Bernadette are FANTASTIC. I can see how people might be offended by Penny's character, but honestly when we end up hanging out with a non sciency/technical person that is exactly what it seems like. I have seen the confused look and the internal thought of "these people are crazy" on several people. I can see how the show might not appeal to everyone, but I definitely don't see it as offensive.
As far as wearing high heels in the field... I think its offensive of the movie writers to depict a woman who is not be prepared to do her job
just kidding, it's a movie 
dinosaurs
BFP 1: 9/15/2013 | DD 5/23/2014
BFP 2: 9/15/2015 | EDD 5/26/2016
BLM (in my area as well as the areas on the news) are spreading hate, looting, wrecking their own neighborhoods, and conveniently only protesting when a civilian is shot by an officer. Wait. When a WHITE officer has shot a BLACK civilian. What about a black officer shooting a white civilian? What about the black officers that are being beaten and shot? Where are the protests then? I've not seen ONE. What BLM protest have you heard/read/seen doesn't have violence, destruction, and hate? THAT'S how they want to make sure their issues aren't swept under the rug??? What about the issue they've now contributed to where cops aren't coming home? Their wives and children are left without husbands and fathers? That's an age old issue that again they're contributing to not creating. So does this mean I get to go loot, beat people, and spread hate bc my husband is out there and I don't want THAT issue swept under the rug? No. Also, what happened when police gave BLM what they wanted and backed out of the neighborhoods?? Crime went up 80% in Maryland. 165 homicides just this year in Chicago and shootings are up 80%.
Are there bad cops? Absolutely. Are there bad people in the communities that are affiliated with BLM? Yes. It's not undermining BLM feelings are cop racism. It's "how THEY'RE trained."
All lives matter. BLM is gassing the racism issue by segregating themselves in their name and message they send out into the world.
Been married since 2009.
Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter)
Several MCs
DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Here's my super UO though that's going to get me lit on fire - I just found out this weekend they disbanded generation y and I have now been re-branded as a millennial and it really bothers me for some reason. True I'm in the "cusp years" bracket - but I just don't relate to millennials. How can you just arbitrarily change the dates and get rid of an entire generation?
I am on my phone so cannot look up the studies and statistics to refute what you are saying (crime up 80%???) but there IS an inherant problem when the first reaction of police faced with a black suspect is to pull out their gun. And the staggering number of blacks getting shot by police is scary.
Saying all lives matter takes away from the issue and tries to bury it. Yes all lives matter, but the point of BLM is to outline the issues that minorities face. As a white person I don't have to worry about how I walk down the street because a cop might mistake me for a suspect, and am confident if approached by a police officer I wont be treated with suspicion. Sadly I dont think many minorities have that confidence.
The fact of the matter is this: the reason why we say "Black" Lives Matter as opposed to "All' is that the black community has been traditionally targeted by police enforcement. I shouldn't need to tell you this - this info is widely available and has been for a long time. Between slavery, disenfranchisement (spelling?) of the black community, government housing projects falling into disrepair/white flight from the cities, the education system being bled dry, and an assortment of a lot of other things I can't think of right now because my brain is tired and just wants to get to lunch, the black community has been disproportionately negatively affected. What this means, essentially, and there are studies that back this up - is that a cop is more likely to pull a gun on a black suspect than a white one; a black teenager, especially a boy, is more likely to be shot by a cop; and being black means that the response to anything perceived as less than respect are harsher (see that girl who got body slammed into the pavement for allegedly disrespecting a cop - yes, a girl. As in a child.). In case this wasn't at all clear, and it might not be since I am typing on my phone, we say "black" because though everyone says "all lives matter" - the stats seems to suggest we ought to be reminded every once and while that actually "all" does in fact include "black".
Also, further to that crazy thing you stated about crime going up 80% in Maryland after cops pulled out on the request of BLM ... that's not factual or accurate and also, BLM doesn't ask Cops to pull out of their neighborhoods - having a world without any form of officers is not feasible. What they're asking for is some sort of policy that allows for policy changes that holds cops accountable for their actions ... you know, like all members of society are held accountable for their actions? Like, if a pharmacist changes your medicine without your consent, or a doctor operates on you without telling you, etc.
Also, @kami09 - oh, fuck yes that's racist. Racism is the belief of superiority of one "race" over another based on societal norms/prejudices/history/structures. Saying things like BLM is "nonsense" and quoting stats that are hella wrong that perpetuate those stereotypes - that's racist. Sure, you can colour it whichever you want - say, "Well, it's just a word!" but given the particular ranting over "natural birth" on this board not a day ago, I think we can all agree that words have power, and hiding behind things being all too "PC" now just shows your own privilege of never having been in a position to not appreciate the current trend towards PC. Which, you know - awesome for you! But ... that is only your reality, and it's dismissive and wrong to dismiss others' realities based on what you have experienced in your daily life.
@avidkeo - The city where I'm from, coincidentally, just had a major BLM protest outside of the main police division that has resulted in the police agreeing to stop carding, which - I mean, I'm skeptical, but if they do - I am hella proud of my city!
I get that people are leery of throwing that word around because in the U.S.A. in 2016 there are few things worse to be accused of than intolerance, but (if possible) step away from focusing on the degree of the perceived slight and look at its nature. Is it racist? Yes. Well there you go then.
And, I mean, we're all racist. It's part of the human condition. I am, you are, everybody is. The most honest thing you can do is not deny that, but recognize it and be mindful of it and try to compensate for the million little ways that seeps into your attitudes and behaviors.
It was really eye opening as a Caucasian to be confronted with facts regarding privileges I didn't even realized I was given.
In regards to the looting, etc. I hate it when a select few individuals ruin the true reason of the movement, including in Baltimore when the majority of people were protecting their homes and businesses and cleaning up afterwards.
I saw this cartoon and thought it summed up nicely the all lives vs BLM movement.
@AmmyBelle I don't have a hard time seeing things objectively although knowing I have a spouse in LE would probably cloud someone's judgement on what I say on the issue which is fine. Most of the stats that you're talking about are from news outlets and biased instead of objective. I say all lives matter not as a cop out but bc black people are not the only race that experience racism. I don't agree that a cop is more likely to pull a gun on a black person more so than a white/hispanic/chinese etc person. The stats on that don't take in consideration the environment or situation that is going on. It's bias. Not saying some cops have that mentality and it may be true for some cops but I wouldn't say majority. The Ferguson situation falls into that stat. The kid had his body in the window of the cop car trying to get the officers gun. What would have happened if he had gotten that gun from the officer? Would people have rioted for that officers life? From what you say no bc he was a white cop. For just one article (NY Times) on Maryland stats:https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/after-freddie-gray-death-west-baltimores-police-presence-drops-and-murders-soar.html?_r=0
For just one on Chicago: https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/03/30/chicagos-out-of-control-gun-crime-already-up-84-percent-over-last-year/ here's another one actually:https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-emanuel-fetal-police-met-20151012-story.html
I understand bad cops and have met some myself but that doesn't mean they all deserve to have their lives even more at stake bc an organization (BLM) announces on a radio station to make that day a kill a cop day (happened in Nashville if you'd like the article I can send it to you as well). In my belief I think saying all white cops are racist and more inclined to killing black people is just as racist as someone saying all black people or criminals. That's not accurate nor fair.
Been married since 2009.
Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter)
Several MCs
DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Otherwise it's just sort of picking an apple off the branch and saying "wow, this is a lousy apple, this tree must suck" without accounting for the soil it grows in or the weather that's damaged it or the worms in the fruit. The simple answer doesn't really get to why things happen, and it surely doesn't help fix them.
I was so relieved when I finally returned and braved reading what's been said. We may not all agree on every topic, especially on Thursday (which is the point right?), but most of you/us remain respectful of others when sharing your points of view. I have been comforted to see people come to the defense of "others." You could sit back and stay quiet, refuse to rock the boat because the insults aren't directed towards you but, many of you haven't and as the "other" in this scenario I just wanted to say thanks.
DD: 05/14/16
DS: Born 5-17-16
As to your articles (this is why it took so long to respond, I vetted them - even the one from Breitbart) - let's take a closer look.
- The NY Times one about the soaring murder rate in Baltimore. A couple of things: (1) I never denied that having a police presence helps to reduce crime. I specifically said the opposite, but I get it - I wrote a lot, it might have been lost in the details. What I said was that BLM's aim is not to kill cops or have cop-free zones - it's to educate people and put pressure on cop organizations to better understand the issues that are so very real and then train effectively (for example, teach cops to use less deadly force on kids, maybe?). So, it's not exactly applicable to what I was saying. (2) In what world do we live in where police not doing their damn jobs is a cause to further absolve them from repercussions? No seriously - I am completely flummoxed by this "well, we have a job and we show up, we just don't do it." argument that is prevalent in that article - it seems to be a foundation to look critically at the training of police officers and the official responses to things like children being shot down in the streets by authority figures, not an argument for -lessening- awareness of this phenomena? (3) This article.
- The Breitbart article: It uses the NYT articles that have already been criticized by several publications as not being particularly good at the whole journalism thing, and on top of that uses "opinion" as opposed to fact. You can tell because they say things like "Many say...". The truth of the matter is - there is literally nothing here that responds to anything that I've said, they're just a lot of particularly undisguised bias reporting that sells papers/ads
- The Chicago Tribune: See HuffPo article I posted above for why this is problematic. And again - it literally has nothing to do with what I've said. Like ... me saying "BLM is legit and here is why" and listing why it ought to be "black" not "all" and awareness etc is in no way affected by you pointing to a logical increase in crime due to police not actually doing their jobs. I mean ... it's like saying "I'm going to have a girl!" and then someone else responding with "Did you know boys are statistically more likely to go to term!" ... there is literally nothing there.
Totally fine to have an opinion. Totally fine to voice that opinion. What's not cool is talking about your opinion as though it's truth - the truth is that racism happens, it informs the actions of everyone to a degree, and the statistical representation of black kids dying via police is one of those actions and it needs to be addressed - because you can't have a good system of administration where part of the population is afraid to wear a hoodie on their walk back from the store with their skittles.
Eta: Ammybelle I didn't mean to quote you
Been married since 2009.
Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter)
Several MCs
DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Because if the former, I think it's more helpful to go back and do it as an exercise in self-analysis. Look at every time the argument is structured around attributing specific, negative characteristics or behaviors to "they/them." Consider what characteristics are being attributed and who "they/them" is meant to represent. Further consider what underlying assumptions and logical shortcuts are being taken to reach particular conclusions in the argument, and what attitudes those assumptions might reflect.
Been married since 2009.
Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter)
Several MCs
DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Been married since 2009.
Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter)
Several MCs
DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
Here's a parallel argument - Currently, we live in a sexist society where women (be they female-born or female-transitioned) are targeted by rapists/sexual harassers/predators. As such, a hashtag was started of #yesallwomen - because it reflects the stats. That is not to say that men (born or trans) do not get targeted for the same treatment, they do. But the overwhelming evidence points to female-identifying people being the targets and so we have a community built on that to raise awareness. To throw up our hands and just say "Well not all men rape, not all women are raped and some women do the raping and some men are the raped! So #yesallpeople" forces the actual issue to lose meaning because it's not addressing the systematic inequality that drives that set of behaviours.
No one wants more death actively. I think, though, there is a danger to distance oneself from ticky-tacky issues to the point where the lives of others no longer carries the weight it should. And it's that fear, I think, that drives more passion for the BLM movement - because to bow under the overwhelming pressure to toe the line and stop questioning, means to allow those lives to go on being uncounted.
Been married since 2009.
Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter)
Several MCs
DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)
All Lives Matter is used because when some see Black Lives Matter they automatically read "white people don't matter." It's sad really, because this one issue isn't about everyone, it's about Black people, and that should be ok. The issue the movement is addressing is the staggering statistics that show that Blacks in America are more likely to be jailed, beaten, or killed during an interaction with police then any other demographic in this country. Not by a little. By a lot. We're also more likely to have police interaction at young ages and receive long term prison sentences. These are FACTS. To deny this or focus on anything other than rectifying this obvious disproportion in our justice system (due to attitudes, beliefs, poor training, and policy) is to place the blame on Black people and say that there is something inherently wrong with us that allows these statistics to be true. Honestly, some of the phrasing you've used in this thread has eluded to your belief that it's Black peoples fault. That's offensive. You think there's something inherently wrong with people who look like me? We set ourselves up to be targets? You honestly believe Black people commit that much more crimes then other racial groups?
DD: 05/14/16
Been married since 2009.
Unicornuate Uterus (yes I menstruate glitter)
Several MCs
DD born 2013 (our miracle "you can't have babies" baby!)