I am not much for politics and do not all that often that often voice my opinions [in public at least]. I have never voted, either back in the UK or since coming to the US, there has never really been anyone I would want to vote for and personally I think anyone who actually wants power has a fatal character flaw that makes them singularly unsuitable to hold power but that is just me. That said this morning I awoke to news of a tragedy in the city I call home, Dallas, and for once I feel obliged to opine.
There is rightful outrage across this country at what seem often times to be unjust shooting deaths of blacks by police; in this age of social media and instant coverage there have been many cases that seemingly cannot be argued, the cell phone footage is too damning, and where the actions of individual police officers were unjust even given the fact they have to make life and death decisions in an instant [and most of us, myself included, do not have, and never will have, the slightest idea of what it is like to try to do that].
I have never lost someone to violence so I guess many would say I do not know what I am talking about - perhaps they are right - but I would like to think that even in what must be the darkest moments of a life I would be able to recognize that randomly targeting a "group" for the ill deeds of an individual cannot be the right thing to do. Personally I do not see the sense in revenge on the individual either, those lost are not returned as a result of it so what is the gain, but at least I can see some sort of perverse logic there.
If someone on my street shoots a friend or family member would it make sense for me then to target everyone on my street? If a car hits my car and kills or injures a family member would I then be justified in seeking to take action against all car drivers; of course not, everyone would see that as insane.
There is good and bad in every group be those groups defined by geography, color, religion, race or anything else for that matter; to think otherwise is not to think at all.
"Stealing" from several different tweets this morning:
There is rightful outrage across this country at what seem often times to be unjust shooting deaths of blacks by police; in this age of social media and instant coverage there have been many cases that seemingly cannot be argued, the cell phone footage is too damning, and where the actions of individual police officers were unjust even given the fact they have to make life and death decisions in an instant [and most of us, myself included, do not have, and never will have, the slightest idea of what it is like to try to do that].
I have never lost someone to violence so I guess many would say I do not know what I am talking about - perhaps they are right - but I would like to think that even in what must be the darkest moments of a life I would be able to recognize that randomly targeting a "group" for the ill deeds of an individual cannot be the right thing to do. Personally I do not see the sense in revenge on the individual either, those lost are not returned as a result of it so what is the gain, but at least I can see some sort of perverse logic there.
If someone on my street shoots a friend or family member would it make sense for me then to target everyone on my street? If a car hits my car and kills or injures a family member would I then be justified in seeking to take action against all car drivers; of course not, everyone would see that as insane.
There is good and bad in every group be those groups defined by geography, color, religion, race or anything else for that matter; to think otherwise is not to think at all.
"Stealing" from several different tweets this morning:
- All Cops are not bad
- All African Americans are not thugs
- All Hispanics are not illegal
- All Whites are not racist
- All Muslims are not terrorists
- Labels are for clothes not people
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