A New World?

This week’s post will be one you’re not used to seeing from me. I try to avoid anything confrontational, because…well…I’m a coward. I really don’t want to “listen” to rantings or put up with extremely negative/insulting comments. On the upside, since I have to approve each comment on the blog, you won’t have to read them. But I’m going out on a limb here and hoping we can have a rational discussion about what’s happening now.

What happened to George Floyd was heartbreaking. Because he was Black? No. Because he was a human being. Do Black lives matter? Duh! Of course, they do. But all lives matter. From most statistical accounts, “cop killings” of Black individuals make up about 24%, but Blacks make up only 13% of the population. Does that mean that cops are racist? Not necessarily. I don’t think you can jump to that conclusion unless you also have statistics showing the percentage of Blacks involved in crimes.

There are too many unknowns about the whole situation to make any kind of an informed decision. But I know one thing. ALL policemen/women are NOT racist. Why do some people lump them all together and assume since one may be racist, all are? The overwhelming majority of police personnel are caring human beings who took the job and stay in it because they want to help and protect people. The overwhelming majority of them are as heartbroken about what happened as everyone else is. So, STOP!

Stop letting your legitimate concerns about what happened to Mr. Floyd become corrupted by a bunch of idiots with a different agenda than yours. Do you honestly think anyone is going to take you seriously when you’re destroying America? The answer doesn’t lie in looting, vandalism, rioting, and shooting the very people you call on to protect you. The answer goes much deeper than that. It’s found in the Bible, if you’d care to look, and we could all use a lesson in love. But destroying businesses that provide employment to the very people you profess to want to uplift just doesn’t pass the giggle test.

Let’s do a little statistical exercise. According to the FBI’s murder statistics for 2016, there were 2,870 Black victims, killed by 243 White offenders (8%) and 2,570 Black offenders (86%). (FYI—These appear to be the most recent comprehensive statistics they’ve published.) Another source states that “from 1976 to 2005, 94 percent of black victims were killed by other African Americans.”

I have a question. If Black lives matter, then why is no one protesting that? Where are the protests about the shooting of David Dorn, a 77-year old retired policeman gunned down during a “protest” in St. Louis? He was Black. Doesn’t he count? The policemen involved in Mr. Floyd’s death are under arrest, yet people are still shouting “Justice for George.” What do they want?

The whole subject has steered from a “Justice for George” platform into a racial discrimination platform. Every time I hear the words “White Privilege” I want to know what privilege they’re talking about. We were so poor growing up that we lived in a rental house with a big red “X” on it, condemned by the city. At one time, the only food in the house was a pot of pinto beans the neighbor lady brought over. She was Black, btw. Not that her ethnicity matters, but it does illustrate that love is (or should be) color blind.

Bottom line is that racism may exist in the U.S. but using it as a crutch to explain why you’re where you’re at is wrong. You’re better than the color of your skin. You’re better than your environment. It’s every bit as much your responsibility to take control of your own future as it is the government’s. And, really, do we want them that much in our lives? I don’t. I worked my butt off to rise above my background. No, I never faced racism. But sexism? I could write a book on how much I’ve faced in my life. And yet, I didn’t use it as an excuse for failure. I used it as the fuel for turning my life around and proving “them” wrong.

You don’t have to destroy America to make your point. We get it. But if you want us to hear you, then stop yelling, stop looting, stop rioting, and talk. Calmly and rationally. We’re as hurt as you are about what happened to Mr. Floyd, but some of us are also deeply hurt about Mr. Dorn and the thousands of other Blacks that are killed for absolutely no valid reason. Yes, Black lives matter. But until we start realizing that ALL lives matter, we’re just trading one problem for another. Pretty sure that’s not what God intended or wants. Nor is it a world I want to live in or watch my beautiful great grandchildren grow up in.