All Lives Matter
Some Auburn students (and other universities) decided to take a protest against the Ferguson trial outcome. They laid on the ground for 4.5 minutes in protest of the 4.5 hours that Michael Brown was in the street after the shooting. In Ferguson people burned businesses, homes, cars, and looted stores of their goods. Around the country people did the same thing in other places.
Here's my problem with all these protests and signs of "black lives matter": all lives matter.
There's been lots in the media recently of how unarmed black men are killed every so many hours, and that people are asking "am I the next one?" to be shot and killed because of their actions.
Ok, here's where my issue occurs with these signs and statements. What about the babies that are killed EVERY single day, the people dying in foreign countries under oppressive leaders and in slavery (like the people building the soccer stadium in Qatar, not to mention other places, like North Korea, etc.), the soldiers who sacrifice their lives daily, and those who are sold in the sex slave trade in Atlanta, and other places around the US.
Where is the outrage for these lives?
A white girls' life matters when she is used up from a young age for sex, just as much as any black man's, a soldier's, and an unborn baby's, and of course anyone else of any other ethnicity or background.
Where is the uproar about those lives being lost?
My problem with all the media attention about the Ferguson case is that there are other cases that deserve attention, like Gil Collar for example. All lives matter, I understand sometimes misunderstandings happen, however, each individual took part in activities that led to unfortunate ends.
I'm not going to recap what happened in each instance, you are clearly sitting at a computer and can do your own homework about the different cases. However, in each case there is a trigger or catalyst that begins the unfortunate events that happen, in Gil's case it was LSD, in Michael's it was robbing a convenience store.
Before people go nuts here, BOTH ACTIONS WERE ILLEGAL. Robbery is illegal; LSD is also illegal. Decisions have consequences, just like driving drunk can end with a DUI or arrest. I could list other things that seem harmless but can have horrific ends. Illegal is illegal.
I'd like everyone to remember for a moment when Chris Brown got away with beating Rihanna to the point of going to the ER and he only got 5 years probation and 1,400 hours of community service. I'd like you to think, he's rich, black, and got off easy. I'm more than willing to admit there are HUGE flaws in our justice system. Rich people with influence don't pay for the crimes that they commit because they have lawyers who know how to play the game. Sometimes our justice system fails. It's a horrible thing and it's a shame. But I'm tired of seeing the "#crimingwhilewhite" because I'm pretty sure that people of every color get away with crimes.
I'm not saying that the peaceful protests are bad, there does need to be a reform in the justice system for sure. I don't think it should happen, however, with how people want it to happen with violence and accusing one color or another of crimes. But that won't happen until there's a mentality change. I saw the poster along the lines of "do black lives only matter on football game days and then we go back to being thugs?" I was appalled. No, we do not see black men as the heart and soul of the football team and then treat them differently Sunday through Friday. If you haven't been on a college campus recently most football players are treated with respect and get special treatment, like a top four teams quarterback has been given easy outs ALL year (Jameis Winston). Video proof of robbery, saying horrific things in public of a sexual nature which could be classified as sexual harassment, oh and did we forget about that rape charge, or is it because he could be going to the National Championship we don't want to talk about that? I won't throw FSU completely under the bus, however; the police and the university should've taken a more active stand against him.
A horrible transition but that's ok, Chris Rock did a hysterical video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8) about how to not get your ass kicked by a police officer. (also not for little ears, funny but not for little ears). It is humorous, yet has huge social impact. He makes jokes but has so much truth to his simple video.
Lots of conflicts could be avoided by simply obeying the laws that are set out for us. SHOCKER RIGHT? That laws sometimes suck, like speed limits, but I know sometimes taking the extra time to get somewhere safely is better than getting there in record time.
So here's where this whole thing is gonna be wrapped up really nicely in a little short paragraph. Ready?
All lives matter. Obeying the laws --at all levels from citizens to government officials-- set forth by the country can avoid these horrible tragedies. Peaceful protests are good, however, burning, looting, and destruction of a city is not the way to achieve change. Some of these laws need to change, and we need social reform in our justice system. So before you post something or you're just trying to get on the coat tails of a movement that sounds "good" for social change, do the research behind it and then take a stand. This will do you far better later on than just saying "I PARTICIPATED IN SOCIAL JUSTICE!" So be smart about your stances of social justice, not just jump on and say "I TRIED TO MAKE CHANGE!"
Here's my problem with all these protests and signs of "black lives matter": all lives matter.
There's been lots in the media recently of how unarmed black men are killed every so many hours, and that people are asking "am I the next one?" to be shot and killed because of their actions.
Ok, here's where my issue occurs with these signs and statements. What about the babies that are killed EVERY single day, the people dying in foreign countries under oppressive leaders and in slavery (like the people building the soccer stadium in Qatar, not to mention other places, like North Korea, etc.), the soldiers who sacrifice their lives daily, and those who are sold in the sex slave trade in Atlanta, and other places around the US.
Where is the outrage for these lives?
A white girls' life matters when she is used up from a young age for sex, just as much as any black man's, a soldier's, and an unborn baby's, and of course anyone else of any other ethnicity or background.
Where is the uproar about those lives being lost?
My problem with all the media attention about the Ferguson case is that there are other cases that deserve attention, like Gil Collar for example. All lives matter, I understand sometimes misunderstandings happen, however, each individual took part in activities that led to unfortunate ends.
I'm not going to recap what happened in each instance, you are clearly sitting at a computer and can do your own homework about the different cases. However, in each case there is a trigger or catalyst that begins the unfortunate events that happen, in Gil's case it was LSD, in Michael's it was robbing a convenience store.
Before people go nuts here, BOTH ACTIONS WERE ILLEGAL. Robbery is illegal; LSD is also illegal. Decisions have consequences, just like driving drunk can end with a DUI or arrest. I could list other things that seem harmless but can have horrific ends. Illegal is illegal.
I'd like everyone to remember for a moment when Chris Brown got away with beating Rihanna to the point of going to the ER and he only got 5 years probation and 1,400 hours of community service. I'd like you to think, he's rich, black, and got off easy. I'm more than willing to admit there are HUGE flaws in our justice system. Rich people with influence don't pay for the crimes that they commit because they have lawyers who know how to play the game. Sometimes our justice system fails. It's a horrible thing and it's a shame. But I'm tired of seeing the "#crimingwhilewhite" because I'm pretty sure that people of every color get away with crimes.
I'm not saying that the peaceful protests are bad, there does need to be a reform in the justice system for sure. I don't think it should happen, however, with how people want it to happen with violence and accusing one color or another of crimes. But that won't happen until there's a mentality change. I saw the poster along the lines of "do black lives only matter on football game days and then we go back to being thugs?" I was appalled. No, we do not see black men as the heart and soul of the football team and then treat them differently Sunday through Friday. If you haven't been on a college campus recently most football players are treated with respect and get special treatment, like a top four teams quarterback has been given easy outs ALL year (Jameis Winston). Video proof of robbery, saying horrific things in public of a sexual nature which could be classified as sexual harassment, oh and did we forget about that rape charge, or is it because he could be going to the National Championship we don't want to talk about that? I won't throw FSU completely under the bus, however; the police and the university should've taken a more active stand against him.
A horrible transition but that's ok, Chris Rock did a hysterical video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8) about how to not get your ass kicked by a police officer. (also not for little ears, funny but not for little ears). It is humorous, yet has huge social impact. He makes jokes but has so much truth to his simple video.
Lots of conflicts could be avoided by simply obeying the laws that are set out for us. SHOCKER RIGHT? That laws sometimes suck, like speed limits, but I know sometimes taking the extra time to get somewhere safely is better than getting there in record time.
So here's where this whole thing is gonna be wrapped up really nicely in a little short paragraph. Ready?
All lives matter. Obeying the laws --at all levels from citizens to government officials-- set forth by the country can avoid these horrible tragedies. Peaceful protests are good, however, burning, looting, and destruction of a city is not the way to achieve change. Some of these laws need to change, and we need social reform in our justice system. So before you post something or you're just trying to get on the coat tails of a movement that sounds "good" for social change, do the research behind it and then take a stand. This will do you far better later on than just saying "I PARTICIPATED IN SOCIAL JUSTICE!" So be smart about your stances of social justice, not just jump on and say "I TRIED TO MAKE CHANGE!"
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