Taking a Knee - Now What?

I'd say that the message trying to be sent, whether completely understood by all or not, has indeed effectively been sent, and that maybe the time has come to move past this "controversial, and disrespectful to some" way of protesting, and get down to some diplomatic, and fruitful discussions regarding racial equality with the hopes that through it all our country can move forward in a fair and progressive way regarding it.

How... you might ask?

Good question.

Social media has proved to be largely too volatile in many incidences as diplomacy often gets interrupted by a vastly negative mentality of faceless posters (but at the same time, for better or for worse, it does more accurately measure real attitudes that some might not express if not done so anonymously).

While we've become a nation more and more divided regarding which network reports the news fakely or fairly, TV is still an extremely effective medium to reach the masses.

No doubt it would be a rather serious TV program, and while I'm just attempting to brainstorm (so I don't really know if this is the answer), but what if a weekly hour long prime-time program was started with an ever changing panel to honestly discuss and address racial attitudes and national divisiveness in our country with sensible moderators that carefully made certain that the temperature of the show remained diplomatic, but interesting and civil enough that the masses would be attracted to watching with the hopes and goal to help move this country more civilly and sensibly forward?

If not that exactly, I'd be interested in hearing any ideas that people have regarding just how we can begin to lesson the divide of this country, and massively help attitudes move to where the majority of us can all agree that fairness and civility, while always having been important, is even more so crucial now than ever before if we as a country are to finally get past all of the arguing, and move forward towards a more positive and peaceful culture.

This might all sound too optimistically idealistic, but changes can indeed come when desire and effort are put forth. I'll compare this sentiment with taking a neighborhood of boarded up blighted properties that seem to not have any hope of a positive future, and with vision and concerted effort seeing these buildings once again having new spectacular life. It might not have seemed possible, but now just look at how wonderful they are.

Can this be our country, or is it just wishful thinking?

Quit blaming problems on everyone else and stop disrespecting the flag.

There will never be a time where there will be no bigotry on this planet as long as a human being is alive. As much as things have improved in my 59 years of living some things still remain the same. I can still remember growing up in St. Louis and going through Ferguson and having to sit in a car a certain way or act a certain way because my older brothers and parents warned me about the police. This was almost 50 years ago and we still see some of the same problems existing today.

Dialogue would be great and help to heal some of the divides in this nation but bigotry will never be completely stamped out. One reason is we are so ready to blame and quickly denounce someone for acting on their rights guaranteed under the US Constitution without trying to understand what is causing them to protest.

I posted another thread about the letter Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King wrote while in a Birmingham jail. A letter from a Birmingham Jail. I suggest everyone take the time to read it. It was written in 1963 and it is so apropos for this time also.

Coming to turns with our nation's dirty little past is awkward and uncomfortable for many folks who look like me. It's high time we confront it head on. I wish I was more optimistic we could heal the racial divide. But when the flames of racism are fanned from the top down, its hard to see light through all of the darkness.

"There are weapons that are simple thoughts , attitudes, prejudices , to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy...The pity of it is, these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone. "

--- Rod Serling

Quit blaming problems on everyone else and stop disrespecting the flag.

That's a start.

The theme of the thread is to do actually what you're suggesting, and to move past the "flag" issue, and aim at mending our nation.

I agree that people need to take responsibility for their actions, but what I guess I'm hoping for within this thread are suggestions of what might be effective large scale ways that can help this country come together.

All thoughts are welcome, and thanks for getting the ball rolling.

Get more minority's to be police officers.

Coming to turns with our nation's dirty little past is awkward and uncomfortable for many folks who look like me. It's high time we confront it head on. I wish I was more optimistic we could heal the racial divide. But when the flames of racism are fanned from the top down, its hard to see light through all of the darkness.

 

 

"There are weapons that are simple thoughts , attitudes, prejudices , to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy...The pity of it is, these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone. "

 

--- Rod Serling

I think that's a problem some don't feel we have. No one alive was a slave and as far as I know it there are more opportunities for minority's than ever before. We have had a black president and many minority's are in politics and a lot of of minority's are very successful.

But I as do many get tired of the race card every single time something happens. Not everything is about race, but that seems to be the agenda for some.

All I read is white privalege and how all whites are racist.

Berkley prevents free speech and your a racist if you like Trump.

But if you kneel for the Flag you suddenly become a patriot and social justice warrior and a hero.

Amazing that some didn't want to protest or take a knee but put into a situation where if they didn't they were looked at as a bad teammate.

Not everyone believes in the cause of whatever they think the cause is.

I think that's a problem some don't feel we have. No one alive was a slave and as far as I know it there are more opportunities for minority's than ever before. We have had a black president and many minority's are in politics and a lot of of minority's are very successful.

 

But I as do many get tired of the race card every single time something happens. Not everything is about race, but that seems to be the agenda for some.

 

All I read is white privalege and how all whites are racist.

 

Berkley prevents free speech and your a racist if you like Trump.

 

But if you kneel for the Flag you suddenly become a patriot and social justice warrior and a hero.

It isn't about taking a knee, the anthem or the flag. It is about clearly racist view points being changed and white America coming to grips with their feelings on actual equality.

Your post does an EXCELLENT job expressing why those things are so important in making even slight progress. Thanks...

I think that's a problem some don't feel we have. No one alive was a slave and as far as I know it there are more opportunities for minority's than ever before. We have had a black president and many minority's are in politics and a lot of of minority's are very successful.

 

But I as do many get tired of the race card every single time something happens. Not everything is about race, but that seems to be the agenda for some.

 

All I read is white privalege and how all whites are racist.

 

Berkley prevents free speech and your a racist if you like Trump.

 

But if you kneel for the Flag you suddenly become a patriot and social justice warrior and a hero.

The issue here is it seems like people are so quick to paint with a broad brush. I've never seen anyone claim ALL whites are racist. All I see is people speaking out wanting to create dialogue, but then many jumping in and switching the focus and refusing to listen to what the folks protesting are saying. We work so hard to say there isn't a problem. Just listen to things with an open mind. Stop painting with a broad brush. Don't try to tell someone how they should feel, or what they are experiencing isn't happening.

In line with the dialogue @B-Ball-fan asks for, I would suggest that a place to start is to ask the question of whether the police target African-Americans and are more likely to unjustly shoot an African-American in comparison to other races. This seems to be the underlying reason for the protest started by Kap.

The suggested TV program could examine the several shootings that the media wove together into a narrative to show that the police are unjustly shooting African-American males. Do those several incidences, after undergoing thorough investigation by the Barack Obama, Eric Holder justice department, support the allegation?

"Hands up, don't shoot" is that really what happened? When you look at each incident individually and determine what actually happened, where does the evidence lead? Does it tell a collective story of common injustice or does it show that each incidence stands on its own? Was the action of the police officer a justified response to the behavior of the individual? Or was the action of the officer blameworthy? If blameworthy, was it racially motivated, intentional in some way, or was it the result of a terrible mistake committed in the moment, human error, if you will (which is punishable)? Truth must be the objective in this investigation. Supporting a narrative, making a political point, etc. is totally unacceptable. We need the truth, demonstrable truth, in order to persuade the public towards an effective and equitable solution.

Without the truth, we will cling to our biases. We will either deny that there is any serious or systemic racism that underlies the issues or we will falsely assume there is and not put the blame and the responsibility for change where it belongs. I think there is large disagreement on the answer to these questions so let's start by asking them and finding honest answers.

I got nuthin. Except to say that I went to school with many Black , White, Hispanic and Asian students whose daddies were away at war for long periods of time. I went to school with many Black, White, Hispanic and Aisian students whose daddies came home injured or did not come home at all. Our flag represents our Soldiers, our Veterans, our Missing in Action and all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, regardless of their race. Please do not disrespect those who gave all--Black, Hispanic, White, Asian, to promote your own agenda.

We were set back 100 years in the last 10 years in racial relations. There isn’t just a switch to flip to fix it. We have seen bad leadership by multiple parties.

We were set back 100 years in the last 10 years in racial relations. There isn’t just a switch to flip to fix it. We have seen bad leadership by multiple parties.

100 years? Are we using lynch mobs again? We bringing back separate water fountains?

We're having discussions that were never had 100 years ago. They never could have been had.

If 60 black men had taken a knee in front of the American flag during the national anthem 100 years ago, they'd have been beaten to death and nobody would've batted an eye.

Race relations on a national level still need work but are far from the worst they've ever been in this country because formerly voiceless people actually have a voice in discussions about those relations.

We complain about the injustice in our country. For the first time ever, Saudi Arabian women will be allowed to drive.