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Is it wrong to think this way...

Is it wrong to think this way?

  • Yes, you are absolutely wrong to think this way.

    Votes: 1 11.1%

  • Yes it is wrong, but I can understand why you did.

    Votes: 4 44.4%

  • No, it makes perfect sense to be concerned given current events.

    Votes: 3 33.3%

  • No, but you're pushing it.

    Votes: 1 11.1%

  • Other/Tater Salad - please explain or give a good tater salad recipe.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    9
  • Poll closed .
Beaudreaux

Beaudreaux

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This happened right down the road from my house today. Is it wrong for me to have one of the first things that goes through my mind when hearing about this officer involved shooting and death on local radio and then local news breaking into normal shows... "God I hope he was white." I'm not sure yet whether he's white, black, Hispanic or whatever. There's been no official announcement, but a leaked photo of EMS carrying the stretcher with him on it looked like he may have been white, but it was hard to tell for sure because of the blood.

Man dead after officer-involved shooting in Gaston County, police say
 
Beaudreaux said:
This happened right down the road from my house today. Is it wrong for me to have one of the first things that goes through my mind when hearing about this officer involved shooting and death on local radio and then local news breaking into normal shows... "God I hope he was white." I'm not sure yet whether he's white, black, Hispanic or whatever. There's been no official announcement, but a leaked photo of EMS carrying the stretcher with him on it looked like he may have been white, but it was hard to tell for sure because of the blood.

Man dead after officer-involved shooting in Gaston County, police say
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So you are glad that the person police shot is white out of fear that racist cop hating parasites would riot?
 
Beaudreaux said:
This happened right down the road from my house today. Is it wrong for me to have one of the first things that goes through my mind when hearing about this officer involved shooting and death on local radio and then local news breaking into normal shows... "God I hope he was white." I'm not sure yet whether he's white, black, Hispanic or whatever. There's been no official announcement, but a leaked photo of EMS carrying the stretcher with him on it looked like he may have been white, but it was hard to tell for sure because of the blood.

Man dead after officer-involved shooting in Gaston County, police say
Click to expand...

Why was that the first thought which came to your mind? That's the key point of discussion.

If it's because you'd really rather not have to hear about more ridiculous race riots, I'd say that your response was really only natural. It's kind of dark. Don't get me wrong. However, it's understandable.
 
jamesrage said:
So you are glad that the person police shot is white out of fear that racist cop hating parasites would riot?
Click to expand...

Gathomas88 said:
Why was that the first thought which came to your mind? That's the key point of discussion.

If it's because you'd really rather not have to hear about more ridiculous race riots, I'd say that your response was really only natural. It's kind of dark. Don't get me wrong. However, it's understandable.
Click to expand...

First, I don't know that he's white. I just think he may be because I saw a picture that looked like he may have been. I saw the picture a few hours after the event was over, and long after I thought what the thread is about.

I don't care about race in most any circumstance, HOWEVER, in this instance, I caught myself thinking that I hoped he was white, and not a non-white.

As for why I thought that, I can't really say for sure. It's probably a number of issues, including the one JR mentioned. Also, if riots occurred around here, I don't think it would be by local people. Maybe a very few, but the majority would be outside people, not locals. That's my opinion and not based on any scientific study I can link to, just that whites and blacks around me get along pretty well and respect each other for the vast majority of us, like those folks that we saw in Charleston, SC. Also, if a riot happened here, and it got out of hand, I'm not sure it would end well for the rioters. And, that concerns me as well.
 
Beaudreaux said:
This happened right down the road from my house today. Is it wrong for me to have one of the first things that goes through my mind when hearing about this officer involved shooting and death on local radio and then local news breaking into normal shows... "God I hope he was white." I'm not sure yet whether he's white, black, Hispanic or whatever. There's been no official announcement, but a leaked photo of EMS carrying the stretcher with him on it looked like he may have been white, but it was hard to tell for sure because of the blood.

Man dead after officer-involved shooting in Gaston County, police say
Click to expand...

Well, let's hope the officer's video camera was on and has been impounded. Doesn't make any difference white or black. Let's see the video.
 
DaveFagan said:
Well, let's hope the officer's video camera was on and has been impounded. Doesn't make any difference white or black. Let's see the video.
Click to expand...

Good point. There were three officers on the scene (two patrol officers and one supervisor) and according to the police chief, each car had a dash cam, and all three of the tapes have been turned over to the NC SBI (state bureau of investigation), who is in charge of the investigation.
 
Beaudreaux said:
First, I don't know that he's white. I just think he may be because I saw a picture that looked like he may have been. I saw the picture a few hours after the event was over, and long after I thought what the thread is about.

I don't care about race in most any circumstance, HOWEVER, in this instance, I caught myself thinking that I hoped he was white, and not a non-white.

As for why I thought that, I can't really say for sure. It's probably a number of issues, including the one you mentioned. Also, if riots occurred around here, I don't think it would be by local people. Maybe a very few, but the majority would be outside people, not locals. That's my opinion an not based on any scientific study I can link to, just that whites and blacks around me get along pretty well and respect each other for the vast majority of us. Also, if a riot happened here, and it got out of hand, I'm not sure it would end well for the rioters. And, that concerns me as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah... That was actually the ironic thing about the shooting here in Charleston a few months back. People made a Hell of a lot more of a stink about it outside of the city, and outside of South Carolina, than they ever did in it.

It was the most patently surreal thing. Here in Charleston, there was basically a universal outpouring of sympathy and support for the victims of the attack, from whites and blacks alike. Tens of thousands of people walked the Ravenel Bridge as a show of solidarity just days after the event, and within weeks, there were "Charleston Strong" shirts popping up everywhere.

Turn on the TV or look at anything on the internet, meanwhile... And the only thing anyone wants to talk about is how we're all a bunch of racist redneck backwoods yahoos who hate black people, just because of a couple of street names and a 4x4 piece of colored fabric. :roll:
 
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Beaudreaux said:
This happened right down the road from my house today. Is it wrong for me to have one of the first things that goes through my mind when hearing about this officer involved shooting and death on local radio and then local news breaking into normal shows... "God I hope he was white." I'm not sure yet whether he's white, black, Hispanic or whatever. There's been no official announcement, but a leaked photo of EMS carrying the stretcher with him on it looked like he may have been white, but it was hard to tell for sure because of the blood.

Man dead after officer-involved shooting in Gaston County, police say
Click to expand...

No. I think that your first reaction should have been "I hope he didn't die." or "I hope he actually committed a crime worthy of being shot." Of course, he obviously did die and he almost certainly didn't do a crime worthy of being shot. But we'll see, I guess.
 
Gathomas88 said:
Yeah... That was actually the ironic thing about the shooting here in Charleston a few months back. People made a Hell of a lot more of a stink about it outside of the city, and outside of South Carolina, than they ever did in it.

It was the most patently surreal thing. Here in Charleston, there was basically a universal outpouring of sympathy and support for the victims of the attack, from whites and blacks alike. Tens of thousands of people walked the Ravenel Bridge as a show of solidarity just days after the event, and within weeks, there were "Charleston Strong" shirts popping up everywhere.

Turn on the TV or look at anything on the internet, meanwhile... And all anyone wants to talk about is how we're all a bunch of racist redneck yahoos who hate black people, because of a couple of street names and a 4x4 piece of colored fabric. :roll:
Click to expand...

I grew up surrounded by black families. Most of my friends before getting to school were black kids. I have two ladies that are still alive that I call Granny, both are black, and love me to death. We are more than friends, we are family. I had a father of a black friend be the one that taught me how to hunt rabbits, and build traps in the woods (as well as a hell of a lot of life lessons as well). My best friend in high school was a guy named Bobby Black (his nickname was Sammy), a black guy that is still one of my best friends in life. When my wife was going through chemo, one morning (about 6am) I heard my lawnmower running and I ran out to see who was stealing it. It was Sammy, he came over to cut our grass and forgot to tell anyone he was going to do it.

I hate what is happening in America regarding race. But, it's not happening in my community because we respect, love and care for each other. I don't want that to change.

My concern is not that bad things may occur, but the good things we have worked for all of our lives, may not survive if the race industry hate mongers come here and cause problems. I guess when you get down to it, that's why I thought what I did. I don't want the good to turn to bad.
 
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FieldTheorist said:
No. I think that your first reaction should have been "I hope he didn't die." or "I hope he actually committed a crime worthy of being shot." Of course, he obviously did die and he almost certainly didn't do a crime worthy of being shot. But we'll see, I guess.
Click to expand...

Normally I would hope that no one was hurt as my very first thought. However, in this instance, the first reports included the fact that he rammed a police car with the officer outside the car, was then shot by the officer, and within minutes died after driving another mile up the road then becoming unresponsive and wrecking again. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The state is in charge of the investigation, and I'm sure they will be pretty quick with their investigation. I will try to keep us up to date as things come to light.
 
Beaudreaux said:
This happened right down the road from my house today. Is it wrong for me to have one of the first things that goes through my mind when hearing about this officer involved shooting and death on local radio and then local news breaking into normal shows... "God I hope he was white." I'm not sure yet whether he's white, black, Hispanic or whatever. There's been no official announcement, but a leaked photo of EMS carrying the stretcher with him on it looked like he may have been white, but it was hard to tell for sure because of the blood.

Man dead after officer-involved shooting in Gaston County, police say
Click to expand...

No. Hoping he was white isn't motivated by hatred of white people. Not wishing he was white wouldn't make him any less dead. So, on an ethical scale, I'd say this isn't a big deal. Hell, it's probably nowhere near the most wrong thing that the average person thinks on a given day. I can understand the social and psychological exhaustion of these ridiculous times in American history, and how that might be a thought that occurs to you, in the case of a situation involving people you don't know. I'd be more concerned if you did know any of them.

At the end of the day, most visible grieving for people we don't know is for show. People get all indignant when I say that, but it's true -- either they're lying, or they're lucky enough to not know what proper grief feels like and are mistaking it with moral outrage, which is nowhere near the same thing. And thank god for that. How would any of us live if we actually, seriously grieved every person who died, whether we knew them or not? It's no crime not to be twisted into knots over the death of someone you never met.

It is, however, a sad statement about the climate of American politics and society -- simply that I can understand why you might have that thought.
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
No. Hoping he was white isn't motivated by hatred of white people. Not wishing he was white wouldn't make him any less dead. So, on an ethical scale, I'd say this isn't a big deal. Hell, it's probably nowhere near the most wrong thing that the average person thinks on a given day. I can understand the social and psychological exhaustion of these ridiculous times in American history, and how that might be a thought that occurs to you, in the case of a situation involving people you don't know. I'd be more concerned if you did know any of them.

At the end of the day, most visible grieving for people we don't know is for show. People get all indignant when I say that, but it's true -- either they're lying, or they're lucky enough to not know what proper grief feels like and are mistaking it with moral outrage, which is nowhere near the same thing. And thank god for that. How would any of us live if we actually, seriously grieved every person who died, whether we knew them or not? It's no crime not to be twisted into knots over the death of someone you never met.

It is, however, a sad statement about the climate of American politics and society -- simply that I can understand why you might have that thought.
Click to expand...

Very thoughtful and insightful. Thank you.
 
Beaudreaux said:
Very thoughtful and insightful. Thank you.
Click to expand...

Not a problem. I'm a big fan of only feeling bad about things that either rot the mind or can cause negative outcomes to befall people. Not much else worth tormenting oneself over, really.
 
Ah ha

White people aint got no standards. Break the law - we don't care. Get your ass killed unjustly. We won't even shrug a shoulder. Rob a bank - like what ev!

:roll:
 
Every time a mass shooting happens, Muslim Americans hope to God that it's not one of their own. Because they know the backlash that they will all collectively receive if just one of their own acts up. So yeah, the OP is perfectly valid.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Ah ha

White people aint got no standards. Break the law - we don't care. Get your ass killed unjustly. We won't even shrug a shoulder. Rob a bank - like what ev!

:roll:
Click to expand...

Well auntie, I would give you my normal like for responding to a thread I created, if I had even the slightest clue what you were going on about.
 
Flip side of that would be hoping that the police officer who shot the alleged criminal was not-white.

Maybe that's a "six of one, half dozen of the other" kinda thing, but it doesn't sound quite as harsh as hoping a shooting victim is something specific. You know, other than guilty of something truly deserving of being shot.
 
Beaudreaux said:
This happened right down the road from my house today. Is it wrong for me to have one of the first things that goes through my mind when hearing about this officer involved shooting and death on local radio and then local news breaking into normal shows... "God I hope he was white." I'm not sure yet whether he's white, black, Hispanic or whatever. There's been no official announcement, but a leaked photo of EMS carrying the stretcher with him on it looked like he may have been white, but it was hard to tell for sure because of the blood.

Man dead after officer-involved shooting in Gaston County, police say
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's a pretty ****ed up way to think.
 
Phys251 said:
Every time a mass shooting happens, Muslim Americans hope to God that it's not one of their own. Because they know the backlash that they will all collectively receive if just one of their own acts up. So yeah, the OP is perfectly valid.
Click to expand...

Well done, Phys. I had pretty much the same thought fly into my head when I read Beau's OP.
 
The city I live in used to be visited somewhat regularly by Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and the rest every time a black was killed by a white cop. Didn't really matter what the circumstances were. I was so glad when we finally got a black chief of police because I was getting tired of all that crap. Things really settled down after that, even though those incidences still happened from time to time, like they do everywhere. A black chief of police made all the difference, even though the events weren't any different because of him.
 
Beaudreaux said:
This happened right down the road from my house today. Is it wrong for me to have one of the first things that goes through my mind when hearing about this officer involved shooting and death on local radio and then local news breaking into normal shows... "God I hope he was white." I'm not sure yet whether he's white, black, Hispanic or whatever. There's been no official announcement, but a leaked photo of EMS carrying the stretcher with him on it looked like he may have been white, but it was hard to tell for sure because of the blood.

Man dead after officer-involved shooting in Gaston County, police say
Click to expand...
I'm presuming you mean the shooting victim was white.

I don't think it's wrong, I think it's somewhat practical so that some balance/reality gets out there. I don't wish for ill on pretty much anyone, but in a similar vein when Laci Petersen was first murdered my first thought was, "Please don't let it be here husband.", because I was tired of the husband/boyfriend always being the first one anyone looked at when a woman is murdered.

*sigh* Unfortunately, it was her husband.

I think it's somewhat natural for a person to "root" (for lack of a better word, not meant literally) for a victim to be from their own "team" so that societal pressure might be relieved.

ETA: I voted "Yes it is wrong, but I can understand why you did.", because it's not technically right, we *should* be better, but I get it. I feel like others have pushed me in this direction by being too reactionary.
 
Turns out, the guy that was shot by the police and died, was black after all.

AR-151219204.jpg


Police: Man drove car at officer before deadly shots
 
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