Thanks
It's my understanding that we don't know yet if Brown was being threatening. I know there are claims that he was but I don't believe that's been proven at this point.
Why
I won't argue with you about whether or not this is true because it's too off topic but I could easily
1-I'm not sure what you mean by "smear by association"
2-What are you calling facts
I do this all the time. I post something and believe that an intelligent and objective conversation will evolve from it in which I can further explain my thinking. That rarely happens. Instead people with extreme points of view jump and just start bashing. ( not you obviously) I honestly need to re-evaluate my technique.
I was hoping to draw attention to the fact that there were other ways one could have interpreted that video. This video actually doesn't prove or disprove anything. People see what they want to see or whatever supports decisions they have already made. Regardless of what those opinions may be. So in this case, people who already decided that MB was another out of control violent thug, watched that video and saw just that. Which is exactly what whoever released that video hoped would happen and this is typical of these types of situations. People buy into the negative and unfounded stereotypes about these young men and are far too easily lead to making assumptions about their character of all things with very little info. Would you say it would provide someone an accurate picture of your character if they were provided one little video clip of you? I don't think so. So my point, in part, was just that. Stop making it so easy to demonize this young man or anyone else just because it justifies your prejudice.
Secondly, I had hoped to draw attention to fact that a disproportionate amount of unarmed young black men are shot dead. Regardless of why this is taking place we should all be concerned about that fact.
Thirdly when something like this happens a large number of people completely dismiss the outrage it taps into within the black community. They but on blinders and look at this single incident, seemingly baffled at the disproportionate protest with no respect or acknowledgement of the bigger picture. They dismiss the complaints of this group of individuals completely. I'd be outraged too.
A lot to digest and comment on here:
1. No need to change your style - regardless of how you addressed the thread, there are pretty firmly set views by most observers here on DP and I'd venture also in the public at large. Much of it comes from a biased interpretation of the "facts" so far known - I wouldn't discount bias though, because much of what you've said in your post above comes from your own set of biases and there's nothing wrong with that because much of who we are as individuals is molded by our independent experiences and life circumstances which makes debate and discussion so interesting - at least for me. I don't have a particular agenda to push here, although I do obviously have a set of biases that skew towards support for law enforcement.
2. A significant part of the problem with the link you posted in your OP and the video it contains is that it show only a small part of the entire video that has been up on these pages for a long time. Most significantly, it doesn't include what clearly looks like an assault or at least strong intimidation of a much smaller man, purportedly the clerk/owner of the store. Because your OP has a video that has been altered or cut to support a particular bias, it is open for attack - you being the presenter of the link are therefore attacked for supporting it - that comes with the territory unless, of course, you criticize the link in your OP - without that criticism you are viewed as trying to spread that same dishonest bias.
3. I know there are several well publicized cases where a black youth has been shot or "assaulted" by white police in the US, but not that many, all things considered. Are there statistics on police shootings and the racial make-up of the "victim" and the police involved. It would be interesting to see if the impression left, as you state, that "a disproportionate amount of unarmed black youth are being shot dead", is factually true or just an impression left by the overemphasis of the media and the racial discord circus that follows well publicized events. How many unarmed white youth are being shot dead? - how man unarmed black youth are being shot dead by black officers? How many police officers, white or otherwise, have been shot by black youth? by white youth? Does anyone know - or does actually knowing such things not fit anyone's particular agenda in America today?
4. The very fact that you say "a disproportionate amount of unarmed black youth are being shot dead" without any statistical evidence related to the questions I raise above seems to me to demonize police and support your own set of prejudices so it's not reasonable to expect that you won't be challenged, severely, on those same grounds. When you make loaded comments like that, you will naturally not get away with it, unscathed.
Finally, I don't think most intelligent, thoughtful people dismiss the outrage of those who are truly hurt and outraged by this event - however, their outrage takes a back seat when the wandering lawless decide to take over the public persona of the outrage through looting, violence, destruction of private property, etc. all for no clear reason related to the incident. It's not hard to imagine that even some people with good intentions and fair minds and hearts will become a little jaded when the go to response from the black community to any perceived wrong is to go on a lawless rampage against innocent victims.
You can't have a serious and thought provoking discussion when it begins from an extreme bias that many reject out of hand.
