Originally Posted by spence
Good we can agree that Hannity is a clown. He's actually much less of a clown on his radio show but for some reason turns it up for TV.
Clowns are good, no? Cowboys used to be good, until G.W. got elected. Then cowboy became bad. If clown is bad, then you're insulting Hannity. Insulting is good, no?
This whole story isn't really about Brown and Garner. It's about a much broader perception that black men are judged and treated with a negative bias. The spotlight on recent events has just snowballed and people are demanding action.
"Perception" is the key word. Demanding action on perception rather than facts is a form of putting the horse before the cart. Taken to violent extremes, it can be a form of functional psychosis. Milder forms, massive protest and shouting, is not as serious, just silly and disruptive. But they can trigger violent responses in those who are functionally psychotic. So it behooves those with civil power not to fan the flame of perception.
The guy was also clearly crazy.
The key difference which might make that relevant to the "whole story" is whether he was functionally or organically psychotic. If it was an organic, physical, a malfunction in his circuitry, then it would essentially have nothing to do with the whole story except in that he was given the trigger by words and actions around him to express his psychotic rage. If it was functional, then the cause of his mental disorder would be a misperception of his relation to society probably informed, again, by the words and actions around him. If he reacted not out of misperception, but logically from perceptions that fit the facts, then he wouldn't be crazy.
I don't think there's a "systemic pattern of racial assassinations" by the police. I do think there appears to be patterns of bias within the system that leads disproportionally to more killing of unarmed black men. The cops aren't out looking for people to shoot.
If one doesn't look into the factual basis for what appears to be patterns, then one can create a nonfactual narrative which would not only lead to false conclusions, but stimulate already functionally psychotic tendencies, as well as outbursts of organic psychosis. If one only considers and responds to what"appears" to be disproportionate by raw number alone, and disregards the actual causes for the killings, then one can be led to false conclusions . . . and to silliness, social disruptions, and to more killings, psychotic or otherwise.
I also think the process of oversight in these events is so heavily biased towards the police that it gives the appearance the system isn't fair. Granted, the police should be given the benefit of doubt, but the indictment process could likely be improved.
Social processes are inherently biased toward society. It is the nature of social processes to protect and make cohesive the societal structure. Police are part of the oversight and enforcement of the social process. They are commanded by society to confront those who commit anti-social acts. That "appearance" or fact of bias cannot be eliminated. If you want to suggest how the process should be improved, that would be interesting to hear. I suspect that what's more important than process here, is not a systemic bias, but personal biases. If you can figure out how to, in short time, eliminate personal biases, go for it.
Either the system is biased against black men or people just seem to think so...either way the outrage is real. A big problem is a lack of good national data...this would be a great place to start.
"Real" outrage based on false premises is the big problem. The "system" of justice devised in this country is one of the least biased in the world. Individual misperceptions and biases which can coalesce into various group or crowd mentalities are a problem that no "system" of justice can eliminate. The system can only prosecute the justice due to those who manifest their "perceptions" by socially destructive action.
And we have massive national data which, if read correctly, could explain, at least to rational folks, what the raw numbers really mean. Piling more national data on top of the tomes of info pumped out annually by the Federal government would not only cost more money but would give even more fuel to those who choose to twist data to fit their perceptions.
And as for those "words" you keep mentioning. How about the ones claiming the Mayor is nearly complicit in this crime? How much damage are they doing?
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