Zimmerman Acquital Will Lead To Riots?

[Pard]

Thanks for sharing your history, it helps me understand you a little better. But it makes me think you've made some bad assumptions. Do you assume I live in an all white community and know nothing about racism?

But can you blame him? We are from Connecticut, nobody knows the struggles we've seen! Nobody knows our sorrows! They all figure we are from Greenwich!

 

[Mike S]

It will be the fault of the media, the same as always. Every riot in recent history has been the fault of the media. Think about it, they whip people into a frenzy and then stand back to profit on the belligerent people they set on the world. The media profits when disaster strikes, and when there is no disaster they will make one up just for the heck of it. And this is why I read newspapers for my news, it's very hard to get worked up when reading the Wallstreet Journal.

What I really hate is when they prey on divisions in society like race, and then tell us that we are racists. The media is the biggest racist in the entire USA! They whip up one demographic and then attack everyone else when they get angry. People need to be angry at the media for what it does to society and how it deteriorates our society in order to benefit itself. I don't care if you need to make a living! Don't do it this way!

It won't turn out this way, but it'd be nice if people used this tragedy as a wake up call to see how the media and the politicians and the pundits and the lobbyists have taken them to the cleaners on the account of a dead kid. If he was my child I'd be flipping out at them all right now, no way no how I'd be up there with Rev. Al and his buddies selling my kid's good name for some fabricated race war! Of course I don't really blame them, they are just going along for the same ride everyone dialed into alphabet soup of news channels are taking.

And Danus, since it's Florida, maybe we can get away blaming the Cubans? ;) (IT"S A JOKE PEOPLE!)

Great post, Pard!

 

[Mike S]

But can you blame him? We are from Connecticut, nobody knows the struggles we've seen! Nobody knows our sorrows! They all figure we are from Greenwich!

Yup, they don't seem to understand that we also have Bridgeport, and New Haven, and Hartford...and Bloomfield.

 

[Pard]

Yup, they don't seem to understand that we also have Bridgeport, and New Haven, and Hartford...and Bloomfield.

Ah yes, our lovely cities. Since I'm from Manchester I pretty much have to go through at least two of those cities just to leave the state (because who honestly wants to go north when you live in CT and the only above us are even more ridiculous states). Although had he assumed that on me he'd be pretty close to right, I didn't have a single non-white person in my elementary school, although I do live in "Clanchester", so...

 

[Mike S]

Ah yes, our lovely cities. Since I'm from Manchester I pretty much have to go through at least two of those cities just to leave the state (because who honestly wants to go north when you live in CT and the only above us are even more ridiculous states). Although had he assumed that on me he'd be pretty close to right, I didn't have a single non-white person in my elementary school, although I do live in "Clanchester", so...

Good to meet you neighbor! I live in Bloomfield, and have for more than 30 years. Bloomfield is majority black, as is my church, and, because of these circumstances, nearly all my neighbors and friends are black. I've lived, and worshiped, and worked, and raised my kids here. I wouldn't have changed a thing, Bloomfield is a wonderful town.


BTW, do you know who your quote "Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words" is attributed to? St. Francis of Assisi.

 

[Pard]

Well hey there! Just across the stream from me then. Yeah, I like Manchester a lot more when I don't have to deal with the people I live around. They are all rich and self righteous, and you quickly learn why Jesus said that a rich man would have a real bugger of a time getting into heaven! I'm interning at the PD in East Hartford and I love that town more and more every time I go there. People are nicer, and I'm pretty sure it's because they knew prosperity when Pratt was big and now they know hardship, but they're better for it in the long run.

Every chance I get I try to bring my parents a little deeper into the rest of the world (not that we are rich, just got a real bummer of a house!)because they are so afraid, and I guess in the 80s and 90s they'd have been right to be. Like for example we went to an AWESOME Jamican joint on Windoser St. and when I got off on exit 32B my dad nearly jumped outa the car. Too funny!

And yeah, I knew it was from some old dead guy. Just didn't know which one!

 

[Mike S]

Well hey there! Just across the stream from me then. Yeah, I like Manchester a lot more when I don't have to deal with the people I live around. They are all rich and self righteous, and you quickly learn why Jesus said that a rich man would have a real bugger of a time getting into heaven! I'm interning at the PD in East Hartford and I love that town more and more every time I go there. People are nicer, and I'm pretty sure it's because they knew prosperity when Pratt was big and now they know hardship, but they're better for it in the long run.

Every chance I get I try to bring my parents a little deeper into the rest of the world (not that we are rich, just got a real bummer of a house!)because they are so afraid, and I guess in the 80s and 90s they'd have been right to be. Like for example we went to an AWESOME Jamican joint on Windoser St. and when I got off on exit 32B my dad nearly jumped outa the car. Too funny!

And yeah, I knew it was from some old dead guy. Just didn't know which one!

I understand why you like East Hartford, it's a blue collar town, with no pretentions.

Good to know you like Jamaican food. Most of our congregation are West Indian, and most of them Jamaican. You should see our potlucks at church. When you go down the tables you find, curry goat, curry goat, curry goat, jerk chicken, curry goat, jerk pork, cocoa bread, callaloo, more jerk pork, and usually some mac and cheese. And to-die-for rum cake.

Quite a difference from my wife's Quaker meeting, where the potluck is, mystery casserole, mystery casserole, tofu, mystery casserole, green salad, more tofu, another mystery casserole, and brownies.

 

[Danus]

Thanks for sharing your history, it helps me understand you a little better. But it makes me think you've made some bad assumptions. Do you assume I live in an all white community and know nothing about racism?

Not at all. If I directed my comments at you, please know that I am directing them at the issue. It effects all of us in different ways, and there is a lot to consider.

Racism is a funny thing. Sometimes it's obvious and sometimes not so much. It's not exclusive to any one particular people either, and everyone has a prejudice nature. That simply means to pre-judge. It can be a good thing, but I requires some self checking from time to time.

I was involved with a ministry/research some time back that addressed this issue. It was not fun at first, but it ended very well. Two churches. One predominately white and the other predominately black. people from each church signed up and we meet for a weekend. We did some exercises designed to talk about the elephant in the room, racism. Before we meet we where to fill out a questioner about the opposite race. We where asked to use describing words that came to mind. You'd be surprised at what people wrote down, or maybe not.

Words like Uppity, and phases like "think their superior", or don't care, or phony where used to describe white people. Words like, proud where use by both to describe each other, and words like hostile, angry where used to describe black people. These are just examples. Musical was anther word used by several white people to describe black people. It's ridiculous, but this is what happens when we don't know people and we judge them from a distance peering over the walls we build.

What I've learned is that I can easily be, or have a racist attitude, and say in the same breath that I'm not. It has nothing to do with me being white. I could be black and have the same thing. I can develop this over time and not even know it's happening. All I have to do is focus on my own will and surroundings and I build that wall brick by brick.

If we are going to view people with the eyes of God, rather than our own, we have to see the worst people we can think of and love them. The directive is not to do this "if" they also do it, it's simply to do it regardless. That's not humanly possible with our own natures...it's not. We have to shed our own will and let God show us by faith. otherwise we are no better than anyone else we fear or hate, and we might as well all have guns for self defense, because we'll need them.

 

[Mike S]

Not at all. If I directed my comments at you, please know that I am directing them at the issue. It effects all of us in different ways, and there is a lot to consider.

Racism is a funny thing. Sometimes it's obvious and sometimes not so much. It's not exclusive to any one particular people either, and everyone has a prejudice nature. That simply means to pre-judge. It can be a good thing, but I requires some self checking from time to time.

I was involved with a ministry/research some time back that addressed this issue. It was not fun at first, but it ended very well. Two churches. One predominately white and the other predominately black. people from each church signed up and we meet for a weekend. We did some exercises designed to talk about the elephant in the room, racism. Before we meet we where to fill out a questioner about the opposite race. We where asked to use describing words that came to mind. You'd be surprised at what people wrote down, or maybe not.

Words like Uppity, and phases like "think their superior", or don't care, or phony where used to describe white people. Words like, proud where use by both to describe each other, and words like hostile, angry where used to describe black people. These are just examples. Musical was anther word used by several white people to describe black people. It's ridiculous, but this is what happens when we don't know people and we judge them from a distance peering over the walls we build.

What I've learned is that I can easily be, or have a racist attitude, and say in the same breath that I'm not. It has nothing to do with me being white. I could be black and have the same thing. I can develop this over time and not even know it's happening. All I have to do is focus on my own will and surroundings and I build that wall brick by brick.

If we are going to view people with the eyes of God, rather than our own, we have to see the worst people we can think of and love them. The directive is not to do this "if" they also do it, it's simply to do it regardless. That's not humanly possible with our own natures...it's not. We have to shed our own will and let God show us by faith. otherwise we are no better than anyone else we fear or hate, and we might as well all have guns for self defense, because we'll need them.

Danus, all of what you say about racism, I agree with. We are imperfect creatures, and tribal by nature. We aren't going to - as some believe - discuss it until we understand the root cause so we can elimnate racism once and for all. We aren't going to eliminate prejudice once and for all, but we can learn how to control our prejudices so that we don't let them lead us to institutional discrimination, and insist that the acting out of certain prejudices simply aren't acceptable in our society.

The money comment in your post is this: "If we are going to view people with the eyes of God, rather than our own, we have to see the worst people we can think of and love them." That is exactly what we're called to do. And the very difficult truth is that there are certain things, like wealth, and race, and homosexuality, that some people find it nearly impossible to "love."

 

[jasoncran]

:helpthe devil resides in ct per my bible.

 

[Pard]

He does, actually Jason. He uh lives about 12 miles from me as the crow flies in a big old mansion in Hartford. Can't miss the place, just look for the high gate and the state troopers on guard. I actually saw him last night at my school's wine auction. If I had a good phone I'd have been recording because he was D-R-U-N-K!

Oh yeah, and he has a real funny name, "Dannel". Apparently his mother couldn't buy that last vowel :toofunny

 

[Mike S]

He does, actually Jason. He uh lives about 12 miles from me as the crow flies in a big old mansion in Hartford. Can't miss the place, just look for the high gate and the state troopers on guard. I actually saw him last night at my school's wine auction. If I had a good phone I'd have been recording because he was D-R-U-N-K!

Oh yeah, and he has a real funny name, "Dannel". Apparently his mother couldn't buy that last vowel :toofunny

I'm thinking he hangs out at either Devil's Hopyard or Satan's Kingdom.

 

[Pard]

I hear he frequents Gay City too!

(And for everyone else, those are names of our state parks...)

 

[jasoncran]

lol, my mom is from beacon falls and my cousin and uncle live there to this day.