LeBron James' White House Tweet

[Black Adam]

used

How can I tap into some of that "white privilege" stuff?

Is there an 800 number I can call or a website I can visit?

huh ok...

does marrying a white woman count? find out and get back to me...

 

[tlance]

Institutionalized racism needs to stop being the answer to every problem in the black community.

No one is forcing people to drop out of school, which leads to poverty.

No one is forcing people to have over 70% of children in a community to be born into single parent households, which contributes to poverty due to having to support multiple households.

No one is forcing people to have kids in their teens before they are remotely ready financially or emotionally which contributes to poverty.

No one is forcing anyone to kill each other. Homicide rates in black communities is several times those of other communities, which causes businesses to leave making goods and services more expensive and lessens the amount of jobs, which contributes to poverty. The crime statistics for 2016 just came out and there were close to 7900 homicides in the black community with only a tiny fraction at the hands of police. That's 1300 more homicides than Whites and Latinos combined. Since BLM began protesting over policing and the police have pulled back homicides in the black community went up from about 6000 in 2014 to close to 7000 in 2015 and now have grown to just under 7900. 2017 so far doesn't look any better.

I grew up in a crime ridden community in the 80's and 90's. My friends and I were hassled by the police all the time. Sometimes with good reason, sometimes without. The key is not race in most cases, it's the amount of crime, especially violent crime in a given area.

This is mostly true.

However, there are many children out there (not just minorities) who have such insanely crazy homelives that their chance of success in school is slim to none.

For example, how do you expect an 8 year old to learn in school when he is living with a foster family because he witnessed his dad beat his mom within an inch of her life? Or what about the single parent household where the parent is a drug addict and the children raise each other? There are a lot of severely messed up kids out there through no fault of their own. Some are able to overcome, many more are not.

On a different note, Institutional racism defitely exists. It isn't an excuse for people to fail, but it is a hurdle people of color must deal with that others do not.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Slipknot made a great song about this:

 

[Cyder]

This is mostly true.

However, there are many children out there (not just minorities) who have such insanely crazy homelives that their chance of success in school is slim to none.

For example, how do you expect an 8 year old to learn in school when he is living with a foster family because he witnessed his dad beat his mom within an inch of her life? Or what about the single parent household where the parent is a drug addict and the children raise each other? There are a lot of severely messed up kids out there through no fault of their own. Some are able to overcome, many more are not.

On a different note, Institutional racism defitely exists. It isn't an excuse for people to fail, but it is a hurdle people of color must deal with that others do not.

I hear ya but my point is that those in BLM and these athletes have done nothing to address these kids with their kneeling and they ignore the aspects of American black culture that are causing far more serious problems than institutionalized racism. Kaep actually is doing things in the community but the NFL and most of these players don't appear to be.
On top of that since BLM has come into being things have gotten progressively worse in the black community. Their approach is simply not working, it's actually doing the opposite.

 

[trojanfan12]

I completely understand that making the anthem the center-piece of the protest comes off as disrespectful for a lot of people. It doesn't really come off that way to me, but I understand that it does for a lot of people. (If it had been taking a knee from the beginning and articulated differently, I don't think it would have been perceived that way... but it started as sitting - not kneeling - and was articulated specifically as a lack of support for the country).

Having said that... I'm very uncomfortable with how so many are pushing for these players to be fired or disciplined or made to stop what they're doing. That feels too much like North Korea to me... not America.

For me, I don't want them to be forced to stop. I think it would be much better if they would just acknowledge that for many, many people, this is a show of disrespect to the country and to those who serve or have served.

They need to understand, imo, that because of the way they have chosen to protest, the message is getting lost. They need to find a way to protest or encourage change where the message doesn't get lost.

What they want, an end to injustice, is a great message that virtually no one would argue against. However, when that message gets lost because of the actions they have chosen to form their protest...it essentially makes the protest pointless.

 

[trojanfan12]

used


huh ok...

does marrying a white woman count? find out and get back to me...

I don't know. Maybe it makes you "white by proxy" and you get "white privilege lite"?

I haven't been given the 800 number or website yet though, so I have no clue at this point.

 

[tlance]

I hear ya but my point is that those in BLM and these athletes have done nothing to address these kids with their kneeling and they ignore the aspects of American black culture that are causing far more serious problems than institutionalized racism. Kaep actually is doing things in the community but the NFL and most of these players don't appear to be.
On top of that since BLM has come into being things have gotten progressively worse in the black community. Their approach is simply not working, it's actually doing the opposite.

I agree for the most part.

I don't pretend to know what the answer is, but I think it starts with some of the unifying gestures athletes are making now and some honest, open discussion where people actually listen to what the other side is saying and attempt to see their viewpoint.

 

[gordontrue]

For me, I don't want them to be forced to stop. I think it would be much better if they would just acknowledge that for many, many people, this is a show of disrespect to the country and to those who serve or have served.

They need to understand, imo, that because of the way they have chosen to protest, the message is getting lost. They need to find a way to protest or encourage change where the message doesn't get lost.

What they want, an end to injustice, is a great message that virtually no one would argue against. However, when that message gets lost because of the actions they have chosen to form their protest...it essentially makes the protest pointless.

Yeah, I agree with that. But when the president calls them sons of bitches and calls for them to be fired... it puts everything into a situation where it will look like they are giving in or letting themselves be silenced if they shift dramatically away from the kneeling-during-the-anthem thing.

Also, I don't think they've gotten enough credit for the shift they've already made. The vast majority are now kneeling - rather than sitting - and linking arms and making an effort to show that this isn't about disrespecting the flag or the military.

For every person on the one side that can't understand how someone could possibly not see it as disrespectful... there is someone on the other side that can't understand how someone could possibly see it as disrespectful.

The best thing both sides can do - in my opinion - is really, sincerely try to understand the other side rather than demonize them. Instead everything seems to keep coming down to "you bigoted racist!" or "you ungrateful uneducated spoiled brat!" (Not you, @trojanfan12 , I've really appreciated how balanced you've been in your take on all of this.)

 

[True Lakers Fan]

A less snarky response.

You first claim that not buying into "white privilege" is "why race relations in this country will get worse before it gets better" and then make a post that is also why race relations will get worse before they get better.

Unless and until a white person can disagree with some of the points made or point out that there are issues within the black community that need to be fixed without being called racist for it...race relations will not improve.

Racism is more prevalent than most white people want to believe and less prevalent than most black people want to believe. Agreeing on that would make for a big step in the right direction, imo.

I think racism is being noticed more and being paid attention to better and many knew that and simply didn't care. I still maintain, however that the preamble is what this nation stands for and is what most adhere too. I also reject the oppression crap

 

[bksballer89]

Having said that... I'm very uncomfortable with how so many are pushing for these players to be fired or disciplined or made to stop what they're doing. That feels too much like North Korea to me... not America.

Yep it makes no sense. If I wanted to live in a country with a dictatorship then I would have moved to North Korea already

 

[trojanfan12]

Yeah, I agree with that. But when the president calls them sons of bitches and calls for them to be fired... it puts everything into a situation where it will look like they are giving in or letting themselves be silenced if they shift dramatically away from the kneeling-during-the-anthem thing.

They shouldn't have been kneeling in the first place. They should have seen the reaction that Kaepernick got and taken a different course of action. They can still make a statement to show that they're not being silenced without kneeling or not coming out of the locker room during the anthem. That is why I believe that, for many of them, this is about Trump rather than what Kaepernick's original intent was.

While I do not agree that players should be fired for their protest, I wouldn't have an issue if fines were levied. It needs to be understood that freedom of speech does not mean freedom from the consequences of that speech.

When they are at the games, they are at work. For the vast majority of us, if we decided to start staging political protests at work, there would be consequences. Why should it be different for those players?

 

[bksballer89]

They shouldn't have been kneeling in the first place. They should have seen the reaction that Kaepernick got and taken a different course of action. They can still make a statement to show that they're not being silenced without kneeling or not coming out of the locker room during the anthem. That is why I believe that, for many of them, this is about Trump rather than what Kaepernick's original intent was.

While I do not agree that players should be fired for their protest, I wouldn't have an issue if fines were levied. It needs to be understood that freedom of speech does not mean freedom from the consequences of that speech.

When they are at the games, they are at work. For the vast majority of us, if we decided to start staging political protests at work, there would be consequences. Why should it be different for those players?

What happened last weekend was all about Trump. That much is obvious. His comments were obviously ridiculous. Before last weekend they had less than 10 players protesting.

 

[trojanfan12]

What happened last weekend was all about Trump. That much is obvious. His comments were obviously ridiculous. Before last weekend they had less than 10 players protesting.

I agree and that's the problem. They have taken an important issue and allowed it to be lost because they want to get into a pissing match with the President.

Don't get me wrong. Trump started this by injecting himself into something he had no business even bothering with. I don't have a lot of issues with the overall job he's done so far, but those damn tweets need to stop.

However, the players should have ignored it and come up with a better way to promote their message.

 

[bksballer89]

I agree and that's the problem. They have taken an important issue and allowed it to be lost because they want to get into a pissing match with the President.

Don't get me wrong. Trump started this by injecting himself into something he had no business even bothering with. I don't have a lot of issues with the overall job he's done so far, but those damn tweets need to stop.

However, the players should have ignored it and come up with a better way to promote their message.

As bad as this sounds, sometimes you have to stoop down to his level to prove a point. Being the bigger man doesn't work with this guy.

 

[trojanfan12]

As bad as this sounds, sometimes you have to stoop down to his level to prove a point. Being the bigger man doesn't work with this guy.

Pick another topic to do it. Kaepernicks message, whether one agrees with how he sent it or not, is too important for it to be allowed to be overshadowed by a pissing match between the NFL and the President.

I'm actually disgusted by the behavior of both sides.

 

[tlance]

I agree and that's the problem. They have taken an important issue and allowed it to be lost because they want to get into a pissing match with the President.

Don't get me wrong. Trump started this by injecting himself into something he had no business even bothering with. I don't have a lot of issues with the overall job he's done so far, but those damn tweets need to stop.

However, the players should have ignored it and come up with a better way to promote their message.

Here is the problem though.

The linking arms thing is not a protest at all. It is a show of unity. Yet, players linking arms are being looked at like they are doing something wrong because they get lumped in with the kneelers.

 

[Heatles84]

Here is the problem though.

The linking arms thing is not a protest at all. It is a show of unity. Yet, players linking arms are being looked at like they are doing something wrong because they get lumped in with the kneelers.

Yup. I actually have zero problem with those that link arms. Our country stands for being united, so linking arms is cool, I have no problem with it. It's the kneeling for me which is something I'm not too fond of. People in the military, albeit differing opinions on the matter, tend to not like it at all.

 

[trojanfan12]

Here is the problem though.

The linking arms thing is not a protest at all. It is a show of unity. Yet, players linking arms are being looked at like they are doing something wrong because they get lumped in with the kneelers.

It doesn't change the fact that they are in a pissing match with Trump and an important message is getting lost because of it.

I have no problem with them linking arms. But that's not the issue, the important message being lost is.

 

[tlance]

It doesn't change the fact that they are in a pissing match with Trump and an important message is getting lost because of it.

I have no problem with them linking arms. But that's not the issue, the important message being lost is.

It is being lost because people won't listen. That isn't the players' fault.

 

[bksballer89]

And this why you kneel. How patriotic this is lol.