I have been now for many years writing in this blog almost exclusively (perhaps way too much) about the regressive left, social justice warriors, and how anti-racism has gone way too far, creating more and more of an oppressive totalitarian establishment that erodes people's fundamental rights (such as the right to free speech) and punishes people for the slightest of wrongthink or using the wrong word or language (completely regardless of context or intent), and where political violence has become the norm and not only accepted but outright promoted by many members of the regressive left and the mainstream media.
However, I don't see myself as an extremist who can only see one side of the issue and refuses to see the other (which is way too common, both in the extreme left and in the extreme right). If there are problems on "the other side" as well, I like to call it out, as it is.
Given the extreme lengths that the regressive left has been going during the last years, especially in the United States, enacting more and more extremist oppressive totalitarian tactics and ideologies, one is tempted to think that what they are fighting against does not actually exist. It's tempting to be a complete contrarian, a rebel, and ignore the actual problems that do still exist, especially in the United States.
For example, is racist prejudice still prevalent in the United States? Unfortunately the answer is a quite unambiguous yes. It might not be held by the majority of people, perhaps, but it's still quite widespread.
For instance, there are many rich suburbs and neighborhoods in the United States, especially those stereotypical quiet areas full of single-family detached homes with their own yards etc. where if a white man were to stroll and loiter around, nobody would pay attention, but if a black man does so, they will call the police. Almost invariably the police will respond to these calls, and demand the man for identification and full details, and perhaps even order him to leave the area (even though none of these are lawful demands, as these streets are public areas and no crime is being committed.)
This is not just a bunch of claims and rumors. You can find plenty of videos on YouTube of police body cameras (which in modern times can be requested by anybody) where exactly this happens. There are even examples of this being done to someone who actually lives in that very neighborhood.
Sometimes the man knows his rights and the law, and will deny showing ID or leave the area, just to stand for his rights. There are examples out there where the police officer will over-react to this and illegally arrest the man for failure to comply to his orders (even though refusing to show ID is not illegal, and the police officer had absolutely no legal reason to arrest him.) In a few cases this has actually resulted in disciplinary actions against the police officer, but rarely.
The fact is, there are many areas in the United States where if the residents see a black man strolling and loitering around the neighborhood, they assume he is up to no good, and will call the police, even when the man isn't doing anything. They will more rarely do so if it's a white man instead.
So yes, there is still racial prejudice in many areas in the United States. Let's not deny reality.
(Of course the question is what should be done about it. I do not agree with the totalitarian oppressive methods that the regressive left is enacting. That's not the correct solution, not by a country mile. But this is another topic altogether.)
However, I don't see myself as an extremist who can only see one side of the issue and refuses to see the other (which is way too common, both in the extreme left and in the extreme right). If there are problems on "the other side" as well, I like to call it out, as it is.
Given the extreme lengths that the regressive left has been going during the last years, especially in the United States, enacting more and more extremist oppressive totalitarian tactics and ideologies, one is tempted to think that what they are fighting against does not actually exist. It's tempting to be a complete contrarian, a rebel, and ignore the actual problems that do still exist, especially in the United States.
For example, is racist prejudice still prevalent in the United States? Unfortunately the answer is a quite unambiguous yes. It might not be held by the majority of people, perhaps, but it's still quite widespread.
For instance, there are many rich suburbs and neighborhoods in the United States, especially those stereotypical quiet areas full of single-family detached homes with their own yards etc. where if a white man were to stroll and loiter around, nobody would pay attention, but if a black man does so, they will call the police. Almost invariably the police will respond to these calls, and demand the man for identification and full details, and perhaps even order him to leave the area (even though none of these are lawful demands, as these streets are public areas and no crime is being committed.)
This is not just a bunch of claims and rumors. You can find plenty of videos on YouTube of police body cameras (which in modern times can be requested by anybody) where exactly this happens. There are even examples of this being done to someone who actually lives in that very neighborhood.
Sometimes the man knows his rights and the law, and will deny showing ID or leave the area, just to stand for his rights. There are examples out there where the police officer will over-react to this and illegally arrest the man for failure to comply to his orders (even though refusing to show ID is not illegal, and the police officer had absolutely no legal reason to arrest him.) In a few cases this has actually resulted in disciplinary actions against the police officer, but rarely.
The fact is, there are many areas in the United States where if the residents see a black man strolling and loitering around the neighborhood, they assume he is up to no good, and will call the police, even when the man isn't doing anything. They will more rarely do so if it's a white man instead.
So yes, there is still racial prejudice in many areas in the United States. Let's not deny reality.
(Of course the question is what should be done about it. I do not agree with the totalitarian oppressive methods that the regressive left is enacting. That's not the correct solution, not by a country mile. But this is another topic altogether.)
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