I'm sure that is how a certain amount of Americans want to handle everything, not their problem and they wish they didn't have to hear about it. But among people who care about the problems of others, this event has a pretty unanimous perspective. Like, I'm a conservative with a commute. Shapiro was on the radio yesterday afternoon and asks a guest their opinion of everything going on. And the guest, who I hear on conservative talk radio in rural Pennsylvania, responds he doesn't have time yet to care about anyone's response because he watched a man brutally killed by police on camera and isn't going to move past that right away to worry about the response. Not everyone everywhere is going to band together on anything, but some people from everywhere can band together on this. That cop should be convicted
I hope the people protesting do want to "follow that reign". That's the goal of an inclusive society, is it not? To include people in society? I'm sure you know, I'm a pretty big fan of society. People protesting their exclusion from the things that I love gets only respect and support from me. I hope that's what people protesting want. I don't believe the people protesting because they want reprieve from arbitrary violence committed against them are big fans of arbitrary violence done as response.
I also don't think it's reasonable to suggest that the majority of the populace have the power to do something about it, like you could just be rid of racism and prejudice if people wanted to. People want to be rid of all sorts of bad things: crimes and hatreds that are as old as human history, racism included. Doing something meaningful about that is a high ambition and an endless frustrating struggle. Like medicine to fight disease or police to investigate crime, we don't want bad things to happen, but you never win for good. If you count every incident of racism as a systemic problem rather than slipping through the efforts to stop them, and decide to throw away the system, more people will be hurt, not fewer.
And I hope you understand me. Often when I speak about Republicans, Fiscal Republicans, and 'The Cult', I do so with the express meaning of separating the three. I mention the Cult exclusively when I'm talking about those who follow Donald Trump around like he's the literal Messiah. I mention Republicans for a catch all phrase that merely deals with the mindset and policies, not the stereotypes. And I mention Fiscal Republicans who are the progressive version of the Republicans, who just have strong views about how we should spend our money and how we don't need a big government.
I don't believe all conservatives are jumping up and down with glee because pain befell a black man. I don't even believe 95% are happy. I believe there are a small faction who are genuinely happy that a minority man was killed, but those people have biases as is.
I do believe a much more significant number of Republicans and Democrats barely care what happens three steps beyond their door.
I talk to my conservative friends all the time. I just got off of a Zoom with two of my friends who are getting married. The future husband is conversative, the future wife is leaning that way more. And they are heartbroken about this. Please believe me, I do not believe Republicans live without a heart and/or consciousness. I could not in good faith even begin to say that when I've first-hand seen the kindness that Conservative people in my life freely give.
Like, and I mean this, you and I had our differences in the past. And I reacted to it. You tried to keep the avenue of speaking open, and I sat in my feelings. It took a lot of issues in my life, lurking at this forum for a bit, and then reading some of the stuff you post. And we might not see eye to eye on how to do things, but I legitimately believe you're trying with all you have to do your best for yourself and others. Intentions must be weighed. I can't fully say that people should be able to be different and not be able to deal with someone being different in a way that I can't deal with. I apologize for how I've acted in the past. I can't ask for forgiveness, but I can promise to do better.
And to your last issue, this is a perfect example of where I don't think we see eye to eye. I think it's more than reasonable to suggest that the majority of the populace have the power to do something about this. These are public servants. They can only get away with what we allow. And we allow this. We allow it when we stop watching the NFL in droves because how DARE politics get in the way of us seeing these historically marginalized people give each other CTEs?! When the 'audacity' of a person (or a dozen) using his platform to decry abuse, beatings, and murders is more important than the... well, the abuse, the beatings, and the murders, that's a clear message.
You can do whatever you want. Not enough people care.
And people say there's always a time and place. People have sat patiently under the heel of the boot for generations. And sadly, this is actually becoming literal.
When will be the time? When will be the place? What more can be a rallying cause than the evidence we've seen recently? Because it happens way too often to be the one offs and the exceptions that people want to paint them as.