4 ms·

Kaepernick tried to change the system in a manner that lots of people found offensive, rather than by trying to be a good example.

scarface74 7y ago
As did every single peaceful civil right leader throughout history. Many of the same people who hold up MLK as the way you “should” protest were calling him a troublemaker riling up the good people that didn’t want any trouble.
- Fjolsvith 7y ago
  Obama used the Betsy Ross flag at his inauguration.
deleted 7y ago
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athriren 7y ago
There are many instances in which doing something that many people find offensive and being a good example are the same thing, or at the very least are not opposed to one another. E.g. In the 1960s, the head football coach at a recently integrated high school treats players of all races with dignity and respect; in the present day, two married men raise their child to treat others kindly; etc. It’s particularly difficult to distinguish between inoffensive activity and being a good example when the root cause of at least some offense is due to nothing more than your existence—you can be the best father to a child you can, but that will never make up for the fact that because you are gay some people do not think you should be a father at all. Turning back to the specific content of the article, I am glad that Maurice Claurett was able to use his history and his personal connection to Representative Marisco to enable the betterment of so many people’s lives. A system in which 90% of petitions result in expungement but only 10% of the eligible persons ever know they are able to make a petition is a moral wrong, and its automation (for less than $200,000) seems as if it will result in significant harm reduction for relatively little burden and risk. It also seems like the benefits of such a bill should be apparent with empathy, and that Claurett’s intervention should not have been necessary to change Rep. Marisco’s mind, but so it goes. I think a story like this, where many disparate groups generally opposed to one another worked together to effect positive change, is refreshing especially these days. Criminal justice reform has a lot of low hanging fruit and I hope this sort of progress continues (or kicks off) throughout the country.
scarface74 7y ago
Let me remind you that all of the people who canonized Muhammad Ali after he died as a “great American” were probably calling him a trader when he refused to fight in Vietnam. I bet a lot of people found it “offensive” when he said “ain’t no VietCong ever called me a n”

scarface74 7y ago

As did every single peaceful civil right leader throughout history. Many of the same people who hold up MLK as the way you “should” protest were calling him a troublemaker riling up the good people that didn’t want any trouble.

Fjolsvith 7y ago
Obama used the Betsy Ross flag at his inauguration.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

athriren 7y ago

There are many instances in which doing something that many people find offensive and being a good example are the same thing, or at the very least are not opposed to one another. E.g. In the 1960s, the head football coach at a recently integrated high school treats players of all races with dignity and respect; in the present day, two married men raise their child to treat others kindly; etc. It’s particularly difficult to distinguish between inoffensive activity and being a good example when the root cause of at least some offense is due to nothing more than your existence—you can be the best father to a child you can, but that will never make up for the fact that because you are gay some people do not think you should be a father at all. Turning back to the specific content of the article, I am glad that Maurice Claurett was able to use his history and his personal connection to Representative Marisco to enable the betterment of so many people’s lives. A system in which 90% of petitions result in expungement but only 10% of the eligible persons ever know they are able to make a petition is a moral wrong, and its automation (for less than $200,000) seems as if it will result in significant harm reduction for relatively little burden and risk. It also seems like the benefits of such a bill should be apparent with empathy, and that Claurett’s intervention should not have been necessary to change Rep. Marisco’s mind, but so it goes. I think a story like this, where many disparate groups generally opposed to one another worked together to effect positive change, is refreshing especially these days. Criminal justice reform has a lot of low hanging fruit and I hope this sort of progress continues (or kicks off) throughout the country.

scarface74 7y ago

Let me remind you that all of the people who canonized Muhammad Ali after he died as a “great American” were probably calling him a trader when he refused to fight in Vietnam. I bet a lot of people found it “offensive” when he said “ain’t no VietCong ever called me a n”