3 ms·

>I agree that ACAB - but drugs aren’t illegal “so the police can murder black people with impunity”. Arguments like yours damage the credibility of the civil-ri

>I agree that ACAB - but drugs aren’t illegal “so the police can murder black people with impunity”. Arguments like yours damage the credibility of the civil-rights movement. It does sound absurd doesn't it? How about this one: A law was created so that one group of citizens could keep another group of citizens as slaves; buy them and sell them; whip them and beat them; murder them with impunity. They authorized the creation of a police force to hunt and kill any that escaped. The system was so entrenched that the leaders at the state level chose to take up arms and fight a civil war. Does that sound crazy? Now, do you believe that that entire system of racism and economic servitude just vanished at the end of the war? Do you know that the Thirteenth Amendment, contrary to its propaganda claim that it banned slavery, just changed the requirement from "being black" to "being a criminal". You get that right? You can be a slave if you are a criminal, under the US Constitution. Do you think there might be a correlation there? Something a racist state could game? The US used to have the most slaves. Now it has the most prisoners. The prisons are for profit and their labor is for profit. Wake the fuck up. This is not a few bad cops. This is systemic. From presidents on down. If you think any of these statements damages the credibility of the civil-rights movements, then you aren't going to be able to vote for the changes that are needed, are you? You'll vote for the little ones, that fit your definition of what the problem is, but you aren't going to help with the root cause. You aren't going to help end what has been going on for centuries, and is still causing black people to be murdered indiscriminately. And yes, murdering black people helps keep the white folk in line. It helps at the ballot box. It means you can talk about thugs. "Look, the fact that we kill a disproportionate number of black people is proof that black people are criminals. Better vote for someone who will fund the police!"

DaiPlusPlus 6y ago
Everything you’ve said there is true and excepting only the last paragraph I agree with it entirely. But the murders and manslaughters we’re seeing are a consequence of the oppression - you’re making it out so that murder is the objective of the oppression (I.e. “we oppress so that we can murder”) - not the other way around: “murders are enabled because we oppress”). What you’re describing is genocide - and yes, throughout US history right through to the present hallmarks and traits of genocide are plain to see[1] - but still I just don’t feel comfortable equating historical slavery in the US to genocide - let alone describing modern-day oppression, repression, and systemic racial bias in the US - as genocide. It’s intellectually dishonest. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_genocide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_genocide
- lowbloodsugar 6y ago
  Except for the last paragraph? You really don't know what "Law and Order President", the "Silent Majority", what these dog-whistles are about? And for the rest, I think you underestimate the number of people in this country who would rather have no black people than free black people. Sure, they'd rather have slaves, but if not, they're ok with genocide. And if you think that there couldn't be enough people to hold such beliefs, let alone successfully carry them out, then you've forgotten about the last century entirely and the very recent white supremacy marches. And on that note: look at these guys! This is what white supremacy looks like. Certainly doesn't look like your Senator, your chief of police, your sheriff. No, white supremacy dresses up like a comic book villain for you all to see. There couldn't possibly be die hard racists in power! And sure, well if there are, its really that they are economic opportunists. Sure they're evil, but they don't actually want black people to die, right? I mean, they need them to work in the prisons! Again. Wake the fuck up. And stop denying their existence. The same thing happens with demonizing immigrant farm labor. Think about what it's like to negotiate for a better living when the President of the country you are in is calling you all rapists and killers. You think that the white people have forgotten how great it was to have zero cost labor, and how effective terror is? You think that just because, on paper, people are "free" that they are in a position to stand up to this? These are people, we just learned, are actually essential workers! Where are the H1Bs for these guys? No? Of course, not, because then they could get a better job and we wouldn't have slaves to pick what needs picking.

DaiPlusPlus 6y ago

Everything you’ve said there is true and excepting only the last paragraph I agree with it entirely. But the murders and manslaughters we’re seeing are a consequence of the oppression - you’re making it out so that murder is the objective of the oppression (I.e. “we oppress so that we can murder”) - not the other way around: “murders are enabled because we oppress”). What you’re describing is genocide - and yes, throughout US history right through to the present hallmarks and traits of genocide are plain to see[1] - but still I just don’t feel comfortable equating historical slavery in the US to genocide - let alone describing modern-day oppression, repression, and systemic racial bias in the US - as genocide. It’s intellectually dishonest. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_genocide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_genocide

lowbloodsugar 6y ago
Except for the last paragraph? You really don't know what "Law and Order President", the "Silent Majority", what these dog-whistles are about? And for the rest, I think you underestimate the number of people in this country who would rather have no black people than free black people. Sure, they'd rather have slaves, but if not, they're ok with genocide. And if you think that there couldn't be enough people to hold such beliefs, let alone successfully carry them out, then you've forgotten about the last century entirely and the very recent white supremacy marches. And on that note: look at these guys! This is what white supremacy looks like. Certainly doesn't look like your Senator, your chief of police, your sheriff. No, white supremacy dresses up like a comic book villain for you all to see. There couldn't possibly be die hard racists in power! And sure, well if there are, its really that they are economic opportunists. Sure they're evil, but they don't actually want black people to die, right? I mean, they need them to work in the prisons! Again. Wake the fuck up. And stop denying their existence. The same thing happens with demonizing immigrant farm labor. Think about what it's like to negotiate for a better living when the President of the country you are in is calling you all rapists and killers. You think that the white people have forgotten how great it was to have zero cost labor, and how effective terror is? You think that just because, on paper, people are "free" that they are in a position to stand up to this? These are people, we just learned, are actually essential workers! Where are the H1Bs for these guys? No? Of course, not, because then they could get a better job and we wouldn't have slaves to pick what needs picking.