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>Is saying that someone with a criminal record like that "didn't live a virtuous life" really a fireable offense? Talk about wild hyperboles! “In the wake of

>Is saying that someone with a criminal record like that "didn't live a virtuous life" really a fireable offense? Talk about wild hyperboles! “In the wake of George Floyd’s death, most people in the country have framed this as an act of racism,” Moloney’s email continued. “I don’t think we know that. Many people have claimed that racism is a major problem in police forces. I don’t think we know that.” The Chaplain has said enough things that association with him became a liability for an institution like MIT, that is all.

miracle2k 6y ago
The new orthodoxy requires this quote to be something awful, and upon reading it, that was my immediate thought as well. "He really said that?". But it really isn't. In fact, it continues to be an opinion of a large section of the society. He is only saying that the police are not totally racist, maybe only a bit! Disagree as much as you want, this is an opinion beyond the pale now? And the fact that the culture causes MIT to believe this to be a liability is exactly the point.
- romwell 6y ago
  >He is only saying that the police are not totally racist, maybe only a bit Let's not be facetious here, shall we? He said that we don't know that racism is a major problem in police forces. In fact, we do know that; the structural racism is what many people are protesting against. Structural racism manifests itself in the rules and protocols, in traditions and patterns in actions. To say that it is a major problem does not imply that the majority of individual policemen are racists. What it means is that the black people are disproportionately affected by the negative effects of policing, including brutality. To say that "we don't know that" is unacceptable ignorance for a public figurehead of a reputable institution. Because we do know that.
kmlx 6y ago
everything you quoted is... objectively true
- romwell 6y ago
  No, it is not. Unless by "we" you take to mean the chaplain in question - in which case, it is unacceptable ignorance. Let me reiterate. He said that we don't know that racism is a major problem in police forces. In fact, we do know that; the structural racism is what many people are protesting against. Structural racism manifests itself in the rules and protocols, in traditions and patterns in actions. To say that it is a major problem does not imply that the majority of individual policemen are racists. What it means is that the black people are disproportionately affected by the negative effects of policing, including brutality. To say that "we don't know that" is unacceptable ignorance for a public figurehead of a reputable institution, because it implies that MIT doesn't know that. But MIT does. We do. You, perhaps, don't, and it does not look good, but this is a chance for you to learn.
LandR 6y ago
It might imply racism, it might imply that there are major issues with the police use of force in America. It might imply major problems with a lack of training of US police officers, both in techniques used to control someone but also when it's appropriate to use those techniques and for how long. It might even imply, and I reckon it probably does, that there are some sociopaths in the police form that are wholy unfit to be police officers. These people need rooted out and fired. I would probably put the officer that killed George Floyd in this category. I'm also sure there are racists in the police force who treat black people unfairly, these people also need rooted out and fired. I'm sure there is a LOT of these types. But from the video, it doesn't imply that the police officer was racist or that his death is the result of racism. We simply don't know if the outcome would be different had George Floyd been white. We can't even really tell from teh video if he was intentionally trying to kill George Floyd, I suspect he wasn't. I suspect that his death was a gross mistake, a result of insufficient training and a sociopath police officer. I very much doubt it was racist cop intentionally killing a black man because he was black, on camera, in front of witnesses recording it all on their phones.
- romwell 6y ago
  > I suspect that his death was a gross mistake The officer that killed Floyd made a gross mistake. Each of the three officers that were on the scene and watched Chauvin kill Floyd also made a gross mistake by not intervening in an active murder that lasted over 8 minutes. After the murder, all the policemen involved made a gross mistake by lying on the police report about Floyd resisting arrest, and describing his death as a "medical distress". Then the people in the justice system made a gross mistake by not opening a murder investigation and not charging anyone. And the entire police department made a gross mistake by not making any arrests in regards to the murder they knew happened. All these gross mistakes were happening as the video was widely circulated, and people were out there demanding justice. And after many violent protests, there are still good chances that the justice system will make another gross mistake and acquit the people involved due to the concept of "qualified immunity", which is, of course, also a gross mistake. Along with these gross mistakes happening on a regular basis across the country, the repeated pattern of gross mistakes makes me wonder if our police and justice systems are... a gross mistake. Does it make you wonder? I hope it does.

miracle2k 6y ago

The new orthodoxy requires this quote to be something awful, and upon reading it, that was my immediate thought as well. "He really said that?". But it really isn't. In fact, it continues to be an opinion of a large section of the society. He is only saying that the police are not totally racist, maybe only a bit! Disagree as much as you want, this is an opinion beyond the pale now? And the fact that the culture causes MIT to believe this to be a liability is exactly the point.

romwell 6y ago
>He is only saying that the police are not totally racist, maybe only a bit Let's not be facetious here, shall we? He said that we don't know that racism is a major problem in police forces. In fact, we do know that; the structural racism is what many people are protesting against. Structural racism manifests itself in the rules and protocols, in traditions and patterns in actions. To say that it is a major problem does not imply that the majority of individual policemen are racists. What it means is that the black people are disproportionately affected by the negative effects of policing, including brutality. To say that "we don't know that" is unacceptable ignorance for a public figurehead of a reputable institution. Because we do know that.

kmlx 6y ago

everything you quoted is... objectively true

romwell 6y ago
No, it is not. Unless by "we" you take to mean the chaplain in question - in which case, it is unacceptable ignorance. Let me reiterate. He said that we don't know that racism is a major problem in police forces. In fact, we do know that; the structural racism is what many people are protesting against. Structural racism manifests itself in the rules and protocols, in traditions and patterns in actions. To say that it is a major problem does not imply that the majority of individual policemen are racists. What it means is that the black people are disproportionately affected by the negative effects of policing, including brutality. To say that "we don't know that" is unacceptable ignorance for a public figurehead of a reputable institution, because it implies that MIT doesn't know that. But MIT does. We do. You, perhaps, don't, and it does not look good, but this is a chance for you to learn.

LandR 6y ago

It might imply racism, it might imply that there are major issues with the police use of force in America. It might imply major problems with a lack of training of US police officers, both in techniques used to control someone but also when it's appropriate to use those techniques and for how long. It might even imply, and I reckon it probably does, that there are some sociopaths in the police form that are wholy unfit to be police officers. These people need rooted out and fired. I would probably put the officer that killed George Floyd in this category. I'm also sure there are racists in the police force who treat black people unfairly, these people also need rooted out and fired. I'm sure there is a LOT of these types. But from the video, it doesn't imply that the police officer was racist or that his death is the result of racism. We simply don't know if the outcome would be different had George Floyd been white. We can't even really tell from teh video if he was intentionally trying to kill George Floyd, I suspect he wasn't. I suspect that his death was a gross mistake, a result of insufficient training and a sociopath police officer. I very much doubt it was racist cop intentionally killing a black man because he was black, on camera, in front of witnesses recording it all on their phones.

romwell 6y ago
> I suspect that his death was a gross mistake The officer that killed Floyd made a gross mistake. Each of the three officers that were on the scene and watched Chauvin kill Floyd also made a gross mistake by not intervening in an active murder that lasted over 8 minutes. After the murder, all the policemen involved made a gross mistake by lying on the police report about Floyd resisting arrest, and describing his death as a "medical distress". Then the people in the justice system made a gross mistake by not opening a murder investigation and not charging anyone. And the entire police department made a gross mistake by not making any arrests in regards to the murder they knew happened. All these gross mistakes were happening as the video was widely circulated, and people were out there demanding justice. And after many violent protests, there are still good chances that the justice system will make another gross mistake and acquit the people involved due to the concept of "qualified immunity", which is, of course, also a gross mistake. Along with these gross mistakes happening on a regular basis across the country, the repeated pattern of gross mistakes makes me wonder if our police and justice systems are... a gross mistake. Does it make you wonder? I hope it does.