Respect? Justice? Really?! To BLM, et al.
No, Society Doesn't OWE You Respect!
The media are reporting yet another police shooting. This one is in Baton Rouge. We still don't know (as of this writing) if the shooter(s) are Muslim scumbags or Black Lives Matter (BLM) scumbags, if either. But I am waiting to hear from the irretrievably stupid among the usual talking heads who say that the shootings, while tragic, should give us pause to consider the injustices faces by SO MANY of our people. We'll be told all the people fanning the flames, hoping for these violent outcomes while they moon for TV cameras, are just demanding "respect".
No! Absolutely not! Under these circumstances we owe no one any such consideration. The arguments we've heard[1. Especially from BHO, rabble rouser-in-chief] connecting the subhuman scum committing these murders to the idea of justice are already skewed by the exaggeration. they are based on phony grievances groups like BLM hold. By employing them the apologists disqualify themselves from the debate.
In a nation of laws, grievances are the responsibility of the aggrieved. Justice is won by the weight of argument. If a man is shot by police in Peoria, attention junkies in Des Moines have no dog in that fight. They can sympathize. That's their right. They can protest, pointless as that would be in Des Moines. That too, is their right. But they don't get to overturn one car or set one dumpster alight. To do so, claiming some kind of connection to far-away violence, is childish and should be dealt with like any other willful act of destruction. Such is not a moment to pause and seek understanding with the drama queens causing the destruction. Understanding can certainly be sought after civil society punishes the vandals and restitution has been made. It can be hoped that the overgrown children would gain a bit of maturity, having paid a penalty for their actions. At that point we can have wider discussions about "justice".
But those who tell us we NEED to understand "why" our cops are being killed are no better than the "moderate" Muslims who say terrorism is really bad, but it only happens because Muslims don't get absolutely everything they want. We need to feel sympathy for them, we are told by "moderates", so they can stop killing innocent civilians. We need to respect them. Similarly, we are told, we need to respect groups like BLM.
Basic Reality
Let's talk about grievances. Mature, productive members of American Society of all races know that systemic racism or injustice doesn't exist in this country. There are racists in America. There are under-qualified cops who slip through the cracks in America. There are even crooked politician like Hillary Clinton who lie out of both side of their mouths and pretend to care about the color of your skin.[2. News flash! They don't. Such politicians consider you to be inferior. That's why they pander to you based on your skin tone. They are hoping you are stupid enough to buy it.] But American society, as an entity, is incredibly tolerant and accepting.
Few countries have gone as far as the United States to coddle their minority communities. We have quota systems in place to see that minority applicants get jobs and an education ahead of better-qualified citizens based solely on the color to their skin. We have a major political party dedicated to the idea that all minorities, especially black Americans, are incapable of living successful lives so they must be carried by society. Employees, especially government employees, are constantly being marched into training rooms and conference rooms to be told how to behave toward protected classes of citizens. They are told what they can and cannot say, so as to avoid hurting the feelings of these poor minority members. They are told the reporting procedures and penalties for saying or doing the wrong thing.
The walls of every company in America are required by law to be papered with posters telling every employee how to fill out their hurt feelings reports in the event someone says or does something not condoned by Big Brother.
Mature, motivated citizens of America, regardless of race, consider all of this a yawner at best and embarrassing at worst. What honest, proud adult wants to be in a group labeled less capable, regardless of the intent of the label?
It would appear some people do. And regardless of the REALITY outlined above, these people will never recognize that the deck is actually stacked in their favor. Instead of taking advantage of that fact, these constant whiners (white, black, latino, etc.) will continue to stand outside the ranks of proud, successful citizens (white, black, latino, etc.) making their own way in this country. The whiners will demand even more from society while contributing ever less.
But What of ALL the Shootings by Racist Cops?!
Yeah, what of that? What of ALL these shootings?
Why do people call 911? Is it because they see someone helping a neighbor in their garden? Is it because they witnessed well-dressed people going into a church? No. It is because they believe a crime is being committed.
There are approximately 240 MILLIION 9-1-1 calls made every year. About a third of these calls do not require police to go to a scene. That leaves about 160,000,000 times per year that police respond to 9-1-1 calls.[3. National Emergency Number Association, www.nena.org]. For the sake of simplicity, we'll say that these are the only instances in which police interact with citizens.
Police personnel killed 1140 people in 2015[4. That is the highest number I can find. Estimates range from "nearly 1000' to 1140. Multiple sources via Washington Times and Wikipedia.] That means if we only count 9-1-1 calls, then in .000125% of calls, the police end up killing someone. Of these, a fraction are unarmed, just over 100 or .0000625%. Of those, many are behaving in a threatening manner whether with a vehicle or by appearing to be reaching for something (judged by officers involved as a weapon). There are no real stats on this area. But I think you see where this is going.
We have over 800,000 police officers in this country.
Now lets throw in millions of traffic stops - where cops occasionally end up being shot - or situations which police happen across while on patrol, to the mix. Now you have multiple hundreds of millions of contacts annually that do not end in the death of a suspect. You have an infinitesimal number that do, and only a tiny few of those that can be regarded as bad shoots.
There is a great deal of talk about SO MANY more black suspects, armed and unarmed being shot than white suspects. First, it is only more per capita. More Whites are shot than blacks. And PER CAPITA more blacks commit crime, including violent crime than whites. A harsh truth to accept, but a truth. And again, we are talking about a vanishingly small fraternity here. To seek an explanation beyond that is intellectually dishonest.
None of the Shootings of Cops and Baseless Protests are Understandable.
So, all of the emotion you see in the streets, all of the apology for the "understandable" rage of Black Americans, is based on ignorance of those who want to blame cops for everything, at best. At worst, it is the willful dishonesty of those who seek to inspire unrest.
As a group, law enforcement must be commended on the unfathomable restraint they display every day.
But if you think cops were twitchy before, now that we have people listening to Hillary Clinton, the "Reverend" Al Sharpton and BLM, ALL cops, of all races are going to be a lot more defensive in their policing. The stage has been set for record numbers of violent confrontations between law enforcement and citizens. We already hear of diminished policing in some areas. Perhaps the political hacks and egomaniacal publicity seekers, "protesting" imaginary issues, are quite pleased with just such possibilities. Each death, cop or civilian, adds to their phony narrative.
Back to my first point about "respect". People are free to demand respect all day long. But respect doesn't come because you demand it. It must be earned. People DO NOT respect you because you block traffic and shout mindless chants. They don't respect you because you wrecked a downtown area of your city. They don't respect you because you make veiled threats or direct threats. Although society will too often appease this type of activity, they actually hate you for it and hold you in contempt. That is appropriate.
Respect is earned by demonstrations of character and, in conflict, the weight of argument.
Matt Jordan is a travel writer, political commentator and author of 16 20 24. Get your SIGNED copy here!
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