George Floyd

I think there is a problem with the police in this country. I do not know if their screening process for new recruits favors people with violent tendencies and/or low intelligence, or if the training is completely inept, or what, but I think that things need to change. I didn't watch the video of George Floyd's murder, but my understanding of what happened makes me think that all of the cops involved should be charged with something, and the main perpetrator should spend the rest of his life in prison for murder. I think cops should be able to defend themselves if they are in danger, but these cops sure don't seem like they were in danger. Restraining people should be done in a way that causes the least amount of pain to everyone involved and ensures everyone is safe. Again, training.

When you look at the differences in the police response to armed white thugs protesting lockdowns in capitol buildings across the country to their responses in places like Louisville, where apparently 7 people were shot (or shot at, not sure) during a protest for Floyd, it's concerning. In KY recently, a black EMT was killed by police during a no-knock raid on her home. The police were at the wrong house and the suspect had already been taken custody. Her boyfriend was at first charged with shooting at the cops when they burst in without identifying themselves, but the charges were dropped (they were ridiculous in the first place, but it's pretty clear they were only dropped because we the people are paying attention).

I don't condone violence during protests, or at least indiscriminate violence. I don't think smashing random small businesses' windows and looting does anything good for the cause. If you're angry, I think you should direct that anger at the people who deserve it. But I also think that people have tried protesting peacefully and opponents bitch about that too. I don't know what the solution is.

Since you also mentioned covid protests, I'll say those people are straight up retards. These people show up with their guns and their military cosplay (since you know they've probably never served), and use their platform to whine about not being able to get haircuts or eat inside restaurants or go to the state parks. Or they whine about not being able to work, but when you point out that there are plenty of businesses on the front lines hiring (like grocery stores), those jobs aren't good enough for them. They want other people to put themselves at risk so that they can have luxuries. In my opinion they also have no real understanding of the constitution or their actual rights. I see so much damn fake news on Facebook about what the government is allowed to do in the time of a pandemic and it's sad. These people would have never survived the sacrifices their parents and grandparents had to make during the world wars. But they claim to be patriots.

I agree with you that tensions are coming to a head with people having been stressed out and cooped up in their homes for so long. I feel like every month so far this year has had some bullshit. Can't imagine what the rest of the year has in store for us, lol. Zombie apocalypse from the covid vaccine, perhaps?

 

I don't have a lot of love for billionaires and their large corporations and hitting people in their pocketbooks is usually a good way to get through to them. It's just the narrative starts focusing on the lawlessness and thievery and not on the real issues. And small businesses in particular don't usually have much extra to absorb costs of destruction or stolen goods (even if their insurance might cover the costs eventually) and their businesses have already been hurt badly by coronavirus closures. So targeting them is not a good look. I think that the people looting are probably just taking advantage of the cover provided by the protests and are probably shit people and thieves anyway. Unfortunately I think they get more of the attention (the conspiracy theorist in me would argue that this is probably intentional).

I think people are paying attention, but I'm not sure it's changing any opinions. I'm seeing a lot of local folks focusing on the looters and the violence. I also see a lot of "not all cops" and people wanting to know what happened in the lead up to Floyd's death to "cause the cop to act that way". I'd argue that nothing he did would make this okay, but the victim blaming is out in force.

I'd say China should mind their own business, but the US meddles in foreign affairs all the time, so...

 

Yeah. It seems like a lot of the looters getting photographed are white, though. Which is why I think some of them are undercover cops stirring shit up or civilians taking advantage because they're thieves.

It doesn't help very much when the choices to vote from are both garbage so much of the time. Like, we have not one but two alleged rapists to choose from for president in November, lmao. It'd help to have more everyday people hold office, or participate in their local parties, but that takes money and time that a lot of people really just don't have. And the state election offices like to play games when it comes to election times, like having a shortage of polling locations in areas with a lot of minorities (or young people, for that matter), so people are discouraged by the long ass lines and wait times. It can feel hopeless.

I think the underlying problem is income inequality. If your average person was making more money, they'd be paying more in taxes, which would allow them to have things like better quality schools and teachers, a better trained police force, and improved infrastructure (like clean drinking water!), assuming the local government uses the funds as intended. They'd also have more money on hand for emergencies, therefore less stress, and more money available for opportunities like trade schools or college, which I think would translate into a better standard of living. I think most other issues are red herrings used to divide us and keep us from focusing on the real enemies.