Race

It's all getting depressingly ugly, isn't it.  If you turn on the TV, or pay attention to social media, or even just engage people in your normal daily business, it seems that everyone is talking about it.   Our racial divisions are the topic of the day.  And it's not going away.  The combination of racial profiling by a very few police that leads to brutality and sometimes murder;  the violent protests, and then the wilful murder of police trying to keep the peace is an overwhelming concept to understand.

I guess the danger is that we become numb to it all.  It's easy to lay blame.  As with so many other things, where you stand depends on where you sit.  I can certainly have sympathy with the cries for justice from many in the minority community.  And I can see the frustration by so many law abiding citizens when they see cops being stereotyped as brutal thugs.  As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle.  There have been too many incidents of racial profiling that have led to injury and even death.  The vast, vast, vast majority of cops are heroes just trying to do a tough job.

I wasn't going to post anything about this because it's becoming more and more difficult to have a civil conversation about it.  More than any subject I can remember, this latest round of racial distress is causing anger, denial, blaming, shaming, and horrendous stereotyping.  This has to stop.  Everyone has to realize that none of us are perfect.  The police have to continue to root out the people who don't belong in the force.  They have to continue to institute things like body cameras and increase training to deal with all kinds of people.  The minority community must start looking within itself.  They must start to promote education, personal responsibility, and respect.

There are too many "yeah, buts" in every conversation.  Bring up one issue and the retort is always, "yeah, but...what about this".  And stop with the statistics.  I've seen them all.  Almost any premise can be proven by how the data is cut.  It seems that everyone from the NYT and WP to the guy down the street with access to Google is flaunting the latest statistic to prove their point.  Or refute their enemy's point.  Just stop.  Start engaging with people instead.

But most of all we need to stop listening to those who would promote the darker view of life.  You know who they are and where they reside.  Resist the temptation to give them legitimacy.  And that goes for either side.  And stop spending 24/7 watching sensationalistic TV and social media.  Lift your head up.  Go outside and see what's happening.  Engage with your neighbors.  You and I can't do anything about the larger picture.   But we can do is impact our immediate surroundings.  A wise politician once said, "all politics are local".  Well, really all life is local.  Do your best to impact what is happening where you are.  See the best in people.  Make an impact in your community and you will make an impact in the world.