Quote:
Originally Posted by once
I think listen to the sentiment that a statement such as “defund the police” comes from. To the average white suburbanite I agree that slogan will involve much pearl clutching - but to a black minority it might be a comforting thought after living in fear of police for their entire life.
Yes, sometimes black lives matter use extremist language but why is it that black communities are the source of these “extremist” sentiments? It speaks to a difference in lived experience and this rhetoric is a counterpoint to the long held other extreme - which is that we need police on every corner to protect our mostly white neighborhoods from minority thugs.
Which one of the two extremist positions has more headspace in the average Canadian mindset? Part of it is about changing the conversation. And yes, listening and understanding is important.
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I am not sure about the effectiveness of shock value (at least not at the level of claiming we shouldn't have police forces) to win over people who might be well-intentioned but don't feel personally concerned much.
These are the people you need in order to "win".
I've pointed to the gains of the gay community before as an example of how you can pretty darn effectively win over the non-concerned by convincing them that your gains are no threat to them.
If I am a non-black American (and even if I am an African-American inner city dweller - perhaps even moreso), a lot of things that BLM are flirting with sound pretty dangerous to me.