2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: What Bernie said in June of this year about Black Lives Matter. Did the hecklers know? [View all]DisgustipatedinCA
(12,530 posts)Are you ready to take on that mantle and represent the entire black community? I'm sure as hell not ready to be responsible for the white community.
To be sure, you have solid ground to stand on. You know much more about being an African American in the US than I or any other white person ever will. And you're damned sure a better spokesperson than some non-PoC around here who are having a great time playing with their brand new cudgel--swinging at Sanders supporters like there's no tomorrow. But believe it or not, white people think stuff too, and sometimes we type it on DU.
Madfloridian has earned her say here. She's always been a kind soul and a thoughtful person. She has just as much right as anyone to weigh in on these issues. There are some here--and I don't think you're one of them--but there are some people here who are playing the "I can't believe you said that" semi-veiled accusations of racism that they know are bullshit. They also know race issues are third rail territory, and they're using that as a way to hide and snipe and play really dirty political games. And it's not just one person doing this.
Black lives matter. They do, irrespective of hashtags and new activist groups. Corrupt and violent pigs also matter. They need to be dealt with, harshly and publicly. Their victims are disproportionately black. But their effects are felt far and wide, and there are those of us who f-ing HATE corrupt cops, and we'd feel that way irrespective of what one group or another advises. So people can challenge Sanders all they want. He's a big boy and he can handle himself but it would be a mistake to think its therefore ok to slam Sanders supporters and accuse them in some veiled way of racism. That's just not going to be true in most instances. I feel the way I feel about cops for my own reasons, and those reasons have to do with me and the world I want to live in. My reasons are selfish. But I would think that the way I feel lines up pretty nicely with the way I perceive most people of color feel. We should be natural allies; that's all I'm saying.
Before I send this, let me say that I don't relish the idea of arguing with you. It's not what I want, and it's also a daunting prospect. But look at the OP. MadFL is clearly upset, and you've appealed to her to stop with her lime of reasoning. Even if you disagree, why can't you let her have an outlet to have her say. She isn't harming anyone. She's acting in good faith, obviously.
Not all of this is directed at you. I really haven't posted on this topic yet--I've been collecting my thoughts. You're not responsible for everything that's said on DU that I disagree with. Anyway, I kind of went stream-of-consciousness with the middle part of this post, and I went a little far afield from just replying to you..