2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Count Down [View all]H2O Man
(73,537 posts)understanding why these things are happening at an ever-increasing pace. And it is always more important to know "why," than "how." Indeed, if we look at but one recent example of hatred becoming manifest in the daily lives of a significant portion of our population, we see definitive proof of that. Let's consider Black Lives Matter for a moment.
In individual cases, the less insightful among us get caught up on "how" .....and thus tend to focus almost exclusively upon the behavior of the victim of police (or related) shootings. The classic example being that young man Trayvon, murdered by Zimmerman. If Trayvon hadn't done this, or if he only did that. No! Zimmerman went out into the darkness prepared to shoot someone. Why?
Be it this example, or one of the dozens of police shootings, or the brutal incidents in schools, or road rage .....it's not how, it is why. Why? Because the angers, fears, anxieties, and hatreds of the group must find expression; and that expression comes by either an individual or small group, in the most convenient setting -- where there is a conflict between strict rules in the aggressive person's mind, and the more socially-acceptable guidelines for behavior in the victim's mind.
The curious reality is that "hatred" does not exist in the real world; it is only found in the gray matter of human's brains. Yet, it demands existence. And thus, it seeps out between the cracks of strict rules and general guidelines. Over, and over, and over.
The insightful voices of Black Lives Matter ask us to consider why? Because this social dynamic can never be resolved, if we do not answer that question. Yet, it is uncomfortable, so others resort to "how," and all lives matter.
I've gotta grab my first cup of coffee of the morning. I hope to continue this discussion, once I'm awake enough to make sense. (grin)