I am in the same boat, if the discussion is respectful, I will chime in with a cup of coffee in my hand 
thats a chicken and egg situation and isnt going to go away. As a woman I can call my girlfriends a sl(beep)t and a wh(beep)re and they can call me that but I would never want someone who doesnt know me close enough to ever call me that. So in a way, this is a “inside joke” situation. Inside jokes are only good if you are on the “inside” 
Hmmm I have a fundamental problem with this statement…
What is wrong? And WHY is it wrong? Who decides? Who is the great arbitrator of wrong.
Drat you Boz, drawn in, despite myself!
I’d argue that it’s not about that. I don’t either, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t make instant judgements on people based on the way they look. Short, tall, fat, skinny, dark, light, makeup, clothes, etc. We all make quick judgements of people when we first see them, even if we know those judgements aren’t accurate, we still do it. We start with the most obvious features, and then work our way to more granularity. I think this is the type of racism you are talking about.
But racism isn’t just about judgement. A policy or a custom can have negative effects on a race even if the people who practice the custom or policy have zero racist intentions. This happens all the time, and it’s harder to see when you are not the one who it is directed at.
So again, it’s not about whether a person is racist or not, because he is. It’s a matter of whether that person recognizes where his customs and practices make it harder for other groups, including other races, to go about their business. You do it, I do it, we all do it. Some people do it more than others. The point is to recognize where and how we do it when it’s not obvious, and change that.
And with that I totally agree. It’s cute when girls do that. My fiance’s pet name from her best friend is “hooker”, her name to her best friend is “dirty b&*ch”. That kind of thing is acceptable. But stuff like black people abusing the N word wouldn’t be quite the same. They can say it amongst themselves and that’s fine if they feel the need… What I hate about THAT scenario is, for quite a few years now, that word has been the ugliest word that could be said to them. They’ve hated it, fought about it and killed because of it. Why on earth would they think it’s a good word to use? That makes no sense to me. Where you and your girlfriends are “inside” and find the little names funny or whatever, this is a situation where I think it’s a totally different animal. I don’t find it cute or even humorous when they say that as every other word.
I can’t totally answer that, but I would think society as well as people with common sense would agree with the obvious.
Rioting and looting because someone feels a person was dealt a bad hand is wrong. I think what happened to George Floyd was horrendous. However, what happened after it was wrong. To destroy businesses and loot them for this reason, anyone not seeing this as wrong is a part of the problem in MY opinion.
We had a 5 year old boy shot in the head and killed by a black man right in front of the little kid’s sister because he rode his bike on the black man’s lawn. We did not riot, we did not loot. Why? Because it’s wrong…and trust me, this little boy was done more of an injustice than George Floyd, who was under arrest for a reason and who had also been on the wrong side of the law numerous times. No, he didn’t deserve to die…neither did the little kid. Businesses shouldn’t have been looted nor should there have been riots and innocent people harmed.
When a police officer stops you, why on earth would you take the chance of upsetting him by saying “I don’t need to show you s^&t” when you’re asked for your license? Why do people feel they can write the laws as they go along or feel they need to exercise some right that only makes a problem escalate? If you are an innocent person, wouldn’t the right thing be to show your credentials, behave like a human being and do the right thing? Defying the police because you don’t feel you need to respect or listen to them is wrong. They were given the power for a reason. Not all are bad.
So I mentioned being on ride alongs with my buddy. We go to a park where there are 15 cars parked on the park grass. They are not allowed to be on the grass. There are signs all along the road where they specifically say no parking on the grass or you will be ticketed and towed. There was a party of black people enjoying themselves. Because the vehicles were on the grass and breaking the law, my buddy checked some tag numbers. At the time, we didn’t know it was a black party. All we saw were cars.
When he found the party, he NICELY asked every single person there individually to please move their cars. He could have had them all ticketed and towed. Instead he asked each person to please move their car. One of the cars, came back with a stolen license plate. When he found the lady that owned the car, he asked her to show him her credentials because the car was coming up stolen. He did NOT accuse her of stealing it. She said she was the owner and that his information was wrong. He agreed it could be and simply asked for her to please show some proof she was the legit owner. This turned into “oh, you’re gonna shoot me in front of my kids because I’m black?”
He never raised his voice. He never accused her and he never even touched his gun. By this time, all the people he had asked nicely to move their cars moved in on him thinking he must have threatened this woman. I’m sitting there in the car with the doors locked ready to grab the shot gun and jump on the radio to call for help because it was him against 25 people. To me, this whole situation was wrong. He handled it right and the race card was played once again. This is what happens in America on a daily basis. I can’t tell you how many “get out of here pig” folks he met that day when I drove with him. It was pathetic. They are pathetic.
Double standard wrongs: If I created WLM (White Lives Matter) there would be a major stink about it. I think it’s wrong and a double standard. If I wanted to create that, I should be allowed to without worrying about backlash of any kind. I can go on and on listing things that are OK for blacks that are NOT ok for whites. This is wrong on all counts. They can’t constantly use their color as a crutch, Emma. And that’s what they do. They can’t continue to blame society or we white people for slavery or other injustices. They are blaming the wrong people.
It’s just like people in other countries that accuse the USA of being a crap country. We Americans don’t wish anyone harm. We don’t want to war with you. We don’t want your land. We aren’t asked whether or not we want to send troops to your country. We vote for people who chirp one song before they get in office and do something else once they get there. I can assure you, if there was a vote from the American people to see what WE had to say about doing things to other countries, people would have a different opinion of us. We just pay rent to live here. Not all of us are gun toting American lunatics like Ted Nugent. We actually love others and have no control over the things that happen. Yet every time, other countries will despise the American people just like blacks keep blaming us over and over for slavery. I’ve never bombed or wished war on anyone. I’ve never owned a slave and I’ve never mistreated anyone due to their race or religion nor have I every shown any forms of racism. When I speak of WLM, or WET, it is not something I want or hope happens. I’m saying if it were to materialize, it should be allowed without threats of any kind. If I wanted to create the United Caucasian College Fund for kids that will never go to college without it, I should be able to.
As I said before in this thread, ask a person in their 70’s or 80’s what real racism is. People of today know nothing about what it is nor do they know what it really means. They were born into a world where they dated white women and were accepted by white people from the beginning. I’m by no means saying racism doesn’t exist. I’m just saying it doesn’t exist to the extent they try to make everyone believe.
Wrong is disrespect, ignorance, double standards and holding onto racial injustice that doesn’t really exist in some of their lives. The racism now exists towards white people as WE are called racists every day even when we are not. God forbid someone says something, they lose a job. I’ll never forget the sports caster that made a mention of a certain black quarterback in football having the same color skin as the ball. He mentioned that it made it hard to see whether or not the QB still had the ball. He meant it in an advantage way and was praising this QB. The QB in question wasn’t offended by his statement and found it truthful. The man was fired. So mentioning a God given weapon about a man’s skin the way he was born being an advantage is wrong? Seriously?
The slangs used for us are acceptable though. When was the last time you heard a black person fired for calling another black person the N word or for calling white people a slang? Never. It won’t ever happen, and if it does, the news won’t report it. The same with the little 5 year old that died, shot in front of his sister. No press, no rioting, no looting. It’s only news when white does something to black. Never the other way around.
We had more violence in the riots, looting, and business disturbances than the storming of the US Capitol. A gang took over a portion of a city and that city allowed it…yet it was all swept under the rug and no one really paid for anything. Imagine losing your business and all you own and no one does a thing. Insurance only helps so much. In the meantime while you wait for it, how do you survive? Yet they keep going on about that Capitol building. It’s all “wrong”. Yet one seems to always get excused when other situations are always in the news. These are the types of “wrong” I see as blatantly obvious whether anyone else sees them that way or not.
Last scenario, and this one I’ll never understand. I’m a gun owner. I have had relentless background checks for every firearm I own. If I buy a hand gun, I must send away for a permit which takes me 5 months to get along with a background check. Once that comes in and I buy a gun, I am background checked AGAIN to see if anything has changed in 5 months. I pay for these checks or I don’t get a gun. I’m perfectly ok with the checks. So I get the hand gun. Tomorrow I want a rifle. I don’t need a permit for this. I go to the shop and buy the gun. I can’t have it because another background check has to be done. I just got one this week, right? I pay for another. Again, I’m okj with this.Yet, the leaders we have wish to take away my guns. I’ve never crossed the line. I would never cross the line. The criminals will have guns with big magazines loaded with bullets they buy off the streets. I will have my police defunded, and my second amendment taken away, yet I was never a threat and all I want to do is protect my family and shoot at a range. So…here are the things that REALLY don’t make sense. Look them up if you don’t believe me.
Help me understand the logic of this:
Is Logic the same thing as common sense?
Eleven teens die each day because of texting while driving. Maybe it’s time to raise the age of Smart phone ownership to 21. Read that first sentence again. That’s 11 too many.
If gun control laws actually worked, Chicago would be Mayberry. (Andy Griffith show fictitious city)
The Second Amendment makes more women equal than the entire feminist
movement.
Legal gun owners have 300 million guns and probably a trillion rounds of ammo. Seriously, folks, if we were the problem, you’d know it.
When JFK was killed, nobody blamed the rifle.
The NRA murders 0 people and receives $0 in government funds. Planned Parenthood kills 350,000 babies every year and receives $50,000,000 in tax dollars annually.
I have no problem with vigorous background checks when it comes to firearms as I mentioned. While we’re at it, let’s do the same when it comes to immigration, Voter I.D and Candidates running for office. Also for welfare recipients.
You don’t need a smoke detector; that’s what the fire department is for. Now… if you think that sounds stupid, you know how I feel when you say I don’t need a gun.
Folks keep talking about another Civil War. One side knows how to shoot and has a trillion bullets. The other side has crying closets and is confused about which bathroom to use. How do you think that’s going to end?
To me, all of the above are blatant instances of wrong. We can’t fix the wrong until people can admit they are wrong. I have no issues admitting when I’m wrong and will apologize profusely and will do my best to not make the same mistake again. Just like the audio world, at any time when I’ve talked about something, I would also give advice or lead with examples. We don’t just say something is wrong without offering how to fix it. I can list a fix for anything I’ve mentioned as wrong. But that would be a novel you probably wouldn’t want to read because I’m probably boring you already. 
-Danny
I think that nobody is perfect, and we are a product of and a reaction to the world we grew up in. Cycles of behaviour get handed down for generations. Right now a 20 year old African American young man could have grown up in a slum knowing only gangs etc and have no prospects because they haven’t known anything else… because their parents were the same, and you only have to go back to their parents and you’re looking at people who grew up in a state with barefaced racist laws passed down from the Jim Crow era. And from there you have three generations living in a racist state back before you get to the point where slavery was legal in the United States (land of the free etc etc)
Danny, you’ve said a hell of a lot there and it would be mad of me to start deconstructing it all to agree or disagree with bits.
But my observations and my studies of history (I like history because it helps me understand what’s going on in the world) have led me to the conclusion that some people are lucky and able to break out of the world that shaped them. Most aren’t. So I have no problem with the idea of positive discrimination, which I think is a large part of what you’re railing against, because I can’t see any other way to repair the damage of so much regular discrimination over centuries. It just won’t happen on its own. EVEN THOUGH I totally accept that it’s unfair to me and you, two white men who never owned slaves and treat everyone with respect regardless of race etc.
I think it’s harder for a lot of Americans to see that, and this isn’t a criticism at all, because your history is so compressed - it feels like Americans think of the 1930s the way Europeans think of the 1700’s
But the bottom line for me is that all the totally overtly racist stuff wasn’t that long ago in terms of human experience.
I’d say definitely not. I think common sense is a lazy way of saying “This feels good to me, but I can’t explain why,” which is fine way of making personal decisions, but a terrible way to back up a claim.
A lot of what Danny said was well written and well formed. I have to respect that. And yes I cant break it into agree and disagree bits, the debate is a century old.
The case of civil disobedience is also age old. Hundreds of years of social stigma doesn’t disappear. It may never disappear for decades to come. The civil disobedience (regardless of race or gender) stems from several reasons. If a group feels wronged and they have been instigated in some way, the years of social stigma will come out in the form of social unrest and civil disobedience. We cant reach common ground in any way, if we keep rubbing salt at each others wounds. Several years ago my dad was passed up for several promotions at his company to make room for “diversity”, he was upset and felt wronged and was miserable for a very long time, because he felt entitled to those position over the others. Even though he didn’t riot over it, he started harboring hatred and that was the issue right there. One person does wrong to another person, the person feels “entitled” and reverberates the same sentiment to others causing a chain reaction, which if left unchecked may lead to a riot in some form or the other. The core of the issue is good old human ego 
. It is as simple as it gets. We simply don’t work hard enough on controlling that beast and point the blame someplace else. Every time!
Since this is a music forum… (Explicit content warning) There’s a lot to unpack in this song too.
This statement underpins a big part of the problem. If someone has the power to exert their will over others (or perceives they do), then why even bother trying to see the other side’s point of view? There’s nothing to be gained.
In what universe is it OK to kneel on the neck of a man who is handcuffed and begging for his life until he is dead??
In what universe is it acceptable that nothing is done after 20 kids are gunned down at their school??
In what universe does it make sense that my brother can buy his 12 and 10 year old grandkids AR-15s?
In the universe that is the U.S. apparently…
In keeping with the spirit of this being a music forum, bash away. 
I’m sort of lost there Mike. Underpins? That’s actually factual man. We are not the ones talking Civil War. It’s the people trying to erase history that cry about every little thing.
I think it’s apparent the world agrees with you about George Floyd. But have you ever heard of Cannon Hinnant? He’ll forever be swept under the rug. Look him up. Hardly any news coverage. Why? The holy double standards. Only in the USA can people riot for the injustice of a repeated criminal and they can get away with it while another family mourns the loss of a child that never had a chance. If someone had the footage on cam, would that make it more real to you?
Two wrongs don’t make a right. So we fix the part that killed GF. You give cops a 3 strike rule depending on the situation. The worse it is, the more they can be fired instantly. You control or take away police unions. They sweep bad cops under the rug and protect them. Next, people must accept being wrong and we have to define what “wrong” is like a blinking sign. When you commit a crime, resist arrest, hold back information, it should be law that it’s wrong and if the person decides to be a dick about it, sorry for their bad luck.
The problem with your AR theory is, anyone could have done those school shootings with a shotgun…which just about everyone has. And guess what, you don’t even have to aim to hit someone and hunters can walk right down the street with them along with rifles.
And the biggest issue you’re missing. They will find another way to do it. You can’t fix evil. We couldn’t stop stills during prohibition. You won’t stop guns from being made.
You can’t blame everyone for bad seeds any more than you can blame all Muslim’s for some of the atrocities the media has shared. Here in NJ, you’re looking at 5 months just to get a purchasers ID card and fingerprint/background check before you can get any firearm. I’m fine with that.
Do you sue or eliminate cigarette manufacturers because people decide to smoke and get cancer? How many die from lung cancer? Probably more than our murder rate. But that’s OK because realistically, it’s freedom of choice population control.
At the end of the day, you have to look where the wrong is on all sides, not just 1. Legal gun owners are not the problem. Sick people with guns are. Good cops are not the problem. Bad cops are. An AR15 is NOT an assault rifle. It is a. 22 caliber on steroids that is harder to shoot than the common shotgun in an aiming situation. Way less kick than a shotgun but you have to be able to shoot and aim with an AR to actually hit something. A shotgun takes very little aim to take someone down due to the spray. My shotgun makes a 8 inch blast. My AR is less than a half inch with target rip. People are the problem, not guns.
Whatever the case, there are things that need to be fixed on all sides. Pointing fingers and blaming doesn’t fix a thing. Like I said before, I can list a fix for everything I’ve posted in this thread. But it starts with people admitting they are wrong without using color or society as their crutch.
You have to see the good, you have to honor the loyal, you have to commend the law abiding and you have to look at the big picture before you turn and lump everyone in. We have far more good in the world than we do evil. The problem is, people don’t see it that way and just remove things because they don’t want to fix the problem and we innocent people have to suffer for that. There are times when people have to suck it up instead of crying for their own benefit…especially if they don’t have a clue what they are talking about. All present company excluded of course
What’s factual about that statement?
Here is a story about Cannon Hinnant, if anyone is reading this I’ll save them the trouble of looking him up. (I don’t think Forbes is on the list of “fake news” is it?)
No dispute. That that is a tragic story. So what’s your point in bringing it up? And what’s your solution? To give 5 year olds side-arms?
Do you know Charlotte Bacon or Daniel Barden or Olivia Engel or Josephine Gay or Dylan Hockley or Madeleine Hsu or Catherine Hubbard or Chase Kowalski or Jesse Lewis or Ana Márquez-Greene or James Mattioli or Grace McDonnell or Emilie Parker or Jack Pinto or Noah Pozner or Caroline Previdi or Jessica Rekos or Avielle Richman or Benjamin Wheeler or Allison Wyatt?
Look one of them up.
What’s factual is all the ones trying to erase history claiming they want a civil war. They bash us for our rights that were written in the constitution. They try to alter things at every turn. People better hope there isn’t a civil war and should stop using that term so freely.
Yeah Mike, we’ll give guns to 5 year olds. No need to be sarcastic. Stuff like that response is what closes these threads down. We were all fine until you felt the need to add in your sarcasm. Don’t allow your passion to run your mouth. I respected you and your comments/beliefs until that remark. I’ve not said one sarcastic words or remark to you. I was enjoying this hearing from all sides. Now I’m on edge. Thanks for that.
My point in bringing it up? People made a martyr out of a repeat offender. Floyd’s death was tragic. It should have never happened. But again, you just ignore the looting, rioting and death that occurred because of his situation. It doesn’t give anyone the right to act the way they all did during that time. His name and situation was the reason to riot and loot. We mourned his death, admitted wrong doing and mourned the death of the 5 year old. No one looted and rioted in Cannon’s name. That’s my point. Why? Because it would be wrong. All the blacks in the streets throwing bottles at cops? So quick you ignore that. You don’t look at the effects, you look at the incident. We can’t take the law into our own hands because someone gets dealt a bad hand.
As for your video: it’s brilliant. However, it doesn’t speak total truth. Not all white people were against BLM when they said ALM. To me, ALL LIVES MATTER. And that includes good cops To ME, that means lets ALL ban together so that NO ONE dies or has any injustice. Let’s sort it as a family! It’s not a protest to their protest. We all matter and we all need to unify. Strength in numbers, remember? Not all white people think in the ways of that video. It sends a message, but again, it doesn’t count for everyone. We can’t blame the minions for a few bad seeds.
Yes, I’m aware of who they are. The fact remains tragic. But again, you are speaking about something that would happen if evil says it will happen regardless of weapons. You are talking about unstable people who should not have the power of a firearm. You are also speaking about a minority. When a jet crashes, it’s massive loss of life. Do we ban air travel? No, we got tougher on pilots and maintenance of aircraft. We do the same with guns. Here in NJ where we have super strict laws, they aren’t helping us. They are helping criminals. We have ten round mags. They have 30. We have semi-auto weapons. They have full auto. We can’t open or conceal carry in the street. They can and do. The law is only punishing we that would never cross the line.
You bring up many negatives, but forget about the millions of positives and happy endings that have happened in this world. How about people who were saved by someone because they were able to carry?
These negatives remind me of releasing a new CD…as weird as that may sound in this conversation. I have two world wide CD’s released. I’ve gotten loads of fantastic reviews. You know which ones stick with me the most, Mike? The ones that were negative to where I asked myself if the person reviewing even listened to me. We can name 20 bad things right now that will set the world on fire. Show cam video and we have a real issue. Share 100 great things, and no one cares. Release a fantastic song that has all the right stuff…and you’ll get rejected by a label. Do some Cardi B style, add in sex, drugs, gang shooting and bang, the world accepts you. Yet, you’re against everything the world sings about. Let that sink in.
I mentioned being robbed at gunpoint. If I had a gun the night I was robbed, the criminal that attempted to kill me might not have left my scene, robbed a person at a convenience store, and shot them. The lady they shot (he fixed the jam in the gun that should have been for me) was in the hospital for months away from her family. I would have died for her not even knowing she was next on the list. I can’t tell you I would have eliminated my attacker. But I would have tried and went down swinging. I hope you or no one you know is face down with a gun to your head with black guys yelling “pull the trigger on that white piece of sh$t.” You can’t imagine what went through my head. I’ll tell you.
I said a prayer and asked God to tell my parents I loved them. I thought of my music career which was starting to get off the ground. I thought of never having kids or getting married. I heard the hammer pull back. As I waited for the bang laying on my face, I can’t explain the feeling of waiting for death. It’s almost like an out of body experience, but you’re in 2 places. Instead, luckily I heard a click followed by “the gun is jammed” and from there, another guy said “get in the car, we gotta go.” My life could have ended as well as the lady at the next stop. All from the common hand gun placed in the hand of a criminal. I didn’t hate the entire black race. I didn’t get my gang of friends together to go and seek out my attackers. I sucked it up and looked deeper into what I could do so it never happens again.
If a guy is beating on you and you’re one that decides to turn the other cheek and allows him to beat you, you had and made a choice. You COULD stand up for yourself and give it back to him. When someone has a gun and the other does not, you don’t have that option. The part that’s sketchy is, there are millions of law abiding citizens that will never rob or mug someone. But because of scum like the people in school shootings, muggings, drive by shootings, gang related shootings, we all have to perish. Would you rob the convenience store where the manager was allowed to have a gun strategically placed? Probably not. The same as you probably wouldn’t attempt to mug someone that had the same gun in their pocket as you did. When that’s not the case, the criminals prey on the weak and unprotected.
I don’t know about you, but shooting to me is better than being on my boat or on a golf course. When I retire, I want to be on a range shooting various guns. I’d never harm a human being. But I SHOULD be able to if my life is in danger or my home is invaded. I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same. We’ll agree to disagree.
Okay, thanks for your thoughts everyone, some fascinating stuff.
BUT…
I deliberately posted this in the ‘recording, mixing and producing’ section as it did relate to an online audio forum.
I suspect that the conversation has become circuitous and respectfully suggest that all non-related stuff be re-routed to the lounge department where you can chatter away …
I second Emma’s respectful suggestion. How bout y’all make a new thread for the discussion that has been spawned by the original post? Thanks.
lol
/10char
Sorry folks, just one last post from me then I’m done here. Then maybe we can get back to music on this forum?
Hey Danny, I’m sorry if my sarcasm upset you. To be sure, don’t take the following as sarcastic, because it’s not…
I am shocked and very sorry to read about about your story with the gun to your head. I can’t even imagine what it was like to go through that. I mean that. However, I’m glad for your sake you didn’t have a gun with you, because then your experience would have probably added to the body count. Incidentally - a month ago - I’m also very thankful my buddy didn’t think to grab his shotgun out of his garage when he confronted the guys stealing stuff off his car. He got the s*** beat out of him, a broken rib and his skull cracked open. But that’s a lot better than dead, and there is no doubt that’s what he’d be with 3 of them and 1 of him. His wife and kid would agree.
Today, 4.16.21 - Another mass shooting in the good ole USA. That’s 5 in a month’s time. And it sounds like an AR-15 was used.
We’re on the same side of the gun issue in that we’d like mass shootings and gun violence to be a thing of the past. But we couldn’t be farther apart on our opinions of the solution. Guns are made to kill people. More guns with better killing efficiency, will kill more people more efficiently. And more tools for killing and easy access to them won’t solve the problem any more than throwing logs on a bonfire will help put it out. It’s just common sense.
Previously, there were a lot of very thoughtful comments in this thread that are worth reading again. But if you want to have a meaningful discussion, comments like the ones below are not a good place to start…
You are clearly biased in your viewpoint and have picked a “side”. You have strong opinions but that doesn’t make you right. And heaven forbid someone challenge or disagree with you. That’s not a discussion, or at least not one that is looking for answers.
If WE (you and me in this case) are really looking for answers, we need to be willing to listen to and consider the other side and not belittle or threaten them or allow ourselves to feel superior in some way. That’s the whole point and the genius of the Joiner Lucas video - not who’s “right” and who’s “wrong”.
However, I think it was actually wrong about one point. There are THREE sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth.
With all due respect, you should follow your own advice.
Keep making art you love and help make the world a better place for everyone.
Peaceout.
Apologies Emma. I too am done here after this.
Thanks for that. I’d never shoot anyone for robbing me. I’d only think about the option if my life was in danger or someone broke into my house. I have bars on my lower level windows, alarm and cams because I WAS robbed in the past. Turned out to be an inside job…my best friend. Totally understand where you’re coming from but you have to be on the other end to feel what it’s like. I hope you never are. That guy that robbed me and shot the clerk…who knows if he got out and did it again. Maybe he killed someone this time? Maybe he went straight. We don’t know.
Totally sucks, but we can’t blame the gun. It doesn’t shoot on its own. I can go to Philly right now and buy guns and open carry. There are several states that allow for that. I do not believe in guns without background checks and I do not think anyone should be able to walk down the street with any rifle or shot gun. We need to toughen the laws and go after criminals. You can’t punish the majority who are innocent. Like I said about Muslims…the media makes them look like animals. I don’t blame all of them or a majority of them for a few bad seeds. The guy using the AR, if he uses a Bullpup shotgun, he kills or maims more without even aiming.
Let me explain that. The black people here don’t know what racism is. We fought together on the same sides, we fought each other, and we partied with each other. We never took it to the race card. I once fought a black guy in school who was a friend of mine. He said something to me sarcastically, I fired back a bit more harsh. He put up his hands, I reminded him he shouldn’t go here as I’ve been a trained fighter since 8 years old, and he decided not to listen to me. Thankfully, I saw the kid I grew up with and rolled on the ground with him until I wrapped him up. Teachers pulled us apart and we were both suspended for 3 days. He didn’t have a ride home. We apologized to each other and hugged in front of the principal. My mother and I took him home.This is how things were around here. 3/4 of the black friends I have my age and younger have no clue what true racism is. When I of all people get accused of being racist due to not acknowledging Jesus was black and that I should enjoy my white privilege which I’ve never seen a benefit from, it makes me sick. Some of these people don’t know what they are fighting for, Mike and they make me sick. Let me share MY racism experience.
You haven’t walked in my shoes and I bet you haven’t been treated unfairly like I have. I’ve lived in the Tri State area since 1971. I’m a rocker with long hair. I’ve driven sports cars my entire life. I’ve been pulled over for drugs and having “the look” probably about 50 times in my life or more. I’ve had cops scour my carpets in my vehicle for pot seeds with magnifying glasses. I’ve had vehicles ripped apart. Seats removed, trunks emptied. I give my license, step out of the car, accept that I’m being profiled as a druggy, and Satan worshiper, and let them have their way with me. I don’t say a word, I’ve never lit up a cig, I never gave any lip, and I’ve never made an issue escalate because I felt I was completely innocent. When I see others do everything I have NOT ever done, to me it is inexcusable. I will never see or accept it any other way. I’ve never been busted for weed, drugs, nor have I had a DUI.
You call it bias, I call it “you ain’t lived it how I’ve lived it.” I can only speak from what I have experienced, Mike. I have never said I was right. I shared how I felt. Everything you quoted I said is stuff I’ve lived and seen with my own two eyes. You quote me, but you never mention where I’m right in some of that. You call me biased, but you can’t argue “anything white, we get crap…anything black, it’s ok.” You see, what YOU fail to realize is, it is ok for the black people to lead with a “color”. It’s ok to use that word to explain an organization or club. What I keep trying to say is, if WE did it, it’s racist. I’m not saying I want to. I’m saying I can’t and they can. This is a double standard that is wrong on all counts. That’s what I’ve said in my posts. White people lose their jobs for not treating black people with kid gloves. You cannot deny this. We on the other hand, cannot use the word white for anything other than for clothes. For what it’s worth, my favorite color is black.
But we are speaking OUR truth as we have lived it, no? I listened to some of that stuff in the video and cringed because though he is correct about some white people looking at it his way, he’s sadly mistaken. The same with the white rapper saying all that stuff that could be construed as our feelings. It’s simply not a majority truth that anyone can prove.
Wow, what a way to ruin the apology. You just had to add that bit of sarcasm didn’t you? You just don’t get it. You have to understand, I can’t see the expression in how you deliver your words. When you say to me “What’s your point?” That’s sarcastic to ME. There’s a nicer way to say that in a thread where people are passionate and it’s a touchy subject. I never once questioned your beliefs in a sarcastic way nor did I feel I have to follow my own advice from ANYTHING I’ve said to you. I’ve nbot used one harsh tone towards you or anyone else, nor did I sarcastically add wood to the fire.
I didn’t pose the question about 5 year olds having side arms, you did. That’s ludicrous. See man, where I’m from, certain ways you talk to people aren’t acceptable. Just like in the UK when they say “what are you on about?” I took offense to that until I knew what it meant.
But guess what? It’s not up to me to suck it up. It’s up to the messenger delivering the message to try and be a bit empathetic not only to the topic at hand, but to the passionate people in the thread who may not always agree. I never ONCE bashed on you for your beliefs. I felt attacked for mine. At every turn I respectfully talked to you while trying my best to convey my opinions so that no stone was left un-turned. I didn’t feel you talked to me, you talked AT me while using a bit of a harsh tone towards me at times. I checked and rechecked my posts to make sure they were not talking AT you you nor did they have anything in them that would have upset you because of my tone towards you other than a man sharing an opinion from the experiences of 54 years on this earth that you don’t agree with.
54 years of black and white getting along like human beings yet now I’m seeing the younger generation of blacks, as well as other youngsters crying “civil war” and what they are going to do to people while in actuality, they truly aren’t fighters…they are the types that hope fighters will stick up for them while they run away like cowards. If you can’t see that, you’re not looking hard enough.
Maybe you don’t see what I’ve seen and experienced where you live. One thing I hate, is being accused of something I didn’t do. It makes me mental. I’m not, and never was a racist. When black people that don’t know what the word means in 2021 accuse me of that, it just crushes me. Quite a few run their mouths for the sake of a voice. Some situations are legit. Quite a few others are not. Again, you can’t blame the majority of the white race for those in our past and the few bad seeds that exist now. It’s not fair just like it wouldn’t be fair to me to hate blacks because I was robbed by them and had a life threatening experience.
However, I call it the way I see it and live it and I’m just as passionate as anyone else. I’m not just seeing things or sharing opinions. I’m right in the middle of Philly, North Jersey/Camden, NYC and Delaware. I’ve seen more than the average person, man. I’ve lived a life of seeing many areas in the world and experiencing them. This is how I’ve seen it, lived it and experienced it. I’m sorry you take that as bias. You couldn’t be further from the truth and probably have me so wrong, it would surprise you.
At the end of the day, life is about experience…and I’ve shared mine to where I’ve formed my opinions whether people like them or hate them.
You’ll never change a world where people will not admit they are wrong while they blame others for their own mistakes.
You can’t cure a drug addict until they admit they have a problem and actually want help.
You can’t live in denial and expect change.
You can’t hope for a better world when parents of today are more worried about answering Facebook messages over watching and raising their children.
You can’t stop disrespect if it’s not taken care of and remedied at an early age.
You can’t stop racism if it begins in the home.
You can’t control guns without controlling evil. They’ll just use a car or some other form of death.
You can’t control bad cops without a 3 strike rule, better training and control over police unions.
You can’t begin with a color to where that color is the only color that can be used without backlash.
You can’t have a world full of double standards.
Those are the problems at hand. As long as excuses are made, we stay where we are with no improvement in sight.
OK, just one more post…
I entered this thread because I thought this comment and others were belligerent and disrespectful to people who don’t share your opinions. I tried to make a point about seeing both sides and trying to empathize with the one you don’t agree with. After reading your reply to my post, I felt YOU were being sarcastic with me with “I’m sort of lost there Mike…”. Then you preceded to lecture and talk AT me. And I got pissed.
Now however - after reading your reply above - I went back and re-read your response, and I see that I totally misinterpreted the tone and what you were saying…
So, here is where I say I’m sorry and ask you to please accept my sincere apologies for getting so pissed and lashing out. I’ve explained my response, but that’s no excuse. I’m sorry that the thread took this direction, because they are some good points being made on some very difficult issues confronting all of us, and mutual respect is an important part of the equation of being able to talk about things.
Anyway, take care.
I totally accept your apology. Thank you for that. I didn’t mean to lecture, sound belligerent or make you feel I was attacking you. I so swear that was never my intent. I’m sorry also and hope you accept my apology also for not being more careful in my delivery.
I certainly tried my best to be respectful while trying to explain more than lecture or come off like “God forbid someone challenges me.” I sincerely never meant to come off like that. You take care too.
Thanks Danny… 