We knew it was coming: Facebook feeds were plastered with statements and comments about the Ferguson verdict. I usually observe what people say on social media without making any statements; however, a recent article about the Ferguson controversy, motivated me to write an article about it as well.
I realized that my silence may be taken as an acceptance of what is being said or done — but that is not true. After reading several discussions on social media about the issues of race and the incident itself, I noticed that people overlooked some points.
Being American vs. Being Black
After being back in the United States after serving five of my six years of service overseas in countries like Japan, Brazil, Syria, and Israel, I honestly feel more American serving my country outside the United States than I do now living in it. In other countries, I was referred to as “The American” when my foreign friends introduced me or talked about me to other people. However, when I came back to the United States, I was the black guy. Yes, I know I’m dark, and I’m not trying to make anyone who’s not black feel uncomfortable saying it, but obviously we still see color. There's nothing wrong with that; we should take pride in our diversity. But it seems to me that we are only politically united when it is convenient, yet we are socially divided on issues of race and everything that affects certain demographics in society. This only causes apathy towards other groups, which then causes us to go nowhere on these issues.
Don’t Blame History, But Don’t Forget It Either.
Why can’t we just move on and forget about race? Well, whether we like to accept it or not, our history includes eras that heavily revolve around slavery, Jim Crow Laws, the KKK, and the Civil Rights Movement. However, the frustration comes when the black community does not take personal responsibility, but blames their life on slavery and the socio-economic disadvantage that may be a result from back then. But that’s no reason to stay down and not be constructive about it. Even though minorities have a higher chance of being socio-economically worse off, blaming that on slavery is irrelevant. Even though this is an incorrect way to address the issues that the black community and other minorities face, we can’t just simply forget about a part of American history just because it is dark and horrid. We are not expected to forget about the American Revolution or Civil War. Yes, just as many of us would like to see this issue die, we should have discussions that call for action – primarily on us to make the change — because if we don’t, we may never break away from this cycle. Situations like these reminds me of a quote by Bergen Even: “We may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us.”
Personal Responsibility.
Although I do not agree with everything other members of the black community say, we all seem to agree that the riots are uncalled for and do nothing to improve the conditions or opportunities for the black community. Why do we keep seeing Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson? They have to go. A majority of the black community including Morgan Freeman, Raven Symone, Allen West, and Collin Powell are not being heard or seen by many, especially in the black community, although we should be listening to what they have to say. I, for one, am upset with how the black community handles short comings. Sometimes the issue of race or prejudice against blacks is perpetuated by what the media shows; but it’s the radically ignorant members of the black community that give the news something bad to show, which in turn creates a negative image of black people. On that point, the media did not show — and most likely will not show — members of the black community protecting a white-owned business from rioters after the verdict was presented to the public. Why is that? Most members of the black community understand that personal responsibility needs to be taken; but unfortunately, people only hear the voices of individuals like Al Sharpton and everyone else that is ignorant on both side of the issue.
Some Things Never Changed.
Below are some statements or themes that were consistently being brought up on social media that are familiar from past years.
1) "There was an excessive use of force." Multiple shots after the first were not necessary.
2) "The black man deserved to die." Responses like this only add to the anger. Such statements perpetuate that race is still an issue, whether it was or was not intended.
3) Rioting and blaming police officers does not help. The fact is that Michael Brown came up on Officer Wilson and put him in a situation that, unfortunately, ended his life. However, this is in no way dismissing the fact that excessive force was used.
Both sides of the issues have valid points, but neither side gives the full story. This may be because both sides just want to hold onto one point without acknowledging the rest — or they do not want to accept that the issue is much bigger than what the media is presenting. Either way, the issue is far too complex to speak so plainly on the subject. Don’t let the media bait you into believing what you see and hear in the news.
The Real Issue.
Excessive force is not a race issue. During my last three years in the Marines, I was an Embassy Security Guard where we were trained on the use of force. Although the jobs may be different, I wonder whether or not multiple shots was necessary after Michael Brown was already down. I know if there were any indication that my life or the life of others were in danger, I would have to use the appropriate means to stop the danger. Unlike Marines, police officers do have tasers to bring down suspects ... but Officer Wilson did not use his. In the end, Michael Brown was unarmed at the time he was shot. Tying race to this particular incident may be inadequate and/or inefficient, but would it be unfair to ask if Officer Wilson would have fired that many shots if Michael Brown was not black. If Michael Brown was white and under same conditions, would Wilson have used other means of force or used less shots?
Conclusion.
We all have an opinion on this case whether we posted it on social media or not, but I could not help but notice the division amongst my friends. On one side, it was predominately white, and on the other side, it was predominately minorities. I understand where Bri Freeman, sister of Chi Omega, is coming from when we see the frustration on both sides. I couldn’t have said it better myself when she took to Facebook: “There is a huge difference between ignorance and frustration and to identify and judge an entire race off of a few publicized cases is ridiculous on both ends.” Former Student Body President, Melissa Westbrook, also made statements that unfortunately got tuned out by those who did not want to hear it. When I see incidents like this, I considered myself fortunate to be a proud brother of Theta Chi Fraternity at the University of Central Florida where brotherhood has no color.
Yes, there are ruminants of racism in society that persist and causes institutional discrimination against the black community. Still, there are better ways to address this issue that do not involve rioting and using the race card in every situation possible. Actions such as rioting, diminishes any credibility within the black community. Some may say that we should forget history, move on, stop talking about race and making it an issue; but what problems in history have ever been solved by ignoring them? We keep pointing fingers at each other, but since when has our country progressed by blaming others? Below are some suggestions to help facilitate progress in bridging the gap.
Strategies towards Rectifying Racial Prejudice in the United States:
Step 1: The black community needs to change the image that the media negatively portrays.
Step 2: Define what it means to be American. Every person of every color, ethnicity, religion, age, etc. should be part of the discussion because we all have different origins that intertwine us together in the end. This step is the hardest because we would need to go beyond diversity and really understand more than what makes us different, but what we have in common. This may seem easy, but it is easier said than done.
Step 3: Police officers' image of a black person needs to change. Police officers know that they profile individuals and/or groups. If the black community can change their image, police officers will have a harder time justifying use of deadly force.
Step 4: The media will not be able to focus on race if it becomes a taboo in society. Maybe then we will stop hearing and seeing issues of race.
