Originally Posted by speechlesstx
First of all, I give zero credibility to Democracy Now, they are about as radical a group of leftists as you can find. Secondly, what these people do - and that includes race baiters such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson - exacerbates the problem.
By bringing attention to the situation in Jena the right way the confrontation may have been avoided altogether. There is no shortage of people willing to pressure officials such as those at the Jena school district into doing what's right by bringing unwanted attention to them - before the violence erupts.
There is no doubt that what these white students allegedly did is beyond contemptible, but so is six students beating another unconscious, and I hardly find it any more healing to rally and petition for all the charges to be dropped. Regardless of the racial implications in the details of the charges, the trial and the sentencing, demanding the charges be dropped is no less than justifying the assault. Is that what we've come to in America, overlooking excessive violence because racism may be a factor? I guarantee, if the roles were reversed these white students would have been convicted in the court of public opinion before any of the facts came out - a la the Duke lacrosse team - and those excessive sentences would be demanded.
Without a doubt racism is alive and well - from many sides of the rainbow - but I continue to believe that for the majority of White America race is not much of an issue. I for one am sick of having race thrown in my face on a regular basis. I'm sure there are millions of white Americans like me that don't spend any time thinking about what color someone is because it doesn't matter, that grow weary of people like Al and Jesse injecting race into every situation. That can lead to a great deal of resentment among folks that have made it a point NOT to make race an issue. It also does the black community no favors to whine about how oppressed they are, blame their situation on their race or 'disenfranchisement' at the hands of the white male establishment or demand 'reparations' from those who had nothing to do with slavery for those who have never been enslaved.
I say once and for all, let's work together to end racism where it does exist - which just may begin by ending racism where it doesn't exist.
Steve