A PICTURE TO PONDER

02 Dec 2014 13:06 #11 by PrintSmith
Replied by PrintSmith on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER
Malarkey - the thug was the one who decided to escalate the encounter when he decided to pin the officer in his vehicle and assault him.

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02 Dec 2014 13:15 #12 by ZHawke
Replied by ZHawke on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER

PrintSmith wrote: Malarkey - the thug was the one who decided to escalate the encounter when he decided to pin the officer in his vehicle and assault him.


And where did it go from there, P?

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02 Dec 2014 13:26 #13 by netdude
Replied by netdude on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER
it's interesting to see some of the newer code words being used here... like 'thug'.
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02 Dec 2014 14:01 #14 by HEARTLESS
Replied by HEARTLESS on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER

ZHawke wrote:

PrintSmith wrote: Malarkey - the thug was the one who decided to escalate the encounter when he decided to pin the officer in his vehicle and assault him.


And where did it go from there, P?


Obviously posted a comment on the wrong thread.

The silent majority will be silent no more.

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02 Dec 2014 14:07 #15 by ScienceChic
Replied by ScienceChic on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER
To bring this back on-topic, as we have other threads in which to discuss the actions of the cop and this thread is about Devonte and the now-viral picture, and things to ponder about how it is better than the media portrays, here's something else to read and consider (caution, strong language contained within):

On The Subject Of Cultivating Empathy

Just the same, I wanna talk about the response to all of this.

Because that sh**-show on Facebook has a way of radiating outward — it’s got energy, it has a cascade effect. It both reflects the world outside it like a mirror that shows the truth and like a mirror that — as mirrors do — bounce an image back into the world for all to see.

What I’m seeing on Facebook is a startling lack of empathy.

It’s so bad I’m surprised people aren’t saying of the rioters or the family, “Just let them eat cake!”

I’m seeing a lot of “what kinds of animals would burn down their town,” or, “see, this is how those people act.” (Pro-tip: calling them ‘animals’ and ‘those people’ is you being racist and sh**ty.) Or it goes back to the case itself, making commentary on Michael Brown — “Well, he punched a cop.” Or it attempts some kind of equivalency (“Both sides are really to blame, here,” as if one side doesn’t have a whole lot of power compared to the other side). Someone on FB called the townsfolk “domestic terrorists” for rioting, which is, by the way, super fu**ed up.

Where is the empathy?
<snip>

I’m not saying you need to have a legal opinion on the case.

But I do ask that you do better. Be kinder. Don’t just think — “Well, to play Devil’s advocate.” Actually try to feel. Imagine. Demonstrate compassion. Cultivate your empathy. And it’s not just with this one thing, with Ferguson and Mike Brown. It’s in all the things.


Just like with the background information on Devonte's life that I shared in my previous post on this thread (Rick, you nailed it), there's always more to a story. How we handle adversity, and how we treat others, is telling of what kind of people we are.

This was one day in Michael Brown's life - we have no idea if he bullied every day, or only recently due to something awful happening in his life, or something in him snapped that day he died. We have no idea what Darren Wilson's day-to-day job conditions were like and who he is as a person. But what we do know, and have control over, is our own emotional reactions, words, and actions. I will not call Brown a thug, nor will I condemn Wilson for his decision; there's too much tragedy already. What matters now is to focus on making better choices, and to improve life for those in need because much of what the unrest stems from is an imbalance between haves and have-nots. We need understanding, communication, tolerance, and a better way forward for us all.

"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
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02 Dec 2014 14:10 #16 by HEARTLESS
Replied by HEARTLESS on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER

netdude wrote: it's interesting to see some of the newer code words being used here... like 'thug'.


Considering the term thug has its origins in Hindu and India/Pakistan relating to thugee and worship of Kali, then shortened to thug, I'm curious what code you are referring to. By the way it is over 200 year old term.

The silent majority will be silent no more.

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02 Dec 2014 14:10 #17 by PrintSmith
Replied by PrintSmith on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER

netdude wrote: it's interesting to see some of the newer code words being used here... like 'thug'.

Interesting to note the attempt to imply that thug means something more than violent criminal.

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02 Dec 2014 14:21 #18 by Rick
Replied by Rick on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER

netdude wrote: it's interesting to see some of the newer code words being used here... like 'thug'.

What do you call someone who uses his size and strength as a tool in order to rob a store?

It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies and nosers−out of unorthodoxy

George Orwell

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02 Dec 2014 14:33 #19 by Rick
Replied by Rick on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER

ScienceChic wrote:
This was one day in Michael Brown's life - we have no idea if he bullied every day, or only recently due to something awful happening in his life, or something in him snapped that day he died. We have no idea what Darren Wilson's day-to-day job conditions were like and who he is as a person. But what we do know, and have control over, is our own emotional reactions, words, and actions. I will not call Brown a thug, nor will I condemn Wilson for his decision; there's too much tragedy already. What matters now is to focus on making better choices, and to improve life for those in need because much of what the unrest stems from is an imbalance between haves and have-nots. We need understanding, communication, tolerance, and a better way forward for us all.

Well said SC. Every time an event like this happens, I think too many people look for some broader meaning or cause, when in reality every event is unique and will never be duplicated. It's like picking out two chemicals from 300 million choices and mixing them together... they may not react, or they just may explode.

It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies and nosers−out of unorthodoxy

George Orwell

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02 Dec 2014 15:40 #20 by PrintSmith
Replied by PrintSmith on topic A PICTURE TO PONDER

ScienceChic wrote: What matters now is to focus on making better choices, and to improve life for those in need because much of what the unrest stems from is an imbalance between haves and have-nots. We need understanding, communication, tolerance, and a better way forward for us all.

I am reminded of a famous quote from Benjamin Franklin:

I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.
Benjamin Franklin, On the Price of Corn and Management of the Poor, November 1766
www.marksquotes.com/Founding-Fathers/Franklin/index2.htm


And yet, somehow, I'm thinking that many will not view this as a better way forward for us all . . .

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