Sunday, October 25/20
So being in Canada and not having cable television makes it a bit harder to keep up on things around the U.S. but I do my best to read as many stories and articles as possible.
Now before anyone gets the wrong idea, Yes, we have cable in Canada, I just chose to get rid of it last year when I realized that neither my son nor I have been watching it all that much. I do subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and DAZN so my watching needs are more than met with those choices.
What I do miss is watching golf, seeing some of the news stories, or special events, like the presidential debates. Yes, we do pay attention to those as it tells us a lot about the people who might have an influence on our lives.
One thing that I did read was the question posed by moderator Kristen Walker around "The Talk" that black parents have to have with their children and the responses by the two candidates. I don't want to get into those two much other than to say one candidate skirted the question like he does with every one centered around race and the other candidate tried to answer but in all honesty, wasn't as strong as I'd hoped.
So if you missed the debate and the question you might be asking just what is the talk?
It is one I'll likely never have to have with my son or even my grandson.
Why is that? Because they are both white and aren't likely to ever have to face the hostility and discrimination that most blacks face day-to-day.
My son won't have to worry about a traffic stop that might result in his being arrested, beaten, or even killed for saying the wrong thing or giving someone a look that they don't like.
My son doesn't have to worry if authorities are going to be called on him when he is shopping and finds store employees following him around thinking he is going to try and steal things.
My son can go into a bank and use his debit card to withdraw money without having to be worried that someone will doubt the card actually belongs to him.
My son can be out with friends at 2 AM and not have to worry that people will view him as some kind of gang banger looking to get into trouble.
My son can go into a restaurant and not have the wait staff keep an eye on him thinking he's going to dine and dash.
The talk is about how a young black person has to act when they leave the boundaries of their homes so they stand a good chance of coming back to it the same day.
I'll admit that the whole "Black Lives Matter" slogan initially made me angry as I looked at it from my own point of view, a white person who has never had to face the daily struggles that some of my friends have had to face growing up.
Black Lives Matter doesn't mean that a black person's life matters more than a white person or law enforcement officers.
No, I believe it means that we should value that life the same way we value our own lives.
Try and imagine the emotional toll you'd feel if every single time your child left home and you had to worry about who they might cross paths with that could end up with them being arrested, beaten, or killed.
What would be the public outcry if whites were killed in the same numbers and manner as black men have been killed and the person behind the knee, baton, or gun was a black police officer??
Pretty sure we'd see the same kind of demonstrations and the media would be inflamed and demanding answers, unlikely to let it go until some action had been taken.
I'm not standing on my soapbox to say all police officers are bad, as that is just statistically impossible, No, what I'm saying is that a disproportionate number of times the person on the receiving end is one of colour and the one dishing it out is a caucasian. That is what needs to be addressed and a solution found that would eliminate the fear a black parent has when they watch their kids leave home.
I've tried to stay out of the mess that is the current political landscape in the United States but was reminded of a saying by Edmund Burke recently that I feel stands the test of time when thinking of the situation down to the south of me.......
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”― Edmund Burke (in a letter addressed to Thomas Mercer). Published in 1770
These are those times when good men and women need to stand up and let voices be heard loud and clear - we've had enough and it is time for a change.
I will say this......I've been more conservative in my political leanings but would not be caught dead voting for Donald Trump, I could not be paid enough to cast a ballot for that man.
I am a white, middle-class, middle-aged male and though I fall in his prime demographic target market could absolutely say with 100% conviction that his box would never be marked on my ballot. I have more pride in myself than to give that despicable excuse for a human any kind of support.
When a sitting president refers to cities as either democratic or republican and doles out financial assistance based on that classification he loses the right to govern. You are the president of the entire country you fucking horrible excuse for a human being.
When you fail to pay respects to a civil rights pioneer whose body is resting in state in the rotunda of Congress and when asked about it reply "He didn't come to my inauguration so why should I waste my time walking past his casket" you are showing everyone around you that you are nothing more than a petulant child who wants to take his toys and go home.
So here is a piece of advice - pack your bags as come November 3rd the people will show you just how despised you are and vote you out of office.
I look forward to 2021, not just for the hope that we can get past the Covid19 pandemic but also for the headlines that you and the gaggle of sycophants you surround yourself with will face as you end up under scrutiny for crimes committed while in office, and the fall of the Trump Organization as the world turns its collective back on you.
My name is Marcus and I approve this message.
