Quote:
Originally Posted by Trollheart
JWB I honestly don't get how you can say what you say about "acting in a certain way" or whatever you said.
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i was speaking in general, not about this certain case or whatever. just my personal experience. i know white people who say they've had problems with the cops and **** who lived in the same neighborhoods/similar neighborhoods as me, and to me it's like they take on that thug life attitude and wear it on their sleeves as part of their identity, so cops view them as potential criminals. or you get those "i know my rights" type people who will sit there and argue with the cop... that only makes them more likely to see what kinda **** they can slap you with, in many cases.
but i also know a lot of black people who lived in the same neighborhoods/similar neighborhoods as me, and committed a lot of the same/similar crimes, yet their rap sheet is way way bigger than mine. it's like they draw a lot more attention from the police because yes, they're black, but also because of their hip hop/thuggish type of clothing, speech, mannerisms, and mentality. cops are human. and i think they typecast. so if they see me they think i'm harmless just because i'm white and don't adopt any sort of thuggish persona, where as some white people do and then they wonder why police give them a hard time.
it's cause they're openly embracing a sort of gang culture that runs square in the face of what the police are trying to accomplish. however, black people in these neighborhoods who might not be criminals or might be only minor offenders are still often likely to take on take on this persona as well, making it sometimes difficult for cops to distinguish between actual gangsters and just people with a certain thuggish image.
here's an example of what i mean:
does he do anything illegal? nah. but the cops are responding basically to patterns that indicate a possible criminal. one being race, but also age, style of dress, mannerisms, etc.
because of the long standing racial oppression in this country's past there is an easily formed sort of antagonism between the two groups.
which is why news stories like this get made
the take-home message here is the cops basically saying "hey, black people. we're not your enemy"
of course you can read in her eyes and tone of voice that this lady is geuinely grateful for what the sherriffs did for her, yet the take home message they have to settle with is 'not all cops are bad.'
there's still the assumption of antagonism though, just dialed down.