I have had a lifetime of friendships with people of all colors of skin.. I have lots of friends who are black, who are Mexican, who are Indian(American and those from Asia), as well as white... I have worked closely, and for great lengths of time, with people of all skin color and been in meetings with the same.
I am a conservative who is white..I try to be as reasonable as I can in talking about social change, with people who disagree with my conservative stances..To this day, I love to have discussions with people that oppose my views so that I can learn what they believe..I have had conversations with Harvard and MIT grads, Ohio State, Toledo, BGSU, and Michigan professors and grads, as well as Cal and UCLA grads. Many students from a very liberal private college here in Ohio, Antioch... Many who view things in a liberal way.. I am a Christian who firmly believes the Bible is God's word yet I used to pick up a copy in the bookstore, every month, of THE HUMANIST magazine, which totally disrespects my Christian views. I like to read and hear what the 'other side' says.
My sister is a nurse at a major university hospital in San Francisco and a liberal thinker on issues. She lives in Berkeley, which is a bastion of liberal thinking. We talk with civility about issues, even if we disagree..All the rest of my siblings are relatively conservative, as are my parents. I think that what happened to George Floyd is incredibly tragic and terrible.. The guilty officers should be prosecuted to the fullest but I dont think all law enforcement is bad and that we should follow civil/criminal laws..
I do believe that there are changes that need to be made, for the better, but I DO NOT THINK LOOTING AND DESTROYING BUSINESSES are the answers. I think those that loot and destroy business are disrespecting George Floyd and his legacy..UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION?? How about UNDERSTANDING THE FRUSTRATION of the business owner that stuck his life savings into a chance to create his own destiny, only to watch it be destroyed by a bunch of idiots who are looting. There are 2 sides of all of that. I have never understood the context of looting as an understandable response to people who feel their voices are not heard by status quo authority. I think it was equally as stupid to loot after the Rodney King trial in LA or the situation outside of St Louis, years ago.. People that loot are taking advantage of a situation, not truly looking for social/political change, by their action
I just think we do injustice when we assume a GROUPTHINK mentality, based on color of skin... "The blacks say......", "the Mexicans and Latinos believe.....", "The Indians believe.....", "The whites say....".. Many of us have fallen into that trap.. I HAVE FALLEN INTO THAT TRAP, IN THE PAST!! People who are Black, Latino, and Indian are very capable thinkers and each has individual feelings and understandings.. All people are raised differently and are capable of discerning as much as anyone else.. Many people that are Black or Mexican have thought through issues and rejected the narratives brought about by the press.. I have worked closely with many people of color and my experience has been that they have many of the same struggles and tough decisions in their life as I do in mine.
I just think we need to love and respect individuals as individuals and throw the skin color thing out as a determinant of groupthink... We all see color and we know there is a uniqueness in all cultures, black or otherwise... But people deserve a chance to be individuals and respected for their thoughts. I don't have to agree with them but I do believe everyone deserves the respect of someone HONESTLY AND EARNESTLY listening to them and interacting with them in a civil manner.
I am a conservative who is white..I try to be as reasonable as I can in talking about social change, with people who disagree with my conservative stances..To this day, I love to have discussions with people that oppose my views so that I can learn what they believe..I have had conversations with Harvard and MIT grads, Ohio State, Toledo, BGSU, and Michigan professors and grads, as well as Cal and UCLA grads. Many students from a very liberal private college here in Ohio, Antioch... Many who view things in a liberal way.. I am a Christian who firmly believes the Bible is God's word yet I used to pick up a copy in the bookstore, every month, of THE HUMANIST magazine, which totally disrespects my Christian views. I like to read and hear what the 'other side' says.
My sister is a nurse at a major university hospital in San Francisco and a liberal thinker on issues. She lives in Berkeley, which is a bastion of liberal thinking. We talk with civility about issues, even if we disagree..All the rest of my siblings are relatively conservative, as are my parents. I think that what happened to George Floyd is incredibly tragic and terrible.. The guilty officers should be prosecuted to the fullest but I dont think all law enforcement is bad and that we should follow civil/criminal laws..
I do believe that there are changes that need to be made, for the better, but I DO NOT THINK LOOTING AND DESTROYING BUSINESSES are the answers. I think those that loot and destroy business are disrespecting George Floyd and his legacy..UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION?? How about UNDERSTANDING THE FRUSTRATION of the business owner that stuck his life savings into a chance to create his own destiny, only to watch it be destroyed by a bunch of idiots who are looting. There are 2 sides of all of that. I have never understood the context of looting as an understandable response to people who feel their voices are not heard by status quo authority. I think it was equally as stupid to loot after the Rodney King trial in LA or the situation outside of St Louis, years ago.. People that loot are taking advantage of a situation, not truly looking for social/political change, by their action
I just think we do injustice when we assume a GROUPTHINK mentality, based on color of skin... "The blacks say......", "the Mexicans and Latinos believe.....", "The Indians believe.....", "The whites say....".. Many of us have fallen into that trap.. I HAVE FALLEN INTO THAT TRAP, IN THE PAST!! People who are Black, Latino, and Indian are very capable thinkers and each has individual feelings and understandings.. All people are raised differently and are capable of discerning as much as anyone else.. Many people that are Black or Mexican have thought through issues and rejected the narratives brought about by the press.. I have worked closely with many people of color and my experience has been that they have many of the same struggles and tough decisions in their life as I do in mine.
I just think we need to love and respect individuals as individuals and throw the skin color thing out as a determinant of groupthink... We all see color and we know there is a uniqueness in all cultures, black or otherwise... But people deserve a chance to be individuals and respected for their thoughts. I don't have to agree with them but I do believe everyone deserves the respect of someone HONESTLY AND EARNESTLY listening to them and interacting with them in a civil manner.
Last edited:
