06-03-2020, 10:05 AMjRuutu Wrote:

06-03-2020, 09:52 AMBaelor Swift Wrote: I'm really glad I took a leap of faith and decided to address your OP point by point. I honestly was not expecting you to be so willing to hear me out and gain a better understanding of the issue but I'm glad you have. If you have any more questions, please do ask but I hope I've explained the situation to you well enough about why people are protesting and rioting, why, this time, it was not just limited to peaceful protests, and how the system in the US is truly racist in its current state and is in dire need of reform.

If anything, I would love to see you make a donation to one of the many organisations people in the league are supporting - I will match you up to $20 if you do so.

To everyone else - no matter which side of the issue you are on, I really do urge you to read through this back and forth. Admittedly, this was rather exhausting but it is important for people to be open to dialogue and, in this case, both jRuutu and I were open to dialogue. And I think positives were able to be taken from it and it was an opportunity for him to be more educated on the situation and the facts and feelings that led to what is now going on. I understand approaching this post with hostility and don't blame, don't fault, don't condemn the many who did. That OP was extremely inflammatory. But if you're ever up to it, I urge you to try to take a breath and attempt to open up some form of dialogue with people who are expressing racist/discriminatory views. Many times it won't work but sometimes, you may just strike a chord.

And I´m glad you took the time to offer information, and share your point of view with facts on why people are really on the streets. Despite me not agreeing with the looting, the picture that is painted in media and social media does not really give the full picture on deeper issues, such as the voting being made harder for no real reason. I believe that is what majority in the other side are wondering, includingme -  why not use your vote and go through that route instead of burning everything down.

I will look into donating, thanks.

I really admire that you actually read the stuff that Baelor presented to you and didn't talk in circles like so many other people have been doing on this issue. I also hope that you can find a compassionate cause to support, because this is a thick and complex issue that transcends racial division.

Listening is the most important thing you can do right now (which you are clearly doing), because I don't think anyone has a clear solution to this problem. I hope that doesn't come off as me talking down to anyone, I need to listen as well.

As far as your comments about speaking through your vote, I agree that it is the logical way to change things, but when the political system that you have been thrusted into has let you down time and time again, logic goes out the window and emotion takes over.

The behaviors that cause the destruction is an instinctual thing in the same way that a baby will cry and make noise when they need something. Is it the most effective way to get a point across? No, but when you don't have the capacity to speak, the parents (the people with authority over you) are left to find a solution to stop the baby from crying and figure out why they are doing it. I don't know if that metaphor tracks at all, but the difference now between a baby crying and the people protesting is that the people in authority (the politicians, the police) have not found a solution to the outcry.

These peaceful protests happen and the authoritarians will say that their voice is heard and proceed to not do a damn thing to fix things. This has happened over and over again to the point where people don't know what they have to do to be heard, so that internal pain boils up and explodes.