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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes op-ed explaining the protests

bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,888
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/sto...hat-youre-seeing-is-people-pushed-to-the-edge

What was your first reaction when you saw the video of the white cop kneeling on George Floyd's neck while Floyd croaked, "I can't breathe"?

If you're white, you probably muttered a horrified, "Oh, my God" while shaking your head at the cruel injustice. If you're black, you probably leapt to your feet, cursed, maybe threw something (certainly wanted to throw something), while shouting, "Not @#$%! again!" Then you remember the two white vigilantes accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged through their neighborhood in February, and how if it wasn't for that video emerging a few weeks ago, they would have gotten away with it. And how those Minneapolis cops claimed Floyd was resisting arrest but a store's video showed he wasn't. And how the cop on Floyd's neck wasn't an enraged redneck stereotype, but a sworn officer who looked calm and entitled and devoid of pity: the banality of evil incarnate.

Maybe you also are thinking about the Karen in Central Park who called 911 claiming the black man who asked her to put a leash on her dog was threatening her. Or the black Yale University grad student napping in the common room of her dorm who was reported by a white student. Because you realize it's not just a supposed "black criminal" who is targeted, it's the whole spectrum of black faces from Yonkers to Yale.

You start to wonder if it should be all black people who wear body cams, not the cops.
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For those who don't follow sports Kareem is a legendary basketball player who has also been at the forefront of racial equality since he was in college in the 60s and its my personal belief that he never received his due credit as the greatest basketball player of all time as a result of his decision to be politically active and also his conversion to Islam. Kaep is just the latest victim, but Kareem is one of the many athletes who paid a price for speaking for their mind and trying to change the status quo.

Kareem is doing work as usual and this article really eloquently expresses how we got to where we are for clueless people who are just in shock of racial inequality and injustice in America.

The article is really well written and it comes from the perspective of someone who has been near the head of the bus in his fight for justice for almost 60 years.
 
CrocoDuck

CrocoDuck

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,287
Shared this with my students this morning as an assignment. Hopefully we will have a discussion about this shortly tomorrow.
 

Deleted member 11637

Oct 27, 2017
18,204
I used to love all of Kareem's HuffPo articles back in the early Obama era, he's a brilliant writer.
 
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bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,888
Channel5News said:
I used to love all of Kareem's HuffPo articles back in the early Obama era, he's a brilliant writer.
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He really is. Its crazy how he doesn't get his due as either an athlete, activist or just for his mind.

Marcus Aurelius said:
Black Americans should totally do this. The cops would absolutely shit themselves.
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That is kind of what happened. Thanks to cell phone cameras we are actually able to catch the cops in the act. Without it they would go free even more often than they already do.
 
formasymphonic

formasymphonic

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,642
What you should see when you see black protesters in the age of Trump and coronavirus is people pushed to the edge, not because they want bars and nail salons open, but because they want to live. To breathe.

Worst of all, is that we are expected to justify our outraged behavior every time the cauldron bubbles over. Almost 70 years ago, Langston Hughes asked in his poem "Harlem": "What happens to a dream deferred? /… Maybe it sags / like a heavy load. / Or does it explode?"
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the whole thing is absolutely spot on
 
b-dubs

b-dubs

That's some catch, that catch-22
General Manager
Oct 25, 2017
32,721
Kareem has always been a fantastic writer, thank you for sharing this.
 
tm24

tm24

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,902
Damn, wish this was part of their free selection of articles
 
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bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,888
Dice said:
Thanks for the excerpt, bionic77 !
Kareem was great on the court and great with a pen, and I love it.
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He truly is. I also get that in sports people don't want to hear about the real world, especially if it is ugly and difficult.

But Kareem is a real one. Like I said he has been doing this since the 60s.

I wish more people on television and in leadership were half as thoughtful and as well spoken as he is about racial issues.
 
EnlightenedMint

EnlightenedMint

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,391
Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you're choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it's everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it's always still in the air.
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Kareem is a damn good writer, always insightful.
 
NihonTiger

NihonTiger

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,512
Kareem is awesome as he always is, thanks for sharing it. He was and is brilliant both on and off the court.
 

Mest08

Alt Account
Banned
Oct 30, 2017
1,184
Read this yesterday on yahoo. And then read some comments. As always, it falls on deaf ears for a substantial number of people.
 

Deleted member 5086

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
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What do you see when you see angry black protesters amassing outside police stations with raised fists? If you're white, you may be thinking, "They certainly aren't social distancing." Then you notice the black faces looting Target and you think, "Well, that just hurts their cause." Then you see the police station on fire and you wag a finger saying, "That's putting the cause backward."
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Yes, protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don't want to see stores looted or even buildings burn. But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you're choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it's everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it's always still in the air.
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So many people need to read this.
 
SigmasonicX

SigmasonicX

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Oct 25, 2017
15,476
Just read it, great article. That dust metaphor is very apt, and I liked the use of that Hughes quote.
 
WedgeX

WedgeX

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,173
Kareem has been one of the most insightful writers this past decade.

Worst of all, is that we are expected to justify our outraged behavior every time the cauldron bubbles over. Almost 70 years ago, Langston Hughes asked in his poem "Harlem": "What happens to a dream deferred? /… Maybe it sags / like a heavy load. / Or does it explode?"
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I read a statement by my organization that opened with (essentially): "Once again the nation mourns police brutality..."

And the date was 2016.
 
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bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,888
Akainu said:
Whats your la times log in or is that the whole thing?
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I don't think we are allowed to post the whole thing otherwise I would have.

Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you're choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it's everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it's always still in the air.
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This line in particular I can't get out of my head.
 
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