Saturday, December 6, 2014

Racism in America

I have been following the news on the decisions of two grand juries to not indict the policemen that were involved in the death of two black Americans. I don't know much about the circumstances of the Ferguson shooting but the choke-hold that led to the death of a street vendor seemed irrefutable. The defenseless black man was pinned down and he repeatedly cried out "I can't breath." When President Obama was first elected there were high hopes that there would be less racism and racial discrimination. What else can you not think if Americans elected a black American (Obama's mother was white) that the President will see to it that his own people, the African Americans will be empowered and any trace of racial discrimination in America might be a thing of the past? Think again. Whenever Obama speaks on race issues especially regarding African American, he seems to be not full throttled as if something is holding him back. I am not a psychologist, but children of mixed parentage could choose one race over the other. Though in Obama's case, since he married a black American, he might lean more to the blacks as far as culture is concerned. But in American politics you need the white American votes to get elected and Obama might just feel somewhat reluctant to speak up more vigorously for black Americans lest he upsets the political elites. It is a sad day in America with a black American President but racism is still very much alive.
I know police sometimes have a tough job especially in USA as any person could be holding a firearm and unless you shoot first, you might be dead yourself. This is also sad for a gun carrying nation and Obama again did not seem able to make much headway in gun control legislation. And blacks are targeted as possible offenders (stereotypes) and police almost by instinct are especially vulnerable when confronted with law enforcement situations. Yet too much force, indiscriminate profiling and over zealousness in targeting the blacks seem to play a part in the two cases that set off riots across the country. At the root of it is racism. And racism can only be rid out by the gospel of Jesus Christ that proclaims equality for all races, white or black, yellow or brown, all men and women are the children of God in Christ and there is no favouritism (racism) with God.

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