'TOUGH GUY' ISN'T THE IMAGE THE PUBLIC OR POLICE NEED OF POLICING TODAY...June 6, 2020

I'd like to expand on the theme of this news article. I suspect that in general American males have for many decades taken being, or subtly threatening to be, ' a tough guy' as the preferred and most effective way to be manly and  emotionally and physically  safe.

So male  police have overtly and exaggeratedly presented themselves that way to the public,  especially to the  part of the public -people of color-  they perceive as a threat to their authority.

The police are in a very unenviable impossible role because the white public has expected them to protect and shield them from people of color,  especially  black males, who they  historically imagine as a dark threat if not contained. 

Another shameful part of that false fear narrative has been that white women should fear black men. But police would protect them from assault. Little were the police expected to protect black men under ongoing physical and economic assault in America.

Much of these attitudes and motivations are barely conscious to us white folks and that makes them doubly resistant to change and to reshape.

But after 400 years of this slave master 'tough guy ' effort, especially presented in the image of police, by whites the psychological atmosphere of George Floyd's murder appears to be helping white folks to 'see' that this trusted effort to intimidate black people has not only always back fired it is simply not needed.  Instead whites can more safely dwell in an appropriate, more respectful and mutual way with dark skinned persons.

This article is about how the 'tough guy image' has become much less popular and attractive  , including among many police departments, by white Americans.

Recent days of the protest environment are  showing that dropping the 'tough guy' image is a smart and effective way to make the streets , and maybe life in general, safer and more pleasant for everyone. (Incidentally this is in strong contrast to the President's efforts. His 'law and order' rhetoric is a dog whistle to his Always Trump fans that the government will keep its thumb on people of color, poor whites and those pushing for their equal human rights.)

The ' tough guy' image has shown itself being  outgrown before our very eyes. This could become the new more mature and responsible way of white folks conceptualizing and relating  in mutual respect to blacks. And give law enforcement persons a more human way to enforce the law for everyone's benefit and safety.

I hope these observations are significantly more than wishful thinking on my part. If so we might see a ray of hopeful light in what has always been America's  most serious spiritual and ethical problem.

https://abc7ny.com/why-tough-guy-policing-fails/6235054/

TIME FOR AMERICA TO STOP EXCUSING OUR RACISM...June1, 2020

Im going to honestly vent here. I wrote this three days ago. I'm sick of our American excuse-filled  racist cycle.

If these protest crowds could just live by totally  non violence discipline as MLK did. Actual human progress is much messier. I'm confident most protestors are committed to non violence. Some who are sincere just reach that  understandable ' I can't stand it anymore' moment and lose self control.   They are young. Giving into rioting is commonly human but also a serious mistake.   I think  there are strong dark  forces, here and foreign, that want to see a divided  America so they intentionally agitate  violence to happen.

BUT when whites get single mindedly upset when looting and burning occurs we ought not then begin verbally blaming and warning protestors in general. This is where we always get to.  The blame eventually comes down on the protestors as if they are to solve this American problem they did not create. They mostly can only protest. That's their only legal significant power.  They don't have the power to make the needed changes. Only the powerful majority and its institutions can sincerely decide to do that.  We only started that with the 1960 Civil Rights Legislation. We seldom follow through after national incidents of police brutality and murder.

Why aren't national forces ever being called not to handle the 'problem of protestors' violence  but to seriously stop the  everyday systemic  violence against minorities?

We just can't ever quite turn it round and hold the true empowered crimimals and white collar officials accountable and  get publicly angry about that, the actual  problem.  The killers and abusers usually walk free with the same job whether officials or police. That is our repeating cycle.

I think I saw this pattern begin again this time with the lowest possible charge  given at the start. 3rd degree murder /manslaughter.  The crowd and now the nation saw and heard  something more serious by the alleged killer and three other professional policeman watch and do nothing . Nothing.

If this were reversed color wise I'm confident it would be very different and a charge that matches the crimes witnessed would  have come swiftly. And It's not just once , its our continuing  repetition and we all in open God's Presence see it.  And  then always expect the victims, with such limited power, to straighten it out, make it right.  The victims are regularly expected to be the example of maturity, integrity, calm and even the primary agent of change.

The whole cycle shows how irrational  and truly blind  inbred racism is in our land. It is our original sin and we've yet to consistently look it in the eye and take responsibility.

And sadly, present national leadership is less capable of facing this than we've had in modern times. I can't imagine it being weaker. That's why protestors and those they represent are so discouraged and nearly hopeless.

I suspect with our excuses we are nearly out of time to correct it. There is little light. I think of  the imperfect mind of Evolution searching for the right thing to come forth. And evolution cares nothing about where it comes from. Evolution cares not about the demise of a nation whose citizens do not rise to their necessary ethical consciousness. Evolution, even God,  will surely look elsewhere.