tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post7305546070927767777..comments2024-03-29T06:44:19.414-04:00Comments on the daily howler: When are we shown death at the hands of police?<b>bob somerby</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963464534685954436noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-11323013098609430882023-02-02T09:37:27.447-05:002023-02-02T09:37:27.447-05:00Micah X. Johnson died for our sins.Micah X. Johnson died for our sins.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-85180290668141642732023-02-02T08:27:28.806-05:002023-02-02T08:27:28.806-05:00Utopia, ie perfection, is not the point. Doing bet...Utopia, ie perfection, is not the point. Doing better is the point. Surely you wouldn’t argue that there aren’t still race-based inequities which harm our society that ought to be addressed. mhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08937133532381705347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-8859795823402585042023-02-02T08:25:41.186-05:002023-02-02T08:25:41.186-05:00Ok Eeyore, thanks for weighing in; every voice can...Ok Eeyore, thanks for weighing in; every voice can matter, we hear you…and us adults shall continue our work towards progress, but please, enjoy your pity party Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-59100342747467831452023-02-02T08:21:16.402-05:002023-02-02T08:21:16.402-05:00“The talking head tells you to be prepared to
be ...“The talking head tells you to be prepared to <br />be appalled and outraged in such a <br />fashion that you will feel a little inhuman<br />if you aren’t.”<br /><br />On the other hand, they do have a duty to warn viewers about graphic, violent, or sexually explicit content before showing a video. It’s standard practice. <br /><br />I can’t imagine a reason why you wouldn’t be troubled by 5 cops violently beating up (to the point of him being unrecognizable) a 140 pound man who is clearly incapable of resisting, whose injuries resulted in his death. I haven’t heard any plausible justification for what the cops did here in any subsequent reporting about the event. <br /><br />However, your reaction is your own, and need not be dictated by the opinion of the TV talking heads, who are entitled to their own opinions as well. mhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08937133532381705347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-58910045981800437662023-02-02T08:19:48.587-05:002023-02-02T08:19:48.587-05:00Rudy is a hero to some, let’s see if you can puzzl...Rudy is a hero to some, let’s see if you can puzzle it out. Rudy brought an end to the dwindling Italian mafia, opening the door and giving away the store to a new group of corrupt folks, ones with more political ambitions than the Italian mafia. <br /><br />Furthermore, do I understand you to say that when significant events occur, people should be kept in the dark? Brother, please. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-15180439899292274852023-02-02T08:16:24.296-05:002023-02-02T08:16:24.296-05:00You are dealing with human beings with all their b...You are dealing with human beings with all their base instincts at play...The endless loop is to push the narrative that only black folks are killed, oppressed and kept down by the man whether it is the police, society, ancient history, mathematics, language, physics, classical music or the million other things that "racism" is applied to in hefty doses on a daily basis...Utopia is a myth and fools' errand...Eric Leidberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16155787078933222040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-55519480790291207182023-02-02T05:48:23.493-05:002023-02-02T05:48:23.493-05:00Do I understand you to say that the public’s react...Do I understand you to say that the public’s reaction to the 9-11 coverage led to a wise and measured response to 9-11? You must really think Rudy is quite the hero and the intervention in Afghanistan was quite successful. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-91236356734003080252023-02-02T05:44:48.129-05:002023-02-02T05:44:48.129-05:00Obvious question: if the evidence is so damning, w...Obvious question: if the evidence is so damning, why do you need to be set up for it? Why do you need to be told what to think? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-56193348500929995672023-02-01T21:06:53.574-05:002023-02-01T21:06:53.574-05:00@6:40 -- and then there is suicide by cop. To my k...@6:40 -- and then there is suicide by cop. To my knowledge there is no analysis of how many police shootings, especially of armed people, may in fact be suicides. The ones where a man takes his family hostage, or kills them and then kills himself, are often depressed individuals who want to die but cannot leave their families behind without anyone to support them, cannot abandon them. <br /><br />This of course does not apply to killings by police of black men who are unarmed and not seeking police attention (i.e. traffic stops and minor police interventions, such as for jaywalking or passing a $20 bill). But as long as the statistics being collected do not disentangle various situations, the numbers probably shouldn't be compared across the board, race to race, the way David keeps doing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-11611259078284718222023-02-01T21:01:27.604-05:002023-02-01T21:01:27.604-05:00"The talking head tells you to be prepared to..."The talking head tells you to be prepared to<br />be appalled and outraged in such a<br />fashion that you will feel a little inhuman<br />if you aren’t. "<br /><br />I think that's exactly how someone should feel after watching such a video. Why shouldn't someone be appalled and outraged? If the talking heads prepare them for the video shown, someone should wonder why they don't feel the way that others do. <br /><br />Repetition doesn't necessary lead to desensitization. It can also lead to re-traumatization. People who watched the news reports on 9/11 saw the buildings collapse over and over. Finally experts told people to stop watching because they were being made more upset by rewatching it. But the purpose of showing videos over and over is to catch new viewers who have just joined the news show, not to specifically program or manipulate anyone. People rarely watch the news from beginning to end. They drop in at various times during the day, so news shows repeat the news for those joining shows in progress later in the day.<br /><br />Complexity is not for news shows that have only a limited amount of time to report all that has happened during a day. The in depth reporting is for other kinds of shows. <br /><br />I have not seen anyone present any evidence that audiences are numb or bored or desensitized. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-30582678019228565942023-02-01T20:54:20.291-05:002023-02-01T20:54:20.291-05:00It isn't the killing of black people that make...It isn't the killing of black people that makes such deaths a national issue, instead of a local tragedy. It is the DISPROPORTIONATE killing that makes black deaths an example of systemic racism, and that is a national issue because this is happening all over the country, not just in the South for example. White deaths are major news in local news markets, because such deaths are often the result of someone being armed and involved in criminal activity by white perpetrators. Occasionally someone who is white and unarmed will be shot due to misunderstandings related to disabilities such as mental illness or deafness or autism. <br /><br />If white people would like to argue that ALL police shootings should be prevented and addressed via police reform, that would be fine with me. But black people and their allies are the ones who are concerned about the DISPROPORTIONATE killing of black people by police, and as a group, they have every right to be concerned. It appears to be an aspect of racism and especially institutionalized racism inherent in policing practices.<br /><br />It is deeply insulting when Somerby or anyone else suggests that white people are only concerned about such deaths for performative reasons. Equally so when someone suggests that the news media are reporting activism around police reform in order to be performative, to get ratings, or to "normalize" black deaths. What if someone had suggested that the Freedom Riders were only being reported by the news media in order normalize violence against black people trying to exercise civil rights? <br /><br />The only way change will occur is if the media focuses a spotlight on the wrongs in our society and equally publicizes the efforts at reform. I believe they have been doing that and only that. There are people in our society who are callous about human suffering. They aren't going to be changed by videos of beatings and deaths, but they aren't going to be changed by anything -- not even shame. They are the ones calling concern by others "performative," because they don't feel anything themselves, so they assume others must be faking too. <br /><br />I believe that includes Somerby, based on his ongoing essays about race and how "hard" it is to do the right thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-12452112911758453942023-02-01T20:23:29.529-05:002023-02-01T20:23:29.529-05:00Without evidence, it’s an unsubstantiated claim; s...Without evidence, it’s an unsubstantiated claim; supposedly Somerby is very opposed to this, yet engages in it himself. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-50035614260010677762023-02-01T19:02:26.813-05:002023-02-01T19:02:26.813-05:00Race is only “hard” for racists, and those sufferi...Race is only “hard” for racists, and those suffering from racial oppression.<br /><br />Somerby, sometimes forthrightly, sometimes coyly, continues his “courageous” effort in pronouncing his racism. Here, here!<br /><br />The KKK should honor him with a statue.<br /><br />To be fair, the opinion piece, as portrayed, seems ignorant; a) turning a blind eye to oppression only leads to fascism, and b) violence has played a vital role in our struggle for freedom from oppression - Gandhi’s salt march, Till’s open casket, all the broadcast beatings withstood during civil rights protests, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-36514150705477594322023-02-01T18:49:48.516-05:002023-02-01T18:49:48.516-05:00DavidinCal has been making these claims since 2014...DavidinCal has been making these claims since 2014. They were wrong then and they're wrong today. They were made uncited and devoid of context then and. as you can see, made now. <br /><br />"Some years ago", LOL. Soapynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-61725724780727818572023-02-01T18:47:30.029-05:002023-02-01T18:47:30.029-05:00“We’re prepared to suggest that they probably aren...“We’re prepared to suggest that they probably aren’t.” Hmmm… give us a call when you are actually prepared to SAY something Bob. <br /> These stories, and the emphasis built on them have a lot of ethical problems. First <br />the program rarely just shows the clip and let’s <br />you do decide what you are looking at. <br />The talking head tells you to be prepared to <br />be appalled and outraged in such a <br />fashion that you will feel a little inhuman<br />if you aren’t. Then there is repetition, you<br />will be shown the clip over and over until <br />you are sufficiently pissed off. Then there is <br />manipulation, you have no idea what occurred<br />moments before the filming, or the part of the filming they have decided to show you has<br />started, and how that might affect your response. <br /> Newsflash: these stories are aimed at<br />a demographic by news shows whose <br />purpose is to make money and are <br />horrified your attention might wain <br />if too much complexity makes you <br />lose interest. <br /> What I take away from this column, <br />though I know it isn’t exactly the writer’s <br />message, is that audiences have <br />realized or remembered these things<br />and are growing bored and numb. <br />I still have little understanding of <br />what occurred in this latest case. <br />I do know all the reasons I’m <br />supposed to be outraged. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-8316577528155674122023-02-01T18:40:11.838-05:002023-02-01T18:40:11.838-05:00The number of blacks killed by blacks is not as in...The number of blacks killed by blacks is not as indicated above, furthermore, that number is dwarfed by White suicide.<br /><br />Why are Whites so sad? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-49154177547963314442023-02-01T17:59:09.432-05:002023-02-01T17:59:09.432-05:00All murders, including white on white, have increa...All murders, including white on white, have increased since covid, as have the number of guns.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-76353068784257027662023-02-01T17:57:07.466-05:002023-02-01T17:57:07.466-05:00Race is not “hard” if you treat all others as huma...Race is not “hard” if you treat all others as human beings. That Somerby considers it hard says things about Somerby himself.<br /><br />If white people do not want to read articles about black death, they should stop letting cops kill unarmed black men (and no, they aren’t all young, and many wrongfully killed are not criminals).<br /><br />This isn’t rocket science. We lack the political will to make this stop, including making our entire society less vilent by getting rid of all those guns.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-57938720798417431302023-02-01T17:55:39.070-05:002023-02-01T17:55:39.070-05:00It’s ugly, but not at all improbable.It’s ugly, but not at all improbable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-47722467467195974052023-02-01T17:23:51.252-05:002023-02-01T17:23:51.252-05:00Saying that “news orgs treating black death as a f...Saying that “news orgs treating black death as a form of entertainment” (Attiah, according to Somerby) is “an ugly and improbable claim”, and yet covering it as “a way of performing racial concern—a way of pretending to care” (Somerby) is NOT an ugly and improbable claim?mhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08937133532381705347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-92046193492009907272023-02-01T16:30:45.393-05:002023-02-01T16:30:45.393-05:00Daniel Shaver. The ultimate cop killing snuff film...Daniel Shaver. The ultimate cop killing snuff film.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-35650755627606971082023-02-01T16:07:15.470-05:002023-02-01T16:07:15.470-05:00tl;dr
"The endless video loop of Black death ...<br />tl;dr<br />"The endless video loop of Black death is doing more harm than good"<br /><br />Whoa, bubonic plague? Already? We didn't expect it so soon during Brandon's regime.<br /><br />...oh, my dear ... oh, dear...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-37693034849370813462023-02-01T16:04:16.711-05:002023-02-01T16:04:16.711-05:00"Little has changed systemically in the decad..."Little has changed systemically in the decade of #BLM"<br /><br />Not so. The number of blacks killed by cop is considerably lower than some years ago. It feels higher because of the prominence given to such killings.<br /><br />OTOH the number blacks killed by blacks is far higher and is increasing. These killings are given far less prominence than they deserve.David in Calhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10222355423128534221noreply@blogger.com