The recent gun down of innocent African American male, Micheal Brown, really has got me thinking "Am I proud to call myself an American?" I usually focus on World Politics and the conflicts happening outside this nation. Its not that I don't care about what is happening here ,but facing the reality that our country is as "screwed up" as the rest of the world can be sort of traumatizing. America has always had propaganda such as "all men are created equal"(it should say "everyone" ,but... that's for another rant) and "justice for all" ,but how can this be true if we are killing our innocent citizens and letting murderers get away with it. Knowing our faults, we still manage to defend and encourage conformity through our twisted beliefs. I recently was messaging my Danish friend and she kept pointing out all the flaws of our system...I couldn't even defend at least one of her points. I actually agreed with most of them! These aren't stereotypes of being prejudiced racist, sexist fatties with a government that is clearly not "for the people"...this is our reality. Again and again, we have evidence that shows a tug-of-war between the progression yet digression of our society.Black innocent men are killed, children massacred in schools, gang violence, unnecessary immigrant removal, the lgbtq community denied their basic rights ,etc...we might as well be on the "developing nations" list because there is still much work to be done to make this country worthy of being called a "developed nation" in the 21st century. This morning, an instagram post by the amazing Jillisblack, brought up a subject that needs to be addressed. The saying, "The black community", has always grouped all black people in that category ,but no one ever says " the white community". She emphasizes the responsibility that Caucasians should have towards the Micheal Brown case.The white police officer should remind you to "fix your own community". She concludes her message by stating, "You'll stop pointing at uniforms and remember that there are people wearing them. And those people?Those people are you. Just like "these" people are me."
This kid was only 18...he was unarmed, with his hands up in surrender to the authority... and yet, he was shot 8 times from 35 ft away.My brother, a young African American male, is turning 18 soon with his whole life in front of him. I can't imagine how I would react if a police officer shot him with absolutely no evidence. This effects everyone, regardless of race. We are all Americans who somehow think this country is the greatest in the world.This must stop!The probability of this happening to my sibling increases every day. Will his fate become like John Crawford, Eric Garner , Tarika Wilson, Malcolm Ferguson, Renisha McBride, Amaduo Diallo, Yvette Smith, Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Kathryn Johnston, Trayvon Martin, and Micheal Brown?
"Am I proud to be an American?" Honestly, not at the moment. "Am I willing to defend our views?" Not ones I will never believe in.
Until next time... "Hands up, Don't shoot".
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