Thread: Ferguson, MO
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Old 11-26-2014, 07:59 PM
DrPhil DrPhil is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 14,733
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phrozen Sands View Post
What I don't understand is why black men are killed by police more than 20 times more often than whites are.
A few posts ago, I touched upon one correlate of that: the demeanor of some Black men.

Another correlate involves the disproportionate representation of Blacks in certain types of crime. That is correlated with socioeconomic status, physical and mental health disparities, sexual and reproductive health disparities, and inconsistent social policies.

Sure, bias and bigotry are a factor for some law enforcement but there are more safety nets against that than in the past (some law enforcement agencies are more conscientious because they are under increased scrutiny). Also, all humans have biases and bigotries. We are fine with these being utilized by law enforcement when it is to our benefit (such as officer discretion when not giving a traffic ticket) but we want that to suddenly disappear when there are potential negative outcomes. If only humans had such an "on/off" switch.

If people want the answer to unequivocally be "racial prejudice and individual racism" then NO. There are many factors that go into the structural, institutional, and individual dynamics of billions of people.

Last edited by DrPhil; 11-26-2014 at 08:04 PM.
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