• Member Since 23rd Jul, 2012
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Albi


Still tired. Still writing. Patreon

More Blog Posts288

  • 5 weeks
    Soon!

    I think I've used that blog title three or four times now.

    Anyway! New chapter of Spectacular Seven is almost done! I was hoping it would be done this week so I could post it on Saturday, but I need to rewrite a scene. And that's before I edit it! And before Drakey edits it! The good news is...

    Read More

    9 comments · 488 views
  • 18 weeks
    Ten Years, Still Here

    I think back to my nascent days here, reading stories and typing out my own, hoping for the day where I could call myself a veteran of the fandom. My stories would be remembered and I would stand alongside authors like Pen stroke and Aragon.

    And I look where I am now and go, ‘well, you got one big hit. Good enough.’

    Read More

    20 comments · 1,081 views
  • 20 weeks
    Thank You

    I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to the GoFundMe or spread the word for it. It really means a lot. Thanks to your donations and getting a little more on my first paycheck than I thought I would, I should be able to stay afloat again.

    Read More

    12 comments · 497 views
  • 21 weeks
    My Turn to Ask for Help

    Hello friends.

    I'm trying to raise money for me and Amber Spark after we suffered an accident with a U-Haul truck. The link to the GoFundMe page is here.

    Read More

    15 comments · 914 views
  • 26 weeks
    Spectacular Seven Day!

    So, Spectacular Seven is... seven years old today! godammitimoldthisstoryisoldwhyisntitdoneyetthiswassupposedtobefinishedliketwoyearsagowhhyyy
    Boy, where does the time go?
    I was totally not paying attention to the date, and even if I was, well... I wasn't gonna do anything.
    However!!

    Read More

    14 comments · 873 views
Jun
4th
2020

A Short Essay from a Pale-Skinned Black Man Living in America · 10:20pm Jun 4th, 2020

Black Lives Matter.

If your first instinct is to counter by saying All Lives Matter, you have two options from this point.

A) Read on and learn why your words are hurtful and misinformed.

B) Unfollow me and all of my stories. I will not miss you.


I have been on an emotional rollercoaster for days that usually ends with my energy drained and my unwillingness to do anything fun or productive. I have barely written, I have not drawn. I am paralyzed by the amount of emotions roiling through me. I've wanted to say something, but I don't want my words to be hollow. Actions have to go with them. But speaking up on a site such as Fimfiction that is supposedly free of politics is an action in itself. So I would like to thank Monochromatic for giving me the courage and reason to speak as well.

I have struggled now for the majority of my adult life with my identity as a Black man with albinism. I am the literal white sheep of my family. There were three Black students at the graduation ceremony for my master's degree. You could only see two of them from a distance. I have experienced a calmer and less prejudiced existence than my sisters.

That doesn't take away who I am on the inside. I am Black in America. And that's a dangerous combination. I'm reminded of that every time I have to hear a Black man was murdered by the police. Don't call it anything else. It's murder. Every time it happens, I grieve. I watch the sparks ignite again, only to fizzle out with hopelessness. I worry every day about my older sisters, my mom, my dad who fits the 'big scary Black man' trope to a T. I worry for my nephew, eight-years-old, and think about the conversation we're going to have to have with him one day. That he can't walk down the street without the possibility of being followed by a cop. That he's going to be tracked in stores. That white people are going to look at him differently and guard their objects when he's nearby just because of how he looks.

I think about the day I might get pulled over by an officer. Is he going to see me? If he does, will that be the last interaction I ever have?

Black Lives Matter.

And you want to say All Lives Matter. So do I. But right now, it's not true. In a society where Black people are racially profiled, disenfranchised, and systematically oppressed; where a virus is killing us at three times the rate as anyone else, it's hard to see all lives being equal. Black Lives Matter does not mean any other life is less important than mine. It is not a snub to any other race. It is a call to attention that Black people are treated horribly in this country; that their lives matter very little in the eyes of this society. It's a call to be heard.

This article from Vox best explains it.

Why do we keep chanting Black Lives Matter? Because according to the police, we don't. George Floyd died last week because a white officer kneeled on his neck while three more officers watched and did nothing. And this is just the latest in a long line of police-related deaths. Most officers get off with an acquittal. After only being suspended with pay. Essentially given a vacation. This officer was actually fired, a slight tweak to the narrative usually offered.

Why was he fired? Why were his charges raised from third-degree murder to second-degree? Why were the other three officers finally charged?

Because we raised our fucking voices.

On the Topic of Protesting and Rioting:

I'm sorry, is our call to stop being treated like second-class citizens making you uncomfortable?

Look, the issue of looting and rioting is complex. I won't sit here and say the Black Lives Matter movement have done none of the riotings that have taken place. But you're listening now, aren't you? Time and time again, we have raised our voice to draw attention that we are being murdered cruelly and unfairly, and time and time again, we have been told to sit down, to be quiet, to find a different way to protest. So, I'm not happy it's come to this. And I believe a majority of these riots are started by outside forces who only want to give what start out as peaceful protests a bad name. But, if this 'rioting' is what it takes for you to finally look at us and start this conversation, I'm not apologizing.

And if a certain president (and I use that term loosely) wants to fan the flames and send in militarized police who are agitating peaceful protests in their own way instead of, oh I don't know, deescalating tensions, then yes, we will yell louder.

Look, there's a lot I could say. There's a lot I could say. I have too many feelings to put into a blog that would turn it into a rambling, incoherent mess. I needed to say something somewhere just to alieve a little of this tension in my chest, though I can bet from the comments that will come in, that relief will be short-lived.

If you can't understand that Black Lives Matter is not an elevation of us over everyone else, but an elevation for us to finally stand with everyone else, I don't know what to tell you. I would think that a fandom from a show about love and tolerance and friendship, you would be some of the first ones to get it.

Regardless of your political alignment, your class, your religion, your creed, you need to recognize the disparity that Black people have faced in this country since being dragged here. We're asking for one thing: equality. To be treated humanely across the board. I want to go to sleep at night with full confidence that I won't take up to find out another Black man or woman has been killed by the police. I want my nephew to grow up and not have to look over his shoulder while walking down the street or god forbid, be afraid of getting murdered in his own apartment!

Black Lives Matter. My life matters! Even with all the self-loathing I have sometimes, I want to live! More importantly, I want to live with peace of mind.

I have spent the last month with my mother to escape the isolation inflicted by the Coronavirus. But in one week, when I return to Seattle, if we are still protesting—and I hope we are! I hope this momentum carries on and on until we are finally heard!—you can bet I will be marching and protesting and raising my fist with my brothers and sisters and anyone else who believes that equality is not here yet. That we can do better.

If you want to help in any way that you think you can or you feel comfortable with here are the ways you can. Because this time, something just might change. It's a small, fleeting hope in a year of despair after despair, but it's a hope I'm going to go fight for.


Thank You, Adge and Mono, and anyone else who has already shown support!

Comments ( 58 )

Thank you for speaking up!

I'm sorry. I'm white, so I have no idea what the things you go through on a daily basis are like. I'm sorry America doesn't live up to the ideals we claim to uphold.
Also, fuck Donald Trump and everything he stands for.

Fantastic blog. Thank you. :heart:

Thank you for writing this, Albi. Solidarity. :heart:

I wish I could offer something more constructive, but I'm just going to go with :heart:. Gets the point across, I think.

REDMAMBA #8 · Jun 4th, 2020 · · 15 ·

I will not tell you to sit down and shut up.
You have a right to be heard and you should be heard.
I will not tell you that what had happened that eventful day was okay.
Because it was not and never will be.
But, the one thing I will not tolerate the burning of buildings, the stealing of property, and the destruction of innocent lives.
For that, I will not stand for.
I will not tolerate the violent destruction of our nation in the name of ending racism.
We are so, so much better than this.

I will stand with protestors and I fill fight by your side.
But I will stand against rioters and I will fight against you.

All my love and support to you, Alby. Thank you for the courage to speak up and I hope those in power hear you all.

Sylvian #10 · Jun 4th, 2020 · · 2 ·

Thank you for speaking up, Albi.

I hope you stay safe, and if the protests are still going when you come back I hope you continue to stay safe. Heck, if I wasn't nearly an hour away up in Arlington I'd come join ya at the protests.

And I think, in the end, everyone speaking up and having the courage to say enough is enough is a good thing. We should be angry, we should be uncomfortable. People have died, and are dying, to the brutality, and I can only pray that when this long night ends there is progress.

After-all, evil only prevails when the good people stand by and do nothing. And right now, good people are doing something, I just hope that they continue to do something until things change.

Does not matter what skin Colour you are, we all stand together.

.... I disagree on the Rioting.... I just... people have lost their jobs and livelihoods and have been dragged out of their own cars and shit among various other things. I agree that the Riots that WERE caused by cops and were instigated by them were selfish and downright cruel.... but you cannot sit here and tell me that Riots are an okay method of protests. Not with the way some of these have gone.

Having said this I agree 100% with EVERYTHING ELSE that you have said and am extremely sorry that you have suffered this year. It's horrible.

Fuck yeah, blessed :heart:
no one ever got what they wanted from their oppressors by asking nicely

Rixec #14 · Jun 4th, 2020 · · 1 ·

It is hard to find the words to deal with all this. What happened to George Floyd was murder along with so many others. There are a handful of tragic mistakes, but nearly all the time it is murder. In fact, the times even when it was a mistake is caused because society and training has made it set into people's brains to just shoot first and ask later, to judge without question. But that's what leads to so many lives lost, especially black lives.

As a white man, I know I can never fully understand what the black community goes through. But racism is disgusting and the fact it has gone on this long shows why we need to shout and let it be known why black lives matter. Things are especially tough now with our so-called leader trying to divide us. Many past presidents have been called bad, but throughout it all, they at least tried to bring people together in unity. That is not happening now.

I'm sorry you have to deal with this, to worry for yourself and your family along with so many others when you shouldn't have to. Change is coming to this nation, and hopefully we'll be loud enough and strong enough and kind enough to make sure it is for the better. 2020 has not been the best year, but let's make sure by the end we can start making all the years to come good and safe.

Black lives matter.

as the whitest sob alive i cant imagine what you go through everyday all i know is that everyone deserves a chance to be treated the same as a human being .its wrong and sicking that anyone can treat someone different based on their skin tone all i know is that its a shame and i know it probably means nothing from me but from the bottom of my heart and soul im sorry .sorry that people cant treat people as people .sorry that people cant see past skin tone to the heart of gold underneath and sorry that my race has mistreated and done horrendous things and still contuses to do so to yours .from my heart and soul im sorry .god bless you albi for standing up for the right thing :heart:

:heart: Thank you for speaking up like this.

I wish that America was as good as it's promise, but it isn't. It NEVER was.

That's I hope this revolution will change.

Thank you for saying this Albi. Thank you for speaking up and helping those of us who do not have your experience understand. I can't exactly find the words to say this as eloquently as I want, so I'll keep it simple: I know it may not mean much, but I stand by you and with you. This can't continue. This cancer needs to be carved out and removed, as does a certain spray-tanned balding tumor.

Dragr #18 · Jun 4th, 2020 · · 3 ·

Everything you have said is true. To be perfectly honest, rioting and looting...meh, not a big fan...but..it has stopped people from getting away with murder in this case. Thats a result however you look at it. Its frankly an abomination how bad the racist lolice brutality in americal is, its scandelous.

Im sure I would object more to the riots if I owned a shop in those neighbourhoods. And I have seen some passionate speeches from members of the black comunity trying to reign in the rioting. But no, this time, screw it. It worked. Its messy, but this time it worked.

I am a a man who as far as he knows is cis, staight and white. If I had any more white privilage id be setting up colonies, and man do I have it better. So I am sure I would be feeling even more outraged then I currently am, which is a lot, and frankly, If I were black, but even Im not bloody suprised at the riots.

Its very easy for me in my high castle to look at the rioters and slip into the age old troupe of "I admire your goal but not your means." When Im sure I would feel very different were I black, or watched my family and friends being killed by those sworn to protect them day after day, year after year for hundreds of years.

So while I can never experience what you are going through, know that I and so many others empathise with you, vote, petition our parliment reps, and look on in abject horror across the pond. As far as I am concerned, screw the special relationship, screw the government, and screw those murdering bastards. Its not worh having to put up with watching this. Its inhuman. Id rather support the people like you, then the authorities breaking every oath to their people under the sun, and you have it in droves.

Im sick of politicians glorifying force to promote change one minute (armies, police, baliffs, revolution, uprising) and yet condem it when its in response their own fucking people being killed in the streets! Where was their condemnation of violence then?

I cant stand by and be a hypocrite to promote those institutions which in principle I value, and turn away when they do shady shit. Or in this case abominable shit. I disaprove of rioting on princible, but I disapprove of murderous cops more. Under normal circumstances, I'd say no rioting...but I think you have a point. This isnt an election result, foreign policy or tuition fees. Its about stopping state sponsered murder. Evidence suggets it facilitated good change and no loss of life. So yeah. Cant say I fully endorse it, but after this shit, Ill be damned if I'll condem it under these circumstances.

Order can come later. Now, we need justice. Peace will follow. Sooner police do their damn jobs and defend justice, the better. And while we are on the subject, targeting journalists, really? China hasnt done that in nine months of hong kong coverage! Seriously!

All lives do matter, which is the enitire fucking point of this. The point is that while we agree on that premise, under law enforent, they are not valued equally if at all. Hense the movement. Its not difficult.
Black lives have always mattered, and its about time the USA realised it. Please stay safe. Change will come.

Well-written, Albinocorn. Absolutely horrible bullshit that's been going on with George Floyd's murder and, well, everything else.

5276434
Did you not see that poster about the other protests that merely annoyed people, if that?

Have you not paid attention to tv, especially WESTERNS, that has preached that the only answer IS violence for the past 60 years?


Couple friends decried the rioting when we were playing magic last weekend, and unfortunately I couldn't articulate why until a few days later, only to see a guy I follow on Facebook put it much better.

Black people looting:It's a riot, better put a end to it.

White people looting:Boston Tea Party.


You want another way to protest? People have been there, done that, lost their t-shirt, their eyes, and died. It takes violence to break people out of their cozy little eggshells. Do I wish it were this way? Hell no! But I understand the anger, the hopelessness, the despair.

The country as a whole needs a reset. The laws, lawmakers, and law enforcement need to be completely dismantled and rebuilt. And this needs to happen regularly. The only thing that should remain static is the Constitution, because times and technologies change, but our human rights don't.

5276434
I get it, I get why you think people are... bad for resorting to riots. Should people do this? I can't rightfully answer that.

But I will point you at a post that I reblogged that summed up with sources why people turn to violence.

https://dream-unity.tumblr.com/post/619930414459568128

---

That being said, Albinocorn, that was immensely well-written. I hope you stay safe.

Thank you for your work and the words from your heart. You are not alone.

5276503
true you can promise everything but don't promise anything if you don't hold to it

5276559

AND I GET IT! I'm not saying I don't get it! I do! But the fact remains that there are protests and shit that have gone about WITHOUT falling into riots and HAVE gotten on the news without resorting to violence and shit like what I just shared with the other person and LITERALLY FIRE BOMBED STORES WITH PEOPLE STILL INSIDE. Not just ones caused by cops, either from the actual police lines or by undercover cops, but by those that actually were PART of the protests and stuff.... there HAS to be SOME fucking way that you can do this shit WITHOUT getting other people caught in the crossfire and ruining their homes, businesses, or the people themselves.

I'm really sorry if this comes across as me being blind or oblivious to certain things and all. I really am.

5276546

White people looting:Boston Tea Party.

I would like to point out that the only property that was damaged or lost in the Boston Tea Party belonged to the British East India Company, except for a single padlock which belonged to one of the captains of the ships, which was replaced the very next day.

The riots going on now are just that - riots. I have seen video footage of small businesses getting destroyed and looted whose owners are of every race under the sun. There is a time for destruction of property. I can see how burning down a police department would be a step to end police brutality, but I fail to see burning down a Wendy's would do the same.

That's not to say there aren't private businesses that deserve to be destroyed, I can certainly think of a few, but those businesses usually have so much money it would be impossible to do meaningful damage to them at a single location.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: there is certainly a problem with all levels of law in this country and something needs to be done about it before we lose our ability to.

We need justice, not only for George Floyd, but for Beronna Taylor, an EMT who was killed by police during a no-knock raid on the wrong house, and for Duncan Lemp, also killed by police during a no-knock raid when they shot his pregnant girlfriend and killed him through his bedroom window while they were asleep. These people, and every other person wrongfully harmed or killed by the corrupt system deserve justice.

So why do I condemn these riots? Simple. They aren't targeted enough. So far, the victims of the riots are the people living in the city where the riots happened. I would wholeheartedly support these riots if there was an effort to keep unrelated damage to a minimum, like in the Boston Tea Party. Once these riots die down, things will very likely get worse. Things will only start to improve when we shift our targets towards those actually perpetuating the system of injustice in this country, but until then, nothing will change.

I am applauding you as hard as I can through the internet dude. I hope you hear or feel it somehow.

Good on you albi (name makes more sense now) always loved your work and im glad you've said something

Aburi #30 · Jun 5th, 2020 · · 23 ·

I'll get a lot of hate for this...

I'll give a tl;dr: I'm sorry you feel this way. You are living in a tragedy that is in no way your fault. I think you are wrong, that you have been brainwashed to feel this way, and below is my reasoning.

As you request, I will un-follow you after this message. I greatly respect you as an author, and fellow human being. I will miss seeing notifications of your stories, they always brightened my day. But Black lives matter no more or less than any other life.

I'm reminded of that every time I have to hear a Black man was murdered by the police. Don't call it anything else. It's murder.

Only if every death of every cause is murder. Most (I know, not all) deaths are accidental or in self defense. If killing someone who is trying to kill you or your loved ones is murder, then we have a fundamental difference of opinion. I can respect that viewpoint even if I don't agree with it.

I worry for my nephew, eight-years-old, and think about the conversation we're going to have to have with him one day. That he can't walk down the street without the possibility of being followed by a cop. That he's going to be tracked in stores. That white people are going to look at him differently and guard their objects when he's nearby just because of how he looks.

If this is your experience, you need to move. I have lived many places, and this kind of prejudice is the exception, not the rule. Seriously, find a way to get somewhere else.

It is a call to attention that Black people are treated horribly in this country; that their lives matter very little in the eyes of this society.

Let me introduce you to Tony Timpa. A man who was violently restrained and killed by police who knelt on his back as he begged for mercy. Sound familiar? I'll bet you never heard his name. The cops mocked him as he died, laughing at him for wanting to go to school. Sounds like you should have heard about him? Vox will never report on this. Nor will The Guardian. After all, he's white. His killers never even saw charges. You never heard his name.

But the same thing happens to a black man? International outrage. Riots in major cities. 24/7 news coverage that will last weeks. EVERY American knows his name.
But you say that no one cares about when a black man dies?

I think about the day I might get pulled over by an officer. Is he going to see me? If he does, will that be the last interaction I ever have?

Statistically, no. Comparing the total number of black homicides by police vs. population, you have a 0.01% chance of being killed by a cop in your lifetime. This varies, of course, based on where you live.

In a society where Black people are racially profiled, disenfranchised, and systematically oppressed; where a virus is killing us at three times the rate as anyone else, it's hard to see all lives being equal.

This is a perfect example of how the American people are being brainwashed. Please explain how this disparity happens? Does the virus itself target people based on their skin? Are people going around intentionally infecting black people? Are hospitals refusing patients?
The answer to all of these is no. I can point out the linguistic tricks that article uses to make people think that this is a race issue, but if you pay close attention, they admit that their numbers are entirely a result of the region people live in. The places with the highest population density are majority black in New York. It is the population density that causes that spike. Not the color of peoples skin. But claiming that the virus is somehow racist gets people angry, and afraid, and that seems to be the order of the day.

This article from Vox best explains it.

This was painful to read... Of the nine "reasons", The first six are straw-man arguments. No one, NO ONE says a black life does not matter. One is a well intentioned person that has been miss-informed, no one who is caught killing a black person "for no reason" "get's away with it". One tries to argue away the implied "only" in front of "Black Lives Matter", but it does so poorly. And the last one I fully agree with. I will GLADLY prove that ALL lives matter, by doing whatever I can to prosecute people who commit crimes, no matter the color of the victims skin.

Most officers get off with an acquittal.

Because many (I know, not all) instances turn out to not be criminal. If there is evidence that the police officer used the minimum force necessary to protect lives, then he should be acquitted. In this case, the video was so damning that the officer (Derek Chauvin) and company where fired the very next day. BEFORE any protest happened.
If you want a detailed list of black victims of police, here's a good link: Link
It's not quite fair, only stating whether the officer was charged with murder or not. But you can look into each one yourself. Many even have the bodycam footage available. I'm not trying to say that America is perfect. I'm even sharing evidence that sometimes police get away with murder. But far more often, it's a tragic accident. If you want to point at Miguel Espinal, who was running from the cops when he was shot? Yea, I can back you on that. Those officers got away with murder and it's wrong. But what about Roy Neilson? He was unstable, tried to kicked out a window, and died after the police restrained him. What was their option? They where trying NOT to kill the man. Should they be charged with murder?

Why was he fired? Why were his charges raised from third-degree murder to second-degree? Why were the other three officers finally charged?

Because we raised our fucking voices.

No. He was fired before the first protest. His arrest was likely expedited due to the protests, but this monster was going to jail regardless. The sad part is that he may get a miss-trial because he's being charged with the wrong thing. If he was going to be charged with Manslaughter, that would be easy - he may be in jail by now. Second degree murder would be easy too. But third degree gets fuzzy. They have to prove that the cop enjoyed killing Floyd. This is a problem, because it's a LOT harder to prove intent like that. and remember, all it takes is a reasonable doubt and this guy gets off scott free. Better to charge with 2nd degree and guarantee a conviction than gamble that he has a bad lawyer and hope for the longer sentence.

I'm sorry, is our call to stop being treated like second-class citizens making you uncomfortable?

No. I'm glad to discuss any of this, and work to address grievances as they arise.

But you're listening now, aren't you?

Actually no. I'm listening a LOT less than if there was no violence. And polling agrees. Once a protest becomes violent it loses all the support it may have gained.

And if a certain president (and I use that term loosely) wants to fan the flames and send in militarized police who are agitating peaceful protests in their own way instead of, oh I don't know, deescalating tensions, then yes, we will yell louder.

I'm not going to try to defend the examples you found. I could find hundreds of entries of rioters hurting people and property. Violence begets violence. And no, Trump is not threatening to send in militarized police. He is threatening to send in actual military. This is both better and worse. Time and again we have been shown that rioters leave rather than face lethal force (see the large numbers of armed people defending their stores). People feel safe fighting with police - they are sworn to protect. The military is not. They will be prepared with lethal force. Ironically, this is likely to drastically reduce the conflict. Of course, if violence breaks out, the death toll will climb quickly. So yea, could be very good or it could go VERY VERY bad.

Regardless of your political alignment, your class, your religion, your creed, you need to recognize the disparity that Black people have faced in this country since being dragged here. We're asking for one thing: equality.

But that's the thing - I DON'T see inequality! I live in a mixed neighborhood, and my workplace has men and women of every color and creed. I don't doubt that you experience racism, but I don't. They don't. And it's not like we don't talk about it. We do! Especially with current events! But the only refrain I always hear, is that they are TOLD there is racism. Each and every racist act that is caught on tape goes viral. We are inundated with dozens of examples every year. Did you pay attention? "Dozens". Maybe hundreds. In a country of Billions. But if we are always seeing racism, we think that racism is everywhere. And when you think everyone is racist, you treat people different because they are racist. That makes you more racist. It makes EVERYONE more racist.

I want to end the racism. I want to end the violence. By both police and protesters. But violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred.

The only way to end racism is to not be racist. Stop fearing. Stop hating. Treat every man as your brother, and judge not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. We are so close to this dream. The laws are in place. Society hates the bigoted. All we need to do is practice what we preach. You CANNOT end this with violence. It may sound trite, but here, the only way to end the violence, to end the racism and hatred...

is with friendship.

R5h
R5h #31 · Jun 5th, 2020 · · 9 ·

5277047
Your utter slew of bullshit is really very painful to read, but I will try to debunk point-by-point. It will be hard, and may be spread out over multiple replies, because I'm pacing myself as I wade through this trashfire of a comment.

I'll give a tl;dr: I'm sorry you feel this way. You are living in a tragedy that is in no way your fault. I think you are wrong, that you have been brainwashed to feel this way, and below is my reasoning.

Real cool of you to start with the condescension. Clearly Albi couldn't have opinions of his own accord: he must have been brainwashed!

Only if every death of every cause is murder. Most (I know, not all) deaths are accidental or in self defense. If killing someone who is trying to kill you or your loved ones is murder, then we have a fundamental difference of opinion. I can respect that viewpoint even if I don't agree with it.

WELL, HERE'S A THOUGHT, MAYBE HE'S SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT THE ONES THAT ARE MURDERS. He didn't even say every black death was a murder, you just put those words in his mouth.

If this is your experience, you need to move. I have lived many places, and this kind of prejudice is the exception, not the rule. Seriously, find a way to get somewhere else.

As if everyone can just 'move' willy nilly. It takes money and preparation and resources, something not everyone has. And where are you gonna move, exactly? Because in the last seven days, in most of the major cities in America, police have been attacking peaceful protesters rather than letting them just protest. You wanna tell me that the cops everywhere else are fine?

This was painful to read... Of the nine "reasons", The first six are straw-man arguments. No one, NO ONE says a black life does not matter. One is a well intentioned person that has been miss-informed, no one who is caught killing a black person "for no reason" "get's away with it". One tries to argue away the implied "only" in front of "Black Lives Matter", but it does so poorly. And the last one I fully agree with. I will GLADLY prove that ALL lives matter, by doing whatever I can to prosecute people who commit crimes, no matter the color of the victims skin.

WE SAY BLACK LIVES MATTER BECAUSE BLACK LIVES ARE THE ONES UNDER ASSAULT RIGHT NOW
To paraphrase a tweet I read recently: "Save the rainforest" doesn't mean "fuck every other kind of forest". If you think "Black Lives Matter" means white lives don't, then you're twisting words. All lives won't matter until black lives matter.

What was their option? They where trying NOT to kill the man. Should they be charged with murder?

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, there's a ton of countries where police are trained in how to deescalate and avoid using force. There's also countries where we send medical health professionals to help these people, not cops! Are you going to sit there chanting "better things aren't possible", or are you going to realize there's a problem with how we treat people in this country?

No. He was fired before the first protest. His arrest was likely expedited due to the protests, but this monster was going to jail regardless. The sad part is that he may get a miss-trial because he's being charged with the wrong thing. If he was going to be charged with Manslaughter, that would be easy - he may be in jail by now. Second degree murder would be easy too. But third degree gets fuzzy. They have to prove that the cop enjoyed killing Floyd.

1) How do you know they were ever going to be put in jail without the protests? The officers who murdered Breonna Taylor haven't even lost their jobs and it's been two months!
2) Chauvin was charged with manslaughter. He hasn't been convicted yet. Kinda blows a hole in that theory.
3) He is currently being charged with second degree murder (the charge was upgraded).
4) When you say "third degree", you're clearly thinking of first degree. They are very very different.
5) In what fucking universe is "enjoyment" the criterion for first degree murder? The criterion is that it's committed intentionally, and premeditated with malice aforethought.

It's amazing how much wrong you managed to pack into one paragraph.

I'm taking a break right now before my head explodes, but let me say this: your position is utterly nonsense and relies on a presumption of the police being the good guys. Open your eyes to the hundreds of videos we've seen of them assaulting peaceful protesters, shooting people on their porches, cracking an old man's skull open and walking around him, shooting and arresting reporters, it goes on. Open up your eyes.

I'm a white gal who will never understand what you are going through, which I wish I could do something more about... I'll continue to protest and show support that Black Lives Matter.

Everything you said in your post was one hundred percent true and a hard truth that a lot of stubborn and bad people won't understand.

Aburi #33 · Jun 5th, 2020 · · 14 ·

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4) When you say "third degree", you're clearly thinking of first degree. They are very very different.
5) In what fucking universe is "enjoyment" the criterion for first degree murder? The criterion is that it's committed intentionally, and premeditated with malice aforethought.

It's amazing how much wrong you managed to pack into one paragraph.

Yup, I got that one wrong. I was reading the Minnesotan law that third on third degree murder and miss-read it. Don't google when tired kids. Try reading the law on third degree murder.

The rest of your post is pretty non-nonsensical though. You didn't address my points, only condemned with popular rhetoric.

JMP
JMP #34 · Jun 5th, 2020 · · 1 ·

Well said, Albi. I...don't really have much to add myself. I'm a white guy living in a small suburban village. That being said...well, Black Lives definitely fucking Matter. It's terrible that the police who are sworn to protect the community murder innocents and terrorize protesters. The many stories and pictures of the damage done by rubber bullets is horrifying. I'm glad the officer who murdered Floyd had his charges upgraded to second-degree murder, even if I'm not 100% sure on the distinction. It won't make up for anything, but maybe if these officers are actually convicted, there's hope for change. That if people are loud enough, there can be some form of justice.

Fantastic post, Albinocorn!

lol, who's the chud downvoting every positive comment, even when it's just a heart?

I want to open this saying I'm white, and I'm Australian. My experiences are very different.

But in 2016 I went back to university to study journalism, specifically political-economic journalism, and I dropped out by the end of the first year, and part of it was because of seeing how Charlottesville was covered by institutional journalism, and what my professors had to say about it. That university now offers a degree in white nationalism.

I've spent these four years educating myself to the best of my ability, now horrified at the racism and apathy that had been ingrained to me by my culture before then, especially against the Indigineous people of my own country. The assumptions my culture put upon me made me distrust the poor, made me fear them, made me see them as less human than I was, and made me draw my own conclusions for why non-whites were poorer than whites if we live in a meritocracy.

I make no excuses for that. I refuse to say 'But I was young and stupid then'. I was young, but I wasn't stupid. Very intelligent people can and do hold these prejudices, and they're a lot more influential when they share them. It is not just 'idiots' who believe these things.

It was hard to acknowledge those prejudices. Confronting them made me feel bad and like a bad person, so it was a lot easier to pretend that was 'just the way it was'. It was the path of least resistance for me, especially because I was raised in a police family.

What made me confront that was MLK's "A Letter from Birmingham Jail". Usually when I bring it up, it's for the paragraph about the white moderate. That's what spoke to me at the time, in the worst feeling way, in the most necessary way for me to hear.

But there's another line that I want to point to now.

The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue.

We cannot say "all lives matter" until black lives matter. And we cannot condemn these protests until serious change is made. It's been the only way to bring the other side of the table into the room. But policing is only the tip of the iceberg.

Schools in the US right now are more segregated than they were in the fifties. Black doctors and lawyers have an infant mortality rate higher than white high school dropouts, and comparable to Syria's.

I look again to the Letter. At the paragraph I usually point to.

I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

Riots are the language of the unheard.

When we hope that these protests end, we cannot see their end as inherently good, as an objective in itself. "Restoring order" is not the presence of justice. The only reason these protests should stop is because their demands are met, because real change has been made, because a path to serious equality has been paved.

And we shouldn't accept anything less.

All I got to say is... you got my support.

Thanks for speaking out. You're braver than I could ever hope to be.

Song #38 · Jun 5th, 2020 · · 1 ·

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I won't address everything you said, but I do see a lot of issues in what you've said.

I'd just like to address two parts;
1: You seem to think a that the police system here in the US is a lot better than it really is. People of color are murdered more often than white people, and even with all the anti-white racism and violence I experienced in the two years I was in middle school in portland, I know that doesn't put me even close to understanding how hard life is for a lot of people who face that their entire lives. I know that, for all the issues that I've had with police, the few times I've had to deal with them, I got off a lot better than I could have, just because I'm so pale I make printer paper look dark. I have trust issues, I have anxiety, and I'm autistic. If I wasn't white, I can think back to at least one situation where I would have, at best, been taxed and at worst, been shot.
Please, don't act like there's justification for cops acting "out of fear" either. When doctors slip up and the result is a loss of life that could have been avoided, they lose their job, and/or license. When cops do it, they move on with their day.

2: The part about listening a lot less because of violence.
There's evidence of anti-black or anti-protest individuals inciting violence, including white people showing up and handing out things to throw (something a close friend of mine saw in person), and there are entire articles out there about things like rich white men showing up in Rolls Royces to loot some places like jewelry stores. That's bad people making a situation worse to ruin things for others, to try to destroy a cause, to try to keep people oppressed, or to profit at the expense of others.

Feel free to respond, as I'd welcome some respectful discourse about this.

You know, itʼs blogs like those that make me wish you could upvote blogs on Fimfiction. Because this one definitely deserves a thumbs-up. I may not share experiences because I live somewhere else, but I have seen countless videos of bigoted police brutality, and it shatters my heart into a million pieces.

Everything you said is true, Mr. Albinocorn, sir. And here's a moment of silence for all Black lives lost at the hands of ”cops”.

#BlackLivesMatter :heart:

Well written. Thank you for sharing your story (and stories).
Black lives matter.

Aburi #41 · Jun 5th, 2020 · · 5 ·

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For your point 1:
I cannot speak to your experience, it would be disingenuous to try. I cannot "walk a mile on your shoes". I can only accept that different people from different backgrounds have different experiences. And I do not excuse killing. I'm sorry if that's how it came across. But I also do not think it is useful to mis-label things. Take the doctor you mentioned. He killed a patient. He did his best to safe a life and failed. It is likely appropiate he is unable to practice anymore. But I would not advocate jailing him. The same for police. If they honestly try but fail to protect lives, i support them losing their jobs. But i only support jailing those with malicious intent. I know that they have protections that they should not, and I think we agree that those protections need to go.
For point 2: Yup. No argument. We agree that malicious actors are doing everything to turn things as bad as possible. They should be found and punished for inciting violence.

5277228
Just to clarify, you're calling a course that studies "Western Culture" a white nationalist course?

That same uni offers courses on Asian and Middle-Eastern culture/history. So are those courses encouraging ethno-nationalism or is it just the Western one?

5277271
I'm not advocating for arresting doctors that make fatal mistakes. My point was that the punishment ought to match the crime, no matter the career. Police officers shouldn't be allowed to continue being a part of law enforcement after shooting an 11-year-old boy for having a toy gun. They shouldn't be allowed to continue to have power when they flippantly take the lives of people just because "they're black, so I can get away with it." I won't say that's every situation, because I do know that some "murders" were less clear cut on intent and fault, and I won't say that's every cop, because I've had the pleasure of knowing some truly wonderful people who became law enforcement to make genuine positive changes to their community, but the presence of the issue is unacceptable.

Also, thank you for remaining respectful. As simple as it is, it's not as common as you might hope. You seem like a decent person, though we disagree on some things.

5277280

Normally I wouldn't bother replying if that is what you took from that comment, but I think this stands clarifying.

The course I linked was not organized by the university, but is a curiculum designed and funded by a group called The Ramsay Center for Western Civilization, who have paid $50 million to UQ in exchange for teaching it, and for allowing their policy group influential positions in University Queensland's administration. Several professors resigned in protest.

Uh I don't know what to think of it to be honest, I just don't understand quite right what you're going through, not only because I'm white but also because here in Russia situation with black people are way different, even if there IS a problems like that it's not so drastic. Anyway I think you have my support even if it just mental.

iisaw #46 · Jun 5th, 2020 · · 2 ·

Thank you for this! :heart:

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The perfect protest doesn't exist man, I'm sorry. There's always going to people looking to to start trouble and using it as an excuse or as cover for the fucked up shit they want to do. Things didn't start out this way but police escalation has turned this into a shitshow, if people just went home nothing would change. Just like every other time.

5278159
It does hurt that you're telling the truth.

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It is an unpleasant thing. I do think good will come from this, regardless of the chaos, and it's just sad that it's gone this far.

Tenth #50 · Jun 6th, 2020 · · 3 ·

Can we just load a previous save and pretend 2020 didn't happen?

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