Subconcious Racism Or Valid Precaution?

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45818176

[ummmm]

Naomi - you're not coming across well.

[jim360]

The good thing is that, whatever else happened, this "only" ended up with a lot of people irritated or offended. There have been more than a few instances where white and black people interact and, for essentially racist reasons, one of them ends up dead rather quickly. The most recent (that I'm aware of), tragic example, would be this one:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/dallas-police-woman-charged-manslaughter-13219311

"Wait a minute, am I in the wrong house?" Apparently never occurred to the woman who had to burst through a lock door and shoot dead a stranger who was presumably just chilling.

[anotheoldgit]

Reading Backdrifter's recent thread, it is unbelievable that only on one person's report on what actually took place, many are prepared to label this woman (who ever she is) as a racist.

Had it had been the other way round, one would have had the same ABers asking where's the proof, apart from the white person's take on the events?

[naomi24]

ummmm, doubtless - but that's fine by me. I care more about the safety of children than about other people's opinions of me.

[jim360]

In other circumstances I'd take your point, AOG, but this incident hasn't happened in a vacuum. Race relations in the US in particular are often strained, and it's easy to find numerous examples of exactly this sort of incident.

Whether or not this one happened as reported is, therefore, somewhat irrelevant. Something like it has happened, and it will happen again many times, until people start to recognise, and suppress, their unconscious racial and sexual biases, rather than act on them without proper consideration.

[Backdrifter]

@spicerack - All on here know as much as that story on the link tells us. So yes, maybe this man who runs a youth mentoring scheme and is trusted enough to be a babysitter could have been doing something aggressive and harmful just before he was challenged by the woman; I'm sure security footage from the Subway or the Walmart would confirm one way or another. And who knows, perhaps those black guys doing innocent uncontroversial things such as visiting a coffee shop or taking a nap, and the others listed in that piece, also had some sinister unseen backstory that justified their having the police called on them, etc. In this case though, it's the woman who "decided to play the race card".

[jim360]

Naomi: If you were to genuinely care about the safety of children, would it not be worth checking *every* interaction between an adult and children, neither of whom you know, to ensure that there is a genuine and safe connection between them?

[naomi24]

Jim, if I had a reason to suspect that something might be amiss I’d question it. Wouldn’t you?

[ummmm]

I've had children for 26 years. One of them autistic. No one has ever questioned me, even when one has a melt down.

I'd find it insulting.

[naomi24]

Ummmm, I wouldn't be insulted. Strangers are not to know who you are. I'd thank them for caring.

[1ozzy]

//Strangers are not to know who you are//

Agreed.

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - // Strangers are not to know who you are. //

If they did know who you are, they wouldn't be strangers!

[andy-hughes]

I don't think anyone would argue that the safety of children is a responsibility for all of us.

But there are ways of accepting that responsibility.

To return to what we know -

This woman challenged the man in question, and was dismissed, quite rightly in my view.

Any normal person, still having concerns, would have contacted the police right away - not followed him for an hour, to his home, and then called the police.

It's simply not normal behaviour, and if you factor in the standard attitudes that the black population of the state have to live with on a daily basis, I would have been equally as aggrieved in this man's position.

Her behaviour, advisedly driven by concern for the children, actually caused them far more distress by following them, and then having then questioned by the police who are clearly uncomfortable with what is a misunderstood situation taken to ludicrous extremes by a busybody.

There are those on this thread that think the gnetleman should have answered her rude and intrusive questions, I would side with him when he did not.

Happily, there seem to be more who are aggrieved that she simply refused to accept the obvious evidence that there was nothing untoward going on, and acted as though there was.

[SparklyKid]

Does anyone really care that much to devote most of their day prattling on ?

[pixie374]

A lone woman... following a man she believed to be a criminal for an hour... does seem to deny how genuine her belief was.

[pixie374]

Sparkly- yep!

[andy-hughes]

SparklyKid - // Does anyone really care that much to devote most of their day prattling on ? //

Apparently.

[anotheoldgit]

andy-hughes

/// To return to what we know - ///

/// This woman challenged the man in question, and was dismissed, quite rightly in my
view. ///

The trouble is we don't really know what actually took place, we can only take the man's word for what was said.

[andy-hughes]

AOG - // andy-hughes

/// To return to what we know - ///

/// This woman challenged the man in question, and was dismissed, quite rightly in my
view. ///

The trouble is we don't really know what actually took place, we can only take the man's word for what was said. //

True, but we have the evidence of the police intervention to know what she did - which ties in entirely with his version of events.

[THECORBYLOON]

Until the woman speaks out to give her version or the two wee ones contradict the babysitter, we have only the video evidence.