"A system cannot fail those it was never meant to protect" - W.E.B. Du Bois.

[Luminous Animal]

[SummerSnow]

1. Thats a very strong quote...damn.And very true

[Luminous Animal]

3. Even though I expected today's outcome. My heart hurts.

[G_j]

8. the quote explains why so many of us

expected it.

[Luminous Animal]

12. Precisely. Thank you.

[blkmusclmachine]

2. ,

,

[truedelphi]

4. Yes that 'splains a great deal. n/t

[AverageJoe90]

5. I'm sorry, but this is not the time, nor the place for that.

Please, take this shit to Discussionist. This is NOT helpful, not one bit.

[truedelphi]

7. Maybe it is not the quote cited in the OP that should be over at Discussionist. n/t

[hobbit709]

9. +1 nt

[Pastiche423]

11. +2

[BrotherIvan]

14. +billion

Thanks for saying it more politely than I. I just can't deal with it tonight.

[etherealtruth]

16. + infinity

[bettyellen]

17. Double infinity

[XemaSab]

19. +the expanding universe

n/t

[LeftyMom]

20. This. nt

[Enthusiast]

27. +1 an entire shit load.

[cyberswede]

40. Indeed. nt

[Goblinmonger]

10. What do we need here?

Everything is awesome. Walk away. Nothing to see here.

That more in line with what you want to hear?

[AverageJoe90]

13. "That more in line with what you want to hear?" No.

But we can't afford a defeatist attitude right now. We just can't, and that DuBois quote, though I respect the man, reflects that, I'm sad to say, in this context.

And maybe I sounded a little harsh, but frankly, I've had enough of the Left fucking up and dropping the ball on opprotunities we could be exploiting, and it ain't just the Democratic Party, either. The activist left has failed plenty of times, too. We spend so much fucking time having to debate on stuff like whether or not all white people are culpable for racism in this country, or whether or not rape culture exists, etc.....that we've often lost sight of the big picture. And I can tell you, it's actually quite bit worse now, than in 2010.

The infighting hasn't helped, giving the extremists a say hasn't helped.....so what else can I say? We need to rethink our priorities, and quickly. 2016 is only a couple of years away, and if we lose that.....

[TheKentuckian]

18. You have a counter argument to the quote, I take it? Bust that shit on out.

[XemaSab]

22. I'm really interested in how a white man

thinks that quoting W.E.B. DuBois is somehow inappropriate right now.

I want to hear more.

[noiretextatique]

38. LOL

now is NEVER the time, to some.

[PowerToThePeople]

21. That you for opening my eyes.

I see now.

[noiretextatique]

34. are you fucking kidding me?

Did you grasp the meaning of that quote? You are the only one who is out-of-line here. Do you really think democrats will TOUCH this issue with a 10 foot pole? The issue: our justice system does not work to protect black citizens. No fucking way. Silence about racial inequities are a BIG reason why DuBois' quote is still true today. Another example of cowardly dems allowing the rw to control and frame the debate...because of fear of how white people will react. This issue will be front and center in 2016...there has been enough silence.

[cyberswede]

41. Exactly.

However, I fear you're

[cyberswede]

44. You know, racism and rape culture just might be part of "the big picture" for a lot of people

It's not really up to you to decide what's important to everyone else, TBH.

[Number23]

24. So it's bad enough that you think that you know more than every black DUer

when it is plain as day that you don't know a damned thing about anything. But I guess now you know more than W.E.B. Dubois too?

For once in your ENTIRE existence on this web site, shut up and fucking LEARN something. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._E._B._Du_Bois

This is so not the time for your predictable, typical, unhelpful and transparent as hell shit stirring. Good Lord, what did this web site ever do to deserve you???

[noiretextatique]

33. this poster walks that fine line

And that's even more galling. At least the rest of the pro-cop crowd had the decency to STFU tonight.

[cyberswede]

45. This poster stomps all over that line, TBH.

[noiretextatique]

48. i totally agree

but standards are higher than Du's.

[Number23]

46. Noire, that poster doesn't walk a fine anything

He has had his ass handed to him by 2/3 of this board. He's had more DU time outs than a recalcitrant four year old. He complains about feminists and "social justice warriors," the calling card of right wing lunatics everywhere. He is one of only three posters here blocked from the AA group and you know we don't block anyone unless they are truly disruptive and/or crazy.

He has been told flat out that he is wrong as two left shoes about EVERYTHING and despite all of this, still sees fit to drench this board in his clueless, entitled BS. So there's no fine line walking from this one. He makes his disdain for minorities as clear as crystal every chance he gets and how he's still posting here is really the only question.

[noiretextatique]

47. wow...thanks

i confess: i haven't paid him much attention. i have too busy battling the others. and to clarify: not MY fine line, Du's

[Number23]

49. Gotcha!

[HuckleB]

25. Say what?

[nomorenomore08]

30. WTF "time" or "place" would be more appropriate? Just answer me that.

[noiretextatique]

32. are you fucking for real?

This is the time and the place.

[yodermon]

35. no, he is not for real, fucking or otherwise. n/t

[AverageJoe90]

39. Sorry you feel that way. nt

[bravenak]

36. You know what Joe?

You have no idea what the fuck you are talking about.

[MerryBlooms]

50. The OP is far from being shit

Your reaction however, IS complete shit, and out of line.

This discussion is desperately needed on both DU and DI, and all over this goddamn country.

[AverageJoe90]

52. I will admit I overreacted a bit, initially. That I can't deny. BUT.....

However, though, does it really help to tell people that the system basically can't be fixed? Look how well that line of thinking worked during the 2010 elections.

I understand the frustration. Believe me, I do; Ferguson was a monumental failure on many levels. But if we give off a message of defeat, how does that help anybody, least of all, People of Color? This is a legitimate question, I assure you.

[MerryBlooms]

53. No one is claiming system cannot be righted

That is your projection/interpretation.

But, change can't take place without honest discussion. The first step in that discussion is whites admitting white privilege and our benefits from racism, and be willing to right those wrongs. It's us. We're responsible.

[AverageJoe90]

55. That's kind of what was implied here, though.

But, change can't take place without honest discussion. The first step in that discussion is whites admitting white privilege and our benefits from racism.....

And change cannot take place if this is how we try to approach it. It may make some people feel better, but all it does is run the risk of alienating the non-racist whites out there who would otherwise be receptive to becoming actively anti-racist, even if they may not be Democrats. We need to stick to reality: not every white person is racist, or even culpable for racism. Not every white person benefits from racism, either, and in fact, if anything, more of us have been indirectly harmed by it, than have benefitted, and this was true even in the 1950s: it is certainly the case now. None of which means we shouldn't do our part whenever it is possible to do so. But we need to do things right, not just do it in a way that may be the popular de jure method of the moment, amongst certain cliques, just so we can make them happy. We need to do it right, and if we lose a couple of De Vega's or Coates's, or Brittney Coopers here and there, well, that's that, because we can get some future Melissa Perry's and Dave Pakmans on our side; the practical folks who know how to get the message out in the most optimal manner.

[LWolf]

54. If not now, then WHEN?

When IS it okay to put that elephant in the nation on the table?

Because if anything is true, it's this: If we don't bring it out into the open to deal with, it festers in perpetuity.

[bettyellen]

6. powerful words

[etherealtruth]

15. Chilling

[BlancheSplanchnik]

23. .

....

[annm4peace]

26. yep

again and again and again

[Recursion]

28. DuBois has an uncomfortable way of being right (nt)

[tblue]

29. Now that's a truth no one says out loud.

And it is precisely what is wrong with this whole country from top to bottom.

[workinclasszero]

31. So true

The "justice" system in america is for the rich, and white is frosting on the cake. How many wall street thieves went to prison after the destroyed the economy under Bush jr?

Lets see...zero of course.

Armed mobs of white men parading around brandishing guns, cops do nothing. Unarmed black kid walking down the street? Well hell that's a killing offense, don't you know?

Shot down in a hail of bullets like a dog in the streets!

America, land of the rich, home of the racist killers.

[JEB]

37. Thanks for posting.

Helps me make some bit of sense out of what is happening in our country.

[bighart]

42. This is perhaps the most hard hitting and devastatingly true

statements I have read in reply to the situation in Ferguson.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

43. I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice. Albert Camus

[AverageJoe90]

51. Now that's the ticket!

Thank you, Tierra_y_Libertad.