When somebody commits a crime against you, punishing that person doesn't bring justice to the victim. It might, if it's done well, bring a sense of balance back to the community.
? I think we disagree about the meaning of justice.
I think hanging those nooses calls for something more serious that suspension. And I think when you kick another person in the head till he's unconscious, that's more serious than simple battery..
Haha, it was
in-house suspension no less. It
is still simple battery though, even if he got knocked unconscious.
What's really confusing to me is this curious idea you have that people must be proven guilty of a crime before they can be tried for it. Doesn't work that way.
I think they should be proven guilty before people start calling them violent thugs who don't deserve fair trials or reasonable charges.
Here's the problem: people ***** and moan because the white kids weren't prosecuted, but when it comes down to it, they don't want the white kids tried, either. They just want the black kids freed, because the truth is, they think the little white racist ******* got what he deserved. That's pretty sick.
Oh no, they want the white kids tried. I think I've been involved with this movement much longer than it's been around in the mainstream press. There are people, especially those deeply effected by racism, who like to thin that this is vigilante justice, and that's a whole other debate about what choices the kids
really had. It's not important though, because like I said--if the kids had been given reasonable charges, there would be no controversy right now. Hell, this
barely even became a controversy, it was ignored for
ages.
And I reiterate: If six white kids had done this to a black kid, the same people demanding that they "free the Jena Six" would be there demanding prosecution for a hate crime. They certainly wouldn't be rallying in support of the assailants.
Well, that's because the assailants would be given simple battery and probation (if that!), so why would we need to support them? They got all the support they need from the actual system.
If we lived in bizzaro world where black administrators and law enforcements purposely silenced white kids' legitimate concerns about racial violence, slapped violent black teenagers on the wrist for hate crimes against whites while throwing "attempted murder" or "second degree robbery" charges towards any backlash...well, maybe it would be an issue then, and we would be rallying to support them. We don't live in that world though.
That's the level this rally is on. These people just have a different prejudice. Not even a different kind of prejudice, just a different prejudice of the same kind.
Prejudice against racists? Maybe. Racism is a clear threat, and I do think that Barker doesn't exactly win any sympathy contests, and he probably deserves a good punishment himself. But I fail to see how that reaches Klan levels of prejudice.
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Ok, so when did it become legally acceptable to assault someone?
IDK, ask the school administrators or law enforcement officials of Jena. They certainly think it's acceptable and harmless pranking--so long as the victims are black.