Woman lynched by many gang members.. your thoughts

[PraiseA||ah Profile]

Originally posted by beavermatic
Now, I'm not racist... but this doesnt look good for African Americans. It only hurts their cause.
Opinions?

That is what I was replying to in particular, as well as

Originally posted by Savant
Didnt watch it and wont,

Ive gotta ask those that did, why would a caucasion female be hanging around in an Oakland ghetto?

[Sabres Profile ICQ]

Originally posted by SavageParrot
I'm not gonna watch it

Agreed. Last time I watched a video off that disgusting website, I felt really sick.

[Rand0m Profile]

The youth of America makes me sick. Why can't people just live civilized. People these days have no morals or ethics. I think everyone needs to go back to Church and pray. Im not very religious by any means, but I have morals and Im a good person. Im glad that this video makes everyone so mad here because that means you are good, caring people.

[Major SONAR Profile]

I felt really sick.

I watched it and felt sick the whole time. Don't watch it, unless you get some sort of morbid pleasure watching violence. I felt so sorry for that girl. Just imagine how she must have felt before she died.

Why would anyone have a website like that? A website showing death.

[Sabres Profile ICQ]

Man, you took the words out of my mouth...

[beavermatic Profile]

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[cavalierlwt Profile]

I don't know that the girl died, I think she just got beat up (not that it is a pleasant thing getting beaten).
People in this country are way too cavalier about violence.
Amazingly though, the homicide rate is actually declining, and is at it's lowest level since the mid 1960's.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/htus00.pdf#search='homicide%20rate%202000'

On the other hand, attempts by the news media to freak us out are at an all time high!
There are some interesting relationships between homicide rates and economic/unemployment situations.

[-HaVoC- Profile]

It's so hard to try and understand that side of human nature. The complete lack of humanity and compassion for another person. You have to wonder how their minds deal with those images and memories of what they've done.


It's amazing that as a race we can be so full of love and compassion and at the same time so full of anger and rage and vengeance. I think so many have been hurt and taught the wrong things, but I wonder why these things can't change. I've said it before and I will say it again, evolution is painfully slow.

I'm so glad I avoided the video and I do appreciate the warning. I can live without the graphic reminder of just how horrific we can be.

[beavermatic Profile]

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[LeVar Burton Profile]

I stereotype the people that don't know the difference between your and you're. I don't care if you leave out the apostrophe, but I do stereotype.

[PraiseA||ah Profile]

Beavermatic

You make assumption after assumption. I saw the same video you did, again for a second and third time and I swear that the best I can say about the crowd's ethnic make-up is that it is mixed.
As for the video's background, after a news.yahoo.com search I came up with the following articles.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/baycitynews/a/2005/08/23/mobvideo23.DTL&feed=rss.news

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_2965323?rss

http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=3752693&nav=5D7ldcY9

The incident actually took place back in 2002 as near as the police can tell, it comes from a DVD that was on sale to the public and they don't think the woman was killed because no body ever turned up at the time they estimate it happened.

Your statements are the reason 'African Americans have a bad reputation with the masses.' Look to your own words man.
When you judge a whole group of people based upon the actions of a few - which is what your statement that I objected to in your first post was alluding too. There was no connection between the millions of African Americans and the people in that video until you made it is essentially my point I guess. And I for one, don't see the connection at all. I see bad people doing bad things, period. What they did has no reflection upon any ethnic group, period.

[EZC Profile Website]

I lived in the ghetto for four years after my parents divorced. It was horrible. Coming from a military base area to gang territory was frightening. I remember on the bases I would here gunfire all the time just wouldnt have to worry that it might be directed to me. Hearing helicopters fly by, gunshots going off, cars halling ass down streets. I remember playing in the front yard and getting scared when I would see a car stop at the top of the street with no lights on. I remember waking up and seeing territory signs sprayed on our driveway and sidewalk. I remember kids that were my age flashing me gang signs cause I would look at them. I remember cops closing off my block so they could bust a crack house or stop a gang fight. The last straw was when they slashed my moms tires and broke or front window. We didnt even know why. Thats what makes me ashamed at times of being a latino. I remember asking someone I befriended why he was in a gang. He said he had no choice. His name was Angel. I never told him what I thought of his answer. He was a good kid. Funny thing is he never admitted it to his homies but he liked Mozart. A gang member who liked classical music never would have thought of that. I guess I would tell him everyone has a choice. No one forces you to be who you are except for yourself. He chose wrongly.

[oxy]

Originally posted by PraiseA||ah
I see bad people doing bad things, period. What they did has no reflection upon any ethnic group, period.

Most people don't think like that though. Stereotypes exist, and though some may be outrageous, they were probably created in the first place for a reason.

If you go around asking a random sample of Americans what the first thing that comes to mind when they think about the word. "Muslim". they'll probably answer "AK-47" or "Terrorist".

Why?

Well look at the list of the dudes invloved in the 9-11 attack. How many John Smiths, Tyrone Biggums. or Jose Romeros were on those planes? None! There were a couple of Mohammeds though... Gee, I wonder how that looks on that ethnic group... Does that mean that all Mohammeds are terrorists? Of course not. But the reality is, the majority of Americans do not feel safe while around Mohammeds and airplanes at the same time.

That's just the way it is.

Anyway, I think that's sorta what Beavermatic was trying to explain about African American's and crime in Oakland.

[LordShard]

A scientist prooved that african americans are geneticly prediposed to be more violent. However when he released his findings allot of black people got on the TV and started calling him a hate monger. DUnno why more wasn't said about it.

[PraiseA||ah Profile]

LordShard

No more was said about that because as throughout history you find charlatains with agendas posing as legitimate unbiased researchers. In truth however they have their own bigoted motivations and when their findings are held up to the light of day, they fall apart as the bigoted interpretations that they are.

Oxy

I agree that is the way most Americans think and in fact, I'll even do you one better and say that's the way most Muslims think or the way most any (insert any group here) thinks because the average person is just that, average. A medium level IQ that doesn't think outside the box of stereotyping they've grown up with. And even if you are intelligent sometimes the preconceived notions you've been brought up with are just never rethought. For example let me share this with you. My aunt was a little girl during WWII and to this day, the propaganda put forth by this country has an effect on her and she hates Asians, particularly the Japanese. I know it's all propaganda and I know that the stuff she says is simply stereotypes that aren't true and I ignore her ignorance. I am not about to defend it.
A little critical thinking and common sense go a long way in this world and definitely when you're being fed propaganda, stereotypes and just bullshit in general. Look at all the hate traps people get caught in over the years. All the wars. You have to hate your enemy to kill him. In order to justify the wars you demonize the enemy. Reality is that there is as wide a spectrum of beliefs and characters on the other side as there is on your side and the majority of the people on the other side will simply not match the propaganda/prejudice. And this doesn't even touch upon malicious personally motivated actions by the leaders of countries who intentionally mislead the populous as a certain someone who's first name begins with George and last name begins with Bush does/did.