Ferguson incident

[Phantom]

Right, so, there was a bit of the discussion in the Grr Thread, but I guess a mod didn't see it, so I'll make the thread.

Feel free to continue the discussion.

The conversation started about two thirds of the way or so here.

 

[Ether's Bane]

Right, so, there was a bit of the discussion in the Grr Thread, but I guess a mod didn't see it, so I'll make the thread.

Good call.

I really have nothing to say that hasn't already been said, so I'll just leave this here:

It kind of sucks how after any rioting happens at all, popular opinion starts to be against the protestors, despite the people looting etc most likely aren't the same people who protested peacefully :(

Fortunately:

Well, from what I've seen, the tide seems to be turning as far as public opinion is concerned, and more and more people seem to be supporting the protestors.

Let's hope that continues.

 

[M&F]

2013 racial profiling statistics in the Ferguson police department.

Now, Ferguson's black population is roughly twice as large as the white population, but even when that's accounted for, the disparity in the numbers is glaring.

Brown's individual case is very important, but it's also very important to consider the backdrop that leads to it and, most likely, to innumerous unsung tragedies in the same area.

 

[Ether's Bane]

Okay, I'm fully prepared to take whatever backlash I receive for this post, but I think it has to be said.

As important as the Ferguson incident is, we shouldn't cause it to make us forget about other tragedies in the world.

From what I've seen over the Internet (especially on Tumblr), with regards to current events:

80% Ferguson
20% Gaza
Sweet fuck all % Ebola/ISIS/MH17

Now, of course Ferguson is important, but it feels like these other topics/causes, which are also important are being brushed aside.

Why weren't there any posts going "have you reblogged MH17 today?"

Why are we supposed to remember Ferguson more than these other tragedies?

Yes, what happened in Ferguson was truly reprehensible and tragic, but we shouldn't forget about all these other events, too - after all, they all involved loss of life, and I'm sure we all agree that no particular life is more important than any other.

 

[Murkrow]

Okay, I'm fully prepared to take whatever backlash I receive for this post, but I think it has to be said.

As important as the Ferguson incident is, we shouldn't cause it to make us forget about other tragedies in the world.

From what I've seen over the Internet (especially on Tumblr), with regards to current events:

80% Ferguson
20% Gaza
Sweet fuck all % Ebola/ISIS/MH17

Now, of course Ferguson is important, but it feels like these other topics/causes, which are also important are being brushed aside.

Why weren't there any posts going "have you reblogged MH17 today?"

Why are we supposed to remember Ferguson more than these other tragedies?

Yes, what happened in Ferguson was truly reprehensible and tragic, but we shouldn't forget about all these other events, too - after all, they all involved loss of life, and I'm sure we all agree that no particular life is more important than any other.

It's because people are much more likely to talk about things that are closer to them, and like it or not, the plurality of people on the internet (especially on American sites like Tumblr) are American.


MH17 was the one that was shot down in Ukraine right? It was certainly terrible but that isn't exactly the issue, the underlying issues are the fighting and the fact that Russia is playing down that it's got anything to do with it.

 

[Ether's Bane]

MH17 was the one that was shot down in Ukraine right? It was certainly terrible but that isn't exactly the issue, the underlying issues are the fighting and the fact that Russia is playing down that it's got anything to do with it.

Yeah.

I do know about the issues regarding Russia and MH17, and there's been probably as much about over here as there has been about Ferguson stateside. (I live in Malaysia, so the news here was all MH17 all the time for at least two weeks - the plane was leaving Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur)

 

[sovram]

Ferguson and Gaza have a political importance that is matched only, from your examples, by ISIS (though MH17 is related to the unrest and war in Ukraine which is also very important). Furthermore I'm sure that many users on tumblr are from the US which would explain why Ferguson would be a more popular topic than the others.

Ferguson is yet another acute example of state and vigilante violence against Black persons. It is important because of its high visibility; the protests have been significant and heavily cracked down upon by the state (police are openly carrying and threatening the use of assault weapons, etc.). People in the US are talking about Ferguson because it is making them more aware of the contradictions in US capitalism and its colonial history. There has been at least one more police murder of a Black person since Ferguson that was publicized, and I'm sure more have occurred that have been covered up.

Gaza is a genocide that's been going on for so long and pro-Israel sentiment is so common in the US that I think people are finding it hard to talk about. But you shouldn't be relying on tumblr for important news. Consider the website of the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine which is one of the largest groups in the PLO.

 

[Ether's Bane]

Back to the main topic, but again relating the incident in Ferguson to an event off American soil, it seems as if this is actually very similar to what happened in Tottenham three years ago. In both cases, a young black man who was unarmed was murdered by the police, leading to a series of riots, and thus evidencing the racial prejudices prevalent in a country where most people are white.

Maybe there's a key difference that I'm missing, but when the news about Ferguson first broke out, my first thought was literally "it's Tottenham 2011 again, but in America this time".

 

[M&F]

It should be noted that manipulation and erasure from various fronts in the media is one of the core problems of Ferguson, which is what necessitates the exhaustive coverage. Ebola isn't getting any closer to ending if we keep talking about it. For Ferguson, keeping the talk alive and well helps, at the very least marginally.

(The same goes for Gaza, so if anyone wants to bring on the talk of Gaza, then by all means, go ahead)

 

[Ether's Bane]

It should be noted that manipulation and erasure from various fronts in the media is one of the core problems of Ferguson, which is what necessitates the exhaustive coverage. Ebola isn't getting any closer to ending if we keep talking about it. For Ferguson, keeping the talk alive and well helps, at the very least marginally.

(The same goes for Gaza, so if anyone wants to bring on the talk of Gaza, then by all means, go ahead)

Would this apply for MH17/ISIS? Constant exposure would, for example, raise awareness about the stuff that the Russian government and ISIS respectively are doing right now.

 

[Murkrow]

Back to the main topic, but again relating the incident in Ferguson to an event off American soil, it seems as if this is actually very similar to what happened in Tottenham three years ago. In both cases, a young black man who was unarmed was murdered by the police, leading to a series of riots, and thus evidencing the racial prejudices prevalent in a country where most people are white.

Maybe there's a key difference that I'm missing, but when the news about Ferguson first broke out, my first thought was literally "it's Tottenham 2011 again, but in America this time".

I was thinking that as well. It probably happens a lot more often in the US just because of there being a higher population and more guns, though.

It was what happened in Tottenham that caused me to make the post about how when there are riots, opinion turns against the protesters. At the time people were saying it was a race issue and highlighted a problem with police racism but now barely anyone says that any more. Not it's three years later pretty much anywhere you go the majority opinion seems to be about how it was just opportunistic thugs being bad people.

Hopefully the amount of coverage Ferguson is getting will prevent that this time. Although, I haven't heard any news from there since the first week. Can anyone give my a run-down of what's happening now? There are still protests but are the police still overly militarised? I thought they toned that down when someone else was put in charge.

 

[M&F]

Some promising news: Ferguson police are being investigated by the justice department (and not just over the Michael Brown shooting, either -- they intend to do conduct investigations on the whole department) and whacked by lawsuits.

This absolutely does not mean that the fight is over and won, but it could be a start.