Red Mosquito

End the war on drugs. Make sure that all poor women have long acting reproductive contraception available to them at no or little charge. Make sure that any child below a certain income level is taught to read via phonics, rather than via the whole word method. I know that sounds wonky. That is huge. But, because it's kind of undramatic and doesn't have the air of anti-racism about it, nobody wants to talk about it. Then, cherish and support vocational training. Get rid of the idea that to be a human being you have to go to 4 years of school where you pretend to enjoy Shakespeare. Very important. I know so many young black men who are electricians or repairmen making more money than I made until rather late in my life. That should be taught now. If you did just those 4 things, we would be in a new world.

Bi_3 wrote:

Rob wrote:

Bi_3 wrote: Cops are not going out there to kill black citizens or anyone. It's extremely rare, but highly sensationalized, so it gives the impression of being a systemic issue. Again, according to the DOJ, in 2015 there were 53,000,000 police contacts and 1,000 deaths. Cops are not a death threat to anyone.

These stats are distinct from the historical use of police violence to control black citizens and the resulting culture of distrust in the police and law enforcement institutions. That is very real and still exists in many places today in the form biased policing and brutality... but the idea that cops are out there murdering black people (or really, anyone) is anecdotal and not backed up by reality.

How do we make sure that this bias & brutality is dealt with if we don't make it known as loudly & clearly as possible? Are we gonna post facts on community forums and stand silently off the side of the road and hold signs up? I don't think that plan will work. It's not sensationalism to the people today who live it. It's about time.

I don't know, but I would start with these two:

1.) Reparations. The average difference in lifetime earnings between white and black people is around $100K, so give each non-immigrant citizen who identifies as black a $10k/year tax credit for ten years in a row. This would make it far more affordable than a multi-trillion chunk at once. For those who aren't old enough to file, the credit starts after their first filing. Have a eligibility cut-off of 12 months after the law passes to cover pregnant women.

2.) Trigger warning: Gentrification. Lead (Pb) is still a major problem for black communities and it's effects are easily measurable. The government should set a goal of the country being lead-free by 2040 through rebuilding and renovating existing residential structures and incentive new businesses to move in.

BurtReynolds wrote:It's interesting to compare Western and Asian attitudes on this stuff. I wonder which wins out in the long run, though it's hard to argue who's power is ascendant.

And reparations won't solve anything.

wease wrote:

BurtReynolds wrote:It's interesting to compare Western and Asian attitudes on this stuff. I wonder which wins out in the long run, though it's hard to argue who's power is ascendant.

And reparations won't solve anything.

*whose

Bi_3 wrote:

wease wrote:

BurtReynolds wrote:It's interesting to compare Western and Asian attitudes on this stuff. I wonder which wins out in the long run, though it's hard to argue who's power is ascendant.

And reparations won't solve anything.

*whose

Hu's

Mickey wrote:Burt is correct that reparations will not solve inequality but I suspect his reasons for thinking this are wrong.

Bi_3 wrote:

Mickey wrote:Burt is correct that reparations will not solve inequality but I suspect his reasons for thinking this are wrong.

As you well know, they are not intended to.

Mickey wrote:Burt is correct that reparations will not solve inequality but I suspect his reasons for thinking this are wrong.

tragabigzanda wrote:

verb_to_trust wrote:Be honest, none of you guys knew what the fuck Juneteenth was until like a week ago.

I'll cop to it.