There are people throughout our nation that struggle with obtaining justice for important issues that strike at the heart of who we are as a nation. We are a free people with free will and as long as we are doing positive things, as strategic course, should not be subject to the racial, religious, and hate based behaviors of others. Furthermore, as a society we have a responsibility to create an environment where we maximize our human capital through wise leadership and even wiser use of institutions.
The justice protests have settle down for the time being and all is well now right? At least it looks that way on the surface. I'm not for or against the protest so much as I see them as a feedback loop (A feedback loop for organizational improvement) so I try and maintain objectivity about them. National stability relies on our ability to recognize the message of the protesters while understanding positive benefits policing can/does bring to our communities to find the best path forward. In other words, I 'm a rational human being who can weigh and balance different complex arguments to come to a divergent conclusion that blends the different "truths" (I'm open to the possibility of being wrong and that is my greatest asset. However, based on what I understand and how I construct my logic we have a bigger issue that needs to be addressed.🤷)
Of course a conclusion is open to debate depending on our personal values (For 97% of society they rely on others to tell them what they believe....they just don't know it!💁) and the process of evaluation we go through. For the vast majority of us, we simply accept what is told to us and promote it without critical thinking. However, even when there is room for a debate about technical action there should be little debate on the fundamental Constitutional rights of American citizens (Those who are not protecting these rights should not be in a position of leadership as its a social contract that holds everything together.).
A free pass for hate and hate groups is dangerous as it sends the message there are different legal systems at work for different people (We don't want a system that is highly dependent on social status, ethnic affiliation, religion because it can't be successfully exported to others as a philosophical value system and it limits us from our full potential.). As many of you know, my children and I became targets for an ex mediocre sports group that was commanded by their central leadership to "get the Muslims". Worse, some have lovingly called my kids "nigga babies" and treated them as poor second class citizens that were all to easy to manipulate and discard.
Going further, because the group leadership had something to gain and fostered through dating and personal friendships social connections with local officers that made it easier to manipulate an environment (Deep down I believe that a few were unwilling participants but their voice didn't come through.). In the end, they were not successful because a couple of checks and balances were implemented that couldn't be ignored or sideswiped in distorted logic (In other words, the inappropriate logical chain they used to justify a conclusion prior to knowing the "facts" was broken using information that couldn't be ignored through selective attention.)
What I have advocated for is mental health check on the initiators of hate and followed up ongoing counseling. The initiators have problems they don't want to deal with and instead of "manning" up (could be for men or women in this context) and dealing with their problems they projected their dysfunction onto others. (Lots of bravado in this group but very few real characteristics of advanced development. Because the group formation is distorted there are few appropriate outside anchors to their thinking. You can see the after effects of cultism when participating members support the distortion that the initiators are "victims". A very simple article on Narcissism)
With hope of creating some good karma and positive outcomes I also encouraged more training for officers involved (As a social correction and a skill development mechanism. From a scientific perspective you will be more accurate and effective in tackling problems/crimes when you can see all the factors involved). Training on critical thinking, appropriate investigative methods, insulation from hate group/extremist members, and a general improvement to the practice of policing (They have an important function in society and I support them, the officers, and their ultimate societal goal. Support also means encouraging positive change where it is most likely to help officers be more successful.). There are ways to get "bad guys/gals" while taking the time to fact check to ensure accuracy.
Notice that despite the personal danger that I have undertaken and the desire to protect my family I am advocating for 1. mental health to deal with the root problems of aggression and 2.) improving policing to ensure it functions at its best without being sidelined by erroneous logic (Should always seek ultimate truth). These would normally be considered a sign of wisdom and an attempt to take a lot of lemons and turn them into sweet lemonade to improve the community (To the ignorant its just another sign of "boogie man".).
However, there is a difference between lemonade and free pass that lacks a level of accountability. These were dangerous behaviors that could have gotten people killed and/or hurt people in the community; the dangers to everyone involved heightened. It also uncovered a lot of other hidden problems/latent variables between this group and their supporters. At the end of the day a "free pass" is not really a free pass. Its just delaying and empowering the mechanisms that are likely going to require a bigger national correction later (Adjustments in collective conscious...through integration of new ways of viewing the world).
While we haven't come up with a perfect way to deal with extremism in this country we should be open to the possibility of other explanations. If we were to solve aggression and extremism we must 1. understand it and 2. resolve its social root by helping those who initiate it......through the use of stronger mental health support (mental health is also another place we need improvement.). I don't pretend to know the answers, and so far it seems like everyone else has all the answers, so I humbly bring forward what seems to make sense from my small corner of the world (I get it...I'm a Muslim-Catholic with Black-Arab-White kids....I'm not expected to know much?.....also called implicit bias. In reflection, I have not had to change away from my prosocial resolution suggestions since the whole mess started to unfold in real time because I said what I saw and understood. When logic is internally consistent it has a much higher likelihood of being true. 😬).
"Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership." Colin Powell
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