Once hate get debunked and the initial wave of aggression has dissipated we are still level with the aftermath and a need for a path forward. Now, I can say the department involved should reform, they should not take direction from their social leaders, the semi-cultic sports group that got themselves involved and a few local institutions (i.e. local college hiring practices and some members of a local law enforcement group) made choices about who could live and work in their town (Forgetting that we have family that extend almost back to the beginning. That is often how hate works. It just sort of discounts everything about people, their rights, their contributions, their essence of existence simply because they can do so with group support; distorted group support but it is what it is. See 39% Confidence Police Training. Before you get upset, I support police 100% but civil rights 110% because that is what our core values lay. Do the right thing and no issue. Do the wrong thing and people sort of know it regardless of how many times we let it slide. I want police to be the best at catching criminals and the best at protecting people {all Americans}. )
Sure, in the end it didn't pan out the way it was coordinated and planned. However, that doesn't mean the problems went away just because it didn't get someone hurt (Some of the members still seem to have an issue. Most now are silent. Its actually sad because I think we are good people and they caused an issue with us when they didn't need to have any issues. None of it has anything to do with them. A kind of proper more evidence based perspective of inappropriate behaviors.). The glaring issues are under the surface temporarily and not necessarily overt for the majority. In many ways without "checking" these factors they will rear their head again when the lessons are forgotten and a member feels jealous, has a racial superiority complex, or the local system defaults in their good old boy favor and flavor.
Without change the problems will sort of stay there lingering in the background in subtle but still important ways. Once they break that sense of security by their aggressive and coordinated behaviors that could have easily got someone hurt, there is an imperative to ensure they never do this again to anyone else (Regardless of how important being a mediocre player is. P.S. I'm not the first person this group went after.). It wasn't their right to do it the first time, it wont be their right to do it next time (The lack of local checks and balances is in some ways appears purposely created and I sometimes wonder if there is more to this story I'm not aware. 🤔)
(My sentiments don't apply to those outside the local system as they still maintain some sense of American values and spirit. It also doesn't apply to every system within the locality. It is just a few systems with good old boy leadership that works in favor of their clan/network/embedded group. Not everyone shares the same image of a free nation. It just depends on who you take as your group and where your loyalties lay.)
(As a key point. It wasn't them that avoided violence. Some of these members were pushing for it. It was the targets who maintained the ability to defend themselves but also chose a path of enlightenment {It doesn't mean I'm enlightened It means I took a step toward the greater.}. The path that seeks to understand and find solutions. Local corruption doesn't have the right to turn a blind eye and walk away in future hopes they can find a victim/minority less willing to stand up to them. There are people in key positions who are likely to act again because they can hide behind through the "legitimacy of numbers".)
These issues will continue to bubble up until we find a strong solution as a people and as a nation. This isn't an isolated incident but represents what may be occurring in many other places. Solving problems like this before they become bigger problems is very important. We have seen on a societal level what happens when toxic personalities go unchallenged.
That being said, its seem like we are moving into a post hate period. Its not over, its just out of the light now and buried in two society affairs. This group is still huddled in their little corner because they want to be liked by their members/friends and that means upholding the unwritten rules of clan leadership (in some ways mixed with sports culture and sports group. Cults are often market by their all encompassing nature of people's lives and thoughts. They are a type of slave to group distortions but they are not going to see it that way.) While most of the members are very good people it is the toxic souls that derail the group and in turn prevent them from being open to the majority of Americans who don't look, act, worship or think like them (Actually they are a little of an ideological-culture sort of left over from old 70-80's cultural assumptions. A little like the movie Grease)
My plan is to help my community, be open and engaging, and be able to accept apologies when they are warranted. I will push for inclusion of my minority family in the centrality of local affairs and I will ensure that despite the many generations in the area they are not cleansed out based on racial and religious concerns (No doubt some of the members will block me/us because they have already discarded families like mine as less worthy. Do I look like I care what their opinion is? I know where it comes from and I know historically I'm likely to be seen as more accurate then those who are doing the blocking. P.S. why a local college shouldn't hire their friends and reject others based on bigotry and bullying.) So my job is a pretty big one. I think I'm doing pretty good at it considering. Furthermore, I believe this is necessary to restore the community to full social, sport, and economic health.
Can I sell the need for an inclusive universal society where all Americans have value? Not all of that is up to me. What I can do is unabashedly say what I think and encourage people to be similarly motivated to build a great community and country. Its about our central American values of freedom rising above the rhetoric and ensuring its not subjectively banking in the favor of a few.
Will I be successful? My goal is to make a positive stamp and contribution on my local community in a way that leads to longer lasting community resilience economically and socially. Let us create opportunity as the best way to mute hate and overcome the bigotries that likely in some ways limited opportunity for local residents for a long time (Look at the economic, local, demographic and other metrics to see the broader perspective over the past 20+ years.).
As MLK said, "Learn Baby Learn" and "Build baby build! President Reagan, and back then Congress, believed in these values. Not sure what is being discussed at the top today but hopefully the positive past and positive future is more important than the negative past and negative future. In my experience, there are fundamental differences between lip service and thoughtfulness. We are born free and should ensure there are no systems that block that or deter that in anyway. When something is wrong let us study it, brainstorm, fix, and thrive. That is how you build great towns and great nations. Regardless if you were on the receiving or on the giving end of hate we are in this boat together and we should learn to get along or its going to be a long and miserable trip (Metaphorically thinking).
(P.S. when I say clan do not be confused that I have an issue with most members. Most are really great people but they do follow their leadership blindly and they do have some racial and religious overtones which pushes some of them to act in uncivilized ways. What concerned me was not just the aggression but also the inability to manage their own group and the exclusionary way in which they treat people they don't know well or have no reason to be rude too. Those are legitimate concerns that no law can truly legislate. We can ignore it, we can silence it, but you can't change it without honest conversation.)
"[T]he Internet functions as an amplifier: It increases our potential for good and productive work as well as for inappropriate and immoral endeavors . . . Ultimately, a technology is only as useful as the intentions of its users." (Banschick & Banschick, 2003, p. 161)
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