Are You Showing Support for Black Lives Matter in Second Life?

[Beth Macbain]

Rev. Al has me standing up in my living room cheering on a Thursday afternoon during a funeral. 

[FairreLilette]

18 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Yes, thank you for this clarification. Absolutely.

Yes, because that's what all this law enforcement is for mostly...to check for suspected drugs and racial profile people especially for suspected drug related behaviors.   I shared with you the story of the black man thought to be a drug dealer hassled by The Police who turned out to be a professional Drug Counselor.  

It's been a horrible war; a losing war.  But, the drugs are everywhere here albeit perhaps less or more hidden in upper class neighborhoods but it's still "there".  Though others are profiled more than others...it's still drugs everywhere.  I said I was glad marijuana was legalized here though.  As far as other drugs, I don't like them nor think they can offer any benefit to anyone.  But, a drug war, if you know about the Drug War here in Los Angeles, it involves all skin tones.  

I say let's have incentives for better lives beyond the drugs which is one of the biggest problems for Southern California and a big part of racial profiling which can be dangerous to the welfare of others as it's too aggressive towards human beings, especially blacks but others have fallen prey too as once profiled and found with a bit of drugs, it's difficult to get beyond it.   My nephew has add addictive problems.  He lives in another state now where there aren't any drugs except maybe a little bit of homegrown pot.  But, in the greater Los Angeles area, there is every drug imaginable.  I hope this is a start of a better world here for Blacks and for all those who suffer with the disease of addiction.   We need a world beyond drugs and gangs here.  

Edited June 4, 2020 by FairreLilette

[Cindy Evanier]

7 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Rev. Al has me standing up in my living room cheering on a Thursday afternoon during a funeral. 

I am in awe

[Scylla Rhiadra]

"It's time for us to stand up in George's name and say get your knee off our necks.

The reason why we're marching all over the world is we were like George. We couldn't breathe - not because there was something wrong with our lungs, but because you wouldn't take your knee off our neck.

We don't want no favours just get up off of us and we can do and be whatever we can be."

Rev. Al Sharpton

Edited June 4, 2020 by Scylla Rhiadra

[Amina Sopwith]

20 minutes ago, Blake1111Coverdale said:

... et vous seriez l'expert du grand ego parce qu'il faut un grand ego pour en connaître un autre du genre?

Should have stuck with English, it would have sounded punchier. The phrase is "takes one to know one" and it ranks about 500 places below "your mum" on the official First School Playground Insult Index. 

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

[kiramanell]

I wake up from nap, whoa, we're 20 pages further! Then I saw 2 new trolls had arrived, and apparently we're feeding them now.

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

4 minutes ago, kiramanell said:

I wake up from nap, whoa, we're 20 pages further! Then I saw 2 new trolls had arrived, and apparently we're feeding them now.

Nah, we just gave them some lunch and sent them on their way. 

[kiramanell]

Just now, Sylvia Tamalyn said:

Nah, we just gave them some lunch and sent them on their way. 

 

Good, good.  

[Beth Macbain]

White nationalists and/or Russian bots are trying their damnedest to get racist hashtags trending on Twitter.

I don’t know KPop from cornflakes, but I do know Taylor.

Bless the stans, y’all.

[Elena Blossom]

Sorry if I pop up this question and is totally disrespectful. As someone outside the States, supporting any human being's rights no matter the skin or cultural background, what is it with Taylor Swift? I don't understand why her name has been around so much during all this sad situation. Is it because she represents some kind of stereotype?  Thanks for the clarification

Back to Scylla's question: not in SL, since I don't interact too much inworld, and I am not sure I understand the whole dimension of what is going in the States, despite having great friends of different ethnic groups. However, in RL, I do support all humans are equal. We might have different backgrounds, cultures, skin color, sexual orientations, but after all, we are Mother Earth's kids. 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Elena Core

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

1 minute ago, Elena Core said:

Sorry if I pop up this question and is totally disrespectful. As someone outside the States, supporting any human being's rights no matter the skin or cultural background, what is it with Taylor Swift? I don't understand why her name has been around so much during all this sad situation. Is it because she represents some kind of stereotype?  Thanks for the clarification

Back to Scylla's question: not in SL, since I don't interact too much inworld, and I am not sure I understand the whole dimension of what is going in the States, despite having great friends of different ethnics groups. However, in RL, I do support all humans are equal. We might have different backgrounds, cultures, skin color, sexual orientations, but after all, we are Mother Earth's kids. 

Taylor Swift is a hugely popular (and talented) singer/songwriter with a massive following. She is vocal in her support of human rights, and that is big here because she gets attention paid to what she says because of her popularity. Nothing to do with stereotypes as far as I know.   

[Maryanne Solo]

3 hours ago, Aethelwine said:

I feel like my IQ dropped watching that "Youtube expert" on SkyNews. The A symbol in a circle is an anarchist symbol nothing to do with Antifa. Antifa's symbols are flags. Black Block are Black Block not Antifa.

The A symbol is all over punk rock albums and in group names has been for years, it is a part of popular culture.

Honestly, I am astonished how their expert gets even the basics so wrong.

My point is that ALL media are useless.
Social media geniuses & journalists are all incredibly reckless regarding such a sensitive topic.
I wonder by what percentage they have increased the despair, rage & fury of those directly affected  

[kiramanell]

4 minutes ago, Elena Core said:

Sorry if I pop up this question and is totally disrespectful. As someone outside the States, supporting any human being's rights no matter the skin or cultural background, what is it with Taylor Swift? I don't understand why her name has been around so much during all this sad situation. Is it because she represents some kind of stereotype?  Thanks for the clarification.

 

Why, as the man said in Contact,

"You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is Taylor Swift."

😛 

[kiramanell]

3 hours ago, Beth Macbain said:

As for my new best friend Blake, he is a good example of what some of us mean when people throw the ALL LIVES MATTER thing up in response to Black Lives Matter. Often with these people (and absolutely, positively not you, @Gatogateau!), once you peel away a couple layers of the onion, you see their true meaning, just as Blake has displayed here by absolutely losing his marbles. He waved his racist flag, his misogynistic flag, his bigotry flag... all the flags... and they're all giant bright red flags. 

Saying all lives matter is just a small little red flag hiding the fascist flag behind it for far too many people.

 

^^ This post deserves to be quoted integrally, for truth.

[Aethelwine]

7 minutes ago, Maryanne Solo said:

My point is that ALL media are useless.
Social media geniuses & journalists are all incredibly reckless regarding such a sensitive topic.
I wonder by what percentage they have increased the despair, rage & fury of those directly affected  

I understand the frustration, but whilst all media news reports should be treated with some caution and an awareness of bias, there are definitely some better than others.

All is far too much of a generalisation, and I am sure that the way you say it is meant more in the sense of frustration than as an assertion of fact.

I won't go in to detail, because it would be patronising.. but mainstream media tends to be fairly reliable on the basic facts. Where opinions are concerned look for people that speak from authority as academics or scientists on the topic under discussion. A brain surgeon talking on brain surgery is likely to be saying something with authority. When they are talking about something outside their area their authority on the subject dwindles. Check out a few of the facts they state, think for yourself and check for alternative opinions. Judge what they say on your own experience.

 

[Beth Macbain]

28 minutes ago, Elena Core said:

Sorry if I pop up this question and is totally disrespectful. As someone outside the States, supporting any human being's rights no matter the skin or cultural background, what is it with Taylor Swift? I don't understand why her name has been around so much during all this sad situation. Is it because she represents some kind of stereotype?  Thanks for the clarification

She is also white, blonde, and has refused to speak on anything political for years because she thought she had to be the proverbial good girl and stay quiet about such controversial things.

Her silence was taken by the alt right to mean somehow that she supported them... voted for Trump and everything. They plastered her face on their websites. People got angry at her for continuing to stay silent. The truth was that her lawyers were sending cease and desist letters, and suing if necessary.

Still she was silent. I blame her father after seeing his behavior in Miss Americana (a recent documentary) when she was weighing whether or not it was time to use her voice politically.

She grew up. She had black and gay friends (notably the amazing Todrick) telling her their stories and she made up her mind to use her voice even if it cost her a good portion of her fans from her early country music days.

She spoke up loudly. Voter registration shot through the roof. Trump snarled about her. She laughed at him. 

I adore her and I think my adoration may have rubbed off on some people here and posting the memes became sort of a joke.

Now her enormous fan base are registered to vote, and mobilizing to shut down racists on Twitter.

That’s only a small part of the really incredible good she’s done in the last couple of years, but I’ll spare you the details on all that!

Also, her songs are all total bops.

[FairreLilette]

I am very frustrated with the media myself which is in response to Maryanne's post above.  It's been not enough important information plus no follow through.

I am very frustrated because now I fear the wave of coronavirus may be upon us soon now due to lax social distancing measures and I hope, that if a wave does happen, we can help whomever needs help to get through COVID-19 and recover as reports are out now from Britain saying it's an illness which could last months.  

I will copy/paste the report just out from Britain in the COVID-19 thread.  

Sorry, OFF TOPIC...continue with your discussion.  

But, I think it's time to get prepared.  

Edited June 4, 2020 by FairreLilette

[Aethelwine]

9 hours ago, Derek Torvalar said:

ETA Terms like this one, for Aethelwine.

https://newdiscourses.com/tftw-antiracism/

Whilst the website looks nice, the use of pejoratives throughout its discussions detracts from any argument they are making.

It seems just to be a new flavour of the old "cultural marxism" conspiracy theory that used to be popular back 20 years or so ago. The sites rhetoric appeals to conservative anti-intellectualism, and self interest rather than logic, or any engagement with wider experiences. Critical Race Theory, is an interesting topic and one reason it is so widely studied at Universities and Colleges. It isn't a bogey man to be afraid of.

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Aethelwine

[Janet Voxel]

Story time! Who wants to hear a story?

A few years ago, before I got married, I was dating a guy. It was a nice spring day, much like this one. The sun was going down, we're walking down the street, holding hands, it was very scenic. He was taking pictures of me with a digital camera, it was just a good time. We get to a corner, three police cars box us in, the officers jump out with their guns drawn. I throw my hands up, obviously confused. He throws his hands up but he has a silver camera strapped to his hand and a cell phone, this is a problem. He was trying to be calm, I remember him saying "There's a camera strapped to my hand. Its just a camera, but I can't drop it." That's when I realized how much more serious this was and could potentially get much worse. The police officers are screaming, I started crying. He lets go of the camera. It falls out of his hand and is dangling there, strapped to his wrist. His phone clatters to the sidewalk. I remember that moment because all of the police officers audibly gasped. I thought he was going to get shot. 

They rush him, throw him up against the wall, pat him down and cuff him. At this point I'm crying hysterically, saying "What's going on? What did he do?" They tell me to step back, they put him in a squad car and drive off. Now I'm standing there, confused, angry, hurt, sad...all at the same time. Everything happened so fast, I really didn't know what to do. I couldn't call him, his phone was on the ground broken. Should I go to the police station? Which one? How was I getting home? He was my ride. How was I going to get home? Was I dating a criminal?

I decide to get his phone and take a cab to the nearest precinct. As I get the the main street, I see him walking up the street...free. He tells me what happened: They throw him in the cop car and ask him what he was doing. He tells them he was on a date and walking down the street with his girlfriend. They ask him what was on the camera, he tells them "Pictures of my girlfriend." They ask, "Mind if we take a look?" He says sure go ahead. They look through his camera, there's pictures of me from that afternoon and his kids (he was an elementary school teacher). The younger cop says, "I...don't think its him." The older cop says..."Lets just see to make sure." They pull into a gas station, pull him out of the car. "Is this him?" The gas station attendant says "....No." They uncuff him and offer him a ride back. He declined and walks back to me.

This was a true story and any sane person can see all of the things wrong with what happened. This is a reality for some people in this country, not just some times....every day. Imagine if he got shot? Imagine the gas station attendant said it WAS him? They drew guns then questioned him. Life. Every.Day.

[kali Wylder]

1 hour ago, Elena Core said:

Sorry if I pop up this question and is totally disrespectful. As someone outside the States, supporting any human being's rights no matter the skin or cultural background, what is it with Taylor Swift? I don't understand why her name has been around so much during all this sad situation. Is it because she represents some kind of stereotype?  Thanks for the clarification

Back to Scylla's question: not in SL, since I don't interact too much inworld, and I am not sure I understand the whole dimension of what is going in the States, despite having great friends of different ethnic groups. However, in RL, I do support all humans are equal. We might have different backgrounds, cultures, skin color, sexual orientations, but after all, we are Mother Earth's kids. 

Don't feel bad, I had no idea who she was before either.  I'm learning more all the time.  Still haven't actually listened to her sing, but that's ok, I'm not particularly fond of country music.

Edited June 4, 2020 by kali Wylder

[Amina Sopwith]

@Janet Voxel, I'm so sorry you both had to go through that and the worst thing is that while you were obviously shocked, you weren't surprised.

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

14 minutes ago, Janet Voxel said:

This was a true story and any sane person can see all of the things wrong with what happened. This is a reality for some people in this country, not just some times....every day. Imagine if he got shot? Imagine the gas station attendant said it WAS him? They drew guns then questioned him. Life. Every.Day.

Thank you for sharing this with us. THIS is truth and it needs to be acknowledged.

[Janet Voxel]

13 minutes ago, Amina Sopwith said:

@Janet Voxel, I'm so sorry you both had to go through that and the worst thing is that while you were obviously shocked, you weren't surprised.

How do you explain something like that. I was surprised and not surprised at the same time. I was aware, that things like that happened in the south or like in Los Angeles. I didn't think it happened everywhere. Naive me, being from another country, thinking I'd never see something like that in person.

[Gatogateau]

32 minutes ago, Janet Voxel said:

Story time! Who wants to hear a story?

A few years ago, before I got married, I was dating a guy. It was a nice spring day, much like this one. The sun was going down, we're walking down the street, holding hands, it was very scenic. He was taking pictures of me with a digital camera, it was just a good time. We get to a corner, three police cars box us in, the officers jump out with their guns drawn. I throw my hands up, obviously confused. He throws his hands up but he has a silver camera strapped to his hand and a cell phone, this is a problem. He was trying to be calm, I remember him saying "There's a camera strapped to my hand. Its just a camera, but I can't drop it." That's when I realized how much more serious this was and could potentially get much worse. The police officers are screaming, I started crying. He lets go of the camera. It falls out of his hand and is dangling there, strapped to his wrist. His phone clatters to the sidewalk. I remember that moment because all of the police officers audibly gasped. I thought he was going to get shot. 

They rush him, throw him up against the wall, pat him down and cuff him. At this point I'm crying hysterically, saying "What's going on? What did he do?" They tell me to step back, they put him in a squad car and drive off. Now I'm standing there, confused, angry, hurt, sad...all at the same time. Everything happened so fast, I really didn't know what to do. I couldn't call him, his phone was on the ground broken. Should I go to the police station? Which one? How was I getting home? He was my ride. How was I going to get home? Was I dating a criminal?

I decide to get his phone and take a cab to the nearest precinct. As I get the the main street, I see him walking up the street...free. He tells me what happened: They throw him in the cop car and ask him what he was doing. He tells them he was on a date and walking down the street with his girlfriend. They ask him what was on the camera, he tells them "Pictures of my girlfriend." They ask, "Mind if we take a look?" He says sure go ahead. They look through his camera, there's pictures of me from that afternoon and his kids (he was an elementary school teacher). The younger cop says, "I...don't think its him." The older cop says..."Lets just see to make sure." They pull into a gas station, pull him out of the car. "Is this him?" The gas station attendant says "....No." They uncuff him and offer him a ride back. He declined and walks back to me.

This was a true story and any sane person can see all of the things wrong with what happened. This is a reality for some people in this country, not just some times....every day. Imagine if he got shot? Imagine the gas station attendant said it WAS him? They drew guns then questioned him. Life. Every.Day.

This is what *we* (people not experiencing this daily) need to hear. And we need to hear it from people we kinda know. Like, I recognize Janet, sort of. She posts on the Forum and she's nice. Just another person, but one that I have a fleeting knowledge of. I *have* heard stories like this before, but NOT from someone I kinda know. And that just makes the stories more powerful. I can't even imagine, nor can most here, would be my guess.

The closest I come was a trip to Ireland. We were in Northern Ireland and crossing the border to the Republic. My husband was driving and really screwed up at this major border crossing, that wasn't a line but several blocks through a military camp. We were abruptly stopped and had the biggest effing guns pointed at us. We were questioned. Our luggage gone through. We were sent ahead and 20 feet later had the same thing. We were scared beyond belief. I have never had a gun pointed at me before or since. It still freaks me out. Afterward, when we were on the other side, my husband just had to stop the car and he shook and shook, and I cried. We wondered what it would be like growing up where armed soldiers were roaming all the time.

I repeat that, not to draw away from your story, Janet, but to say, even with that ONE situation I was shaken and it is still a vivid memory. To grow up that way? To live that way. Daily? To want to teach your kids that the police are who you go to for help, but instead also have to warn them of the 20 Steps to Not Get Shot by a Cop?

So, I'm crying at your story. I'm picturing this happening to Janet the avatar, but I know it was you in RL.

Thank you. 

This is why I was hoping to hear more stories instead of a bunch of people with no experience yammer on.

:::hug:::

I know it must seem hopeless at times, like things are never going to change, and what can one person do? I feel the same way. I wish there were some way to meet in the middle and have this crap fixed.

Edited June 4, 2020 by Gatogateau
grammar tweaks