Beth Macbain

Sure they have! They're generally railing against the brutality of the government itself, but definitely include the police forces in that in a big way. We call them Militias and they're generally listed as hate groups.

I had wondered why you switched to a white avatar, but I've known several black women in SL that use a white avatar so I didn't question it.

Nope... not the person I've gotten to know. ❤️

Sweetest thing I've seen today (and I watched baby kitten videos this morning)! Congratulations!

That's exactly it, and she's still who I see in my mind when I picture you.

I understand it, too. I know a lot of people have seen this photo of the line of white women linking arms to shield the protesters from the police here in Louisville, and it's awesome, but it wasn't something that happened naturally. There was a black woman out in front yelling for all the white people in the crowd to come to the front - it was just a coincidence that it ended up being mostly women, and those women are being held up as heroes but no one is talking about the black woman that made it happen. I know the protesters are happy to have their white allies marching with them. I've seen the thank yous. At George Floyd's memorial yesterday, Rev. Al talked about the difference between the protests today and the protests in the 60s because this time the black community isn't alone in their fight. Right now, all I can do is donate some cash because if I tried to join the protests I'd collapse after like 50 yards and end up looking like a pitiful sweaty pale whale flopping around on the asphalt and nobody needs to see that. My point, though, and I do have one, is that in trying to figure out what the best thing to do is, I've decided to just listen to the black woman in the front, whoever she may be.

She can be whatever she wants to be! I just meant that I thought she was a cute little black kitten but she's really more of a cute little white kitten. I love all kittens. Kitten lives matter.

Confession time! Up until this thread started, I thought you were black. I never bothered to ask because I don't particularly care, but I was taken aback for a moment when I realized you're white. I was really looking forward to having some intelligent, in-depth discussions with you about growing up in America as a black woman, so I'm really kind of disappointed. 😋

Er... I don't know any other way to say this, but... How are you feeling today?

I do ask myself that. The problem with it is that I'm usually dancing with someone else when this particular dance partner cuts in. To stop the dance, I would have to leave the forums and I'm just not going to be bullied away by an unwanted dance partner with two left feet.

I think we have the real actual bullies of the Fraternal Order of Police to thank for this kind of bull feces. The cops who control the unions are exactly the kind of cops who shouldn't have power over anything. A good cop that wants to run for office and make reforms, or even tries to blow the whistle on bad cops, gets that treatment from other cops on the orders of the ones currently in charge. They get iced out, backup doesn't show up, anonymous complaints to their supervisors... If any of you have Hulu, watch the documentary called Crime + Punishment about whistleblowers in the NYPD. It's absolutely infuriating. It's not really about the FOP, but more of terrible leadership allowing the bad cops to continue being bad cops, and no one can stop anything because behind them all stands the FOP padding the mayor's pockets, and the prosecutors pockets, and the judges pockets... Let all 57 BERTs walk... all the way to that cushy Paul Blart mall security job waiting for them.

Forums 2020 Poster A - I think bananas are shaped like watermelons. Poster B - No, they're shaped like bananas. Here's the proof. (Presents a series of graphs, charts, photos, videos, and banana experts showing that bananas are shaped like bananas. Poster A - I don't care, I think bananas are shaped like watermelons and I'll die on this hill. Poster B - Okay, that's your opinion but generally bananas are shaped like bananas. Poster C - I agree, bananas are shaped like bananas. Poster D - Yes, bananas are shaped like bananas. Poster E - Poster A is allowed to have her opinion that bananas are shaped like watermelons and you're all a bunch of bullies for saying she is wrong and that bananas are shaped like bananas! Posters B, C, and D - Well, I mean... bananas ARE shaped like bananas. Poster E - See? You're all terrible bullies and EVIL! Posters B, C, and D - Seriously, just stop. Poster E - You can't tell me what to say, you big evil bullies. I can say you're bullies and there's nothing you can do about it! Posters B, C, and D - sigh Poster A - I Just wanted to talk about banana shapes. I think I should leave. Poster E - See? Bullies! YOU made her leave! Posters B, C, and D - Well, actually... Poster E - No! It was YOU! I had no part in this! You, you, and you are evil bad bullies and I said so! Poster L(inden) - Closes thread. Posters F through Z - Why can't everyone just behave and get along:?! Poster A(lias) - I think watermelons are shaped like bananas. Poster E - YAS GIRL! You speak your truth! Poster Q wanders in from the Land Forums: What? Bananas are shaped like bananas. Poster E rubs her hands together. Rinse, repeat, ad infinitum.

I have nothing really worthwhile to add to this other than I have a herd of Teegle horses that all look very different, and when I first looked at the title of this thread, I read it as "Amish Horses", so thanks, @Gatogateau! 😋

To put this in some perspective, the LAPD budget was $1.86 billion and was cut down to a meager $1.76 billion., and that doesn't include the LA Sheriff's Department with a budget of $3.5 billion, or the California Highway Patrol budget of $2.18 billion, or the budgets of the other 43 unique police departments within LA County, and no, those are not cities outside of LA. It's cities like Beverly Hills, and Burbank, and Glendale, and Inglewood, and Santa Monica. Los Angeles has absolutely terrible problems with racism, bigotry, and misogyny. Not only is it the hub of the entertainment industry, but also the hub of the pornography industry - both absolutely chock full of racism, bigotry, misogyny, and other horrible things, but none of that compares to the LAPD whose budget was barely scratched. LA police search black drivers most – even though white people have more drugs, report finds Or the LA Sheriff's Department who do things like this: Los Angeles officers shot at Ryan Twyman 34 times. He was one of four they killed that day. Fairre, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you see Los Angeles through rose colored glasses. Your reality is not the reality for the black, Latinx, or Asian communities in Los Angeles.

This is my city and I have a lot to say about this tragedy, but I'm going to hold it in. There's more to this story, though. The police and National Guard were in the wrong here, and I believe the officers will be fired once the investigation is over, but it's a lot more complicated than it seems on the face of it.

Did you see the video? They were actually Mennonite, but it's understandable to get them confused if you don't live around either.

I literally cannot even.

I love this! It even makes me want to see the movie! (I have no idea what the movie is...)

To be fair, though... my mom died of colon cancer and when I see the wave of pink every year, I find myself wishing that we did as much work to educate people on the importance of colonoscopies as we do mammograms.

Hey @Ashlyn Voir - Thank you. Not only do I understand you better now, I actually think I like you, too. Use that voice! You have a story to tell and it deserves to be heard not just on these forums, but everywhere. Same for @Janet Voxel and @Nadia Chatterbox. Thank you for sharing a chapter of your stories with us. @Talligurl - No one is saying that the police aren't brutal in general, but they way they treat black people is far and away different from how they treat white people. I'm 50 years old, white, middle-class, as bland as oatmeal. I am the generic white woman. I've done some shiz, though. I've broken laws a'plenty in my day. Been caught by the police doing them, too. I've done things that the police have caught me dead-to-rights doing that I've thought about after I sobered up (I don't drink like that anymore) and realized I should have been locked up without question. Guess what, though? I've never even received a ticket outside of a warning for expired tags. I've had cops hand my keys back to me and watch me drive off knowing damn good and well that I was absolutely, positively out of my mind drunk. I'm not proud - I'm utterly ashamed of things I did. Not once have I ever even been in a position where I even had the chance to resist arrest - a cop has never put their hands on me. If I were black, those cops would not have treated me the same. My life would have been destroyed. I'd have been locked up, probably had (deserved) felony DUIs, I wouldn't be able to hold the job I do now, I wouldn't be living where I do now, I sure as hell wouldn't be making the money I do now. This nice, cushy suburban life I have would have been something entirely different if I were black. It's that simple. I spent a couple hours this morning in a massive Zoom meeting listening to my black coworkers tell their stories. Educated, affluent black people who have had pretty much the same sort of family and economic upbringing I had - and they get harassed by the police all. the. time. Not to mention, as Ashlyn said, being followed in stores, having white folks cross the street to avoid them, women clutching their purses when they pass, locking car doors when they walk by... the list is endless. I've never had a person be scared of me based on the way I look - the color of my skin. The entire system in the US has been designed to benefit white men. Read up on the ways banking and housing policies and laws were built to keep black people segregated (no, it hasn't ended) and poor. The US is designed to benefit the white man at the expense of the black man. That's not opinion. That's just facts - that's just history. It is what it is, and it is time to change it - past time to change it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!🎂🎁🎈🎊🎉

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.

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.