thependulumswings

We’ve had more than a few requests to lighten up our subject matter recently.  We hear you.  We’d love to.

America needs to find a way to lighten up as well.  America doesn’t hear you.  Not yet.  We’d love for it to be able to do so.

Sadly, we continue into week three with violence against property, civilians, and police officers.  The dialogue that begins around a white Minneapolis police officer killing a black man has metastasized from excessive police force against African Americans to white privilege, inequality, reparations, it’s Trump’s fault, and everywhere in between.   It’s lit a mental fire and in some cases a physical fire around the globe.

We have a series of sentences written as one comment, sparked by a recent column of ours and subsequent comments made about it, below.    We applaud the writer, who is an avid reader of ours, for taking the time to write it.  The points articulated are important to the writer and cut closer and closer to the core.  If they make you feel uncomfortable it might be why the protest side won’t ease up.  It seems like they have had it.  And they want to be heard.  They should be.   And, many who look down their nose at the protests turned violent have had it as well.

BBR won’t cure what ails us today.  We won’t cure cancer tomorrow either.  But we all should always try our best.    After all, we feel like in all of what we have read or heard, to stop talking now would produce more of the same outcomes of the past.  The present voices don’t want that.  We understand that.  What we don’t understand is some of the logic and feelings that got us to ground zero.  Our attempt at an honest and direct rebuttal follows in italics. 

1,000 people were killed by police last year, of that 24% of those were blacks despite making up 13% of the population. What percent deserved to die regardless of color?  While this stat is presumed accurate it’s a slippery slope comparison.  What percent of the crimes committed in America were perpetrated by blacks?  We’ve seen a report that shows 44% of the murders were, as one example.  And over 80% of those were by black men.  Black men make up 6% of the total population.  So if we extrapolate, about 34% of murders in this country are committed by 6% of its population. That’s five times, and nearly six times, more murder than its representative population.    

Being black in America is considered a crime when it comes to law enforcement and the preconceived views and treatment afforded to them.  We don’t doubt that.  A thorough examination of police behavior would be applauded by many.  Ask any white or Latino how they feel about interacting with police officers.  It’s a broken relationship.  The “probable cause” laws should be thoroughly reexamined now, then reformed.  But, you can’t sweep George Floyd’s LONG rap sheet under the rug either.  IN NO WAY DID HE DESERVE TO DIE, but he put himself into a bad spot many, many times. We know that and he surely did too. The best way to avoid bad outcomes at the hand of the law is to follow the law.  He wasn’t following it this time either.

The fact that you don’t feel you have white privilege or have never benefited from white privileged is exactly the problem. This is unfortunate.  We now have the blame game pointing fingers at successful people when the problem might be what we aren’t doing to provide equal footing to all.  It feels like white people only succeed because they are white.  We should somehow all feel guilty about their success.  That’s a tough sell. 

You grew up in an America that opens doors to white privileged males like yourself which is why you view it through your white lens.  You’re white and you can’t see what I’m saying.  But, I’m white and I can.  I’m more open-minded than you.  Maybe.  Or maybe we just don’t see it the same.   

Loans, schooling acceptance, professors, business applications, clients, the list is endless. Some statistical proof here might help with this endless list. We don’t dismiss the claim, just wonder it’s pervasiveness.  Professors?  Doubtful.   It makes you wonder why Elizabeth Warren felt the need to check the Native American box on her college app though. 

Those that don’t see themselves as white privilege or view their success purely as a product of “hard work” do it because it serves them not to see it. Or, not.  Maybe they are proud and should be.  Throwing all successful whites into one bucket seems a bit prejudiced to us.  Success stories that started from the ground up while overcoming huge odds are plentiful. 

We come to feel entitled to that advantage.  Or, they took advantage of every resource available to them and we should ensure that all have the same.  Thankful could be inserted for entitled as well.  

We’re told that we deserve it and that we earned it, and we take great umbrage when that is challenged. We should help those below, not tear down those above.  Capitalism is the greatest economic driver in the world.  America leads, it doesn’t follow.  Rugged individualism never should go out of style.  We should help more see the way.

Sadly many including yourself seem threatened by this idea you made it where you are in life by anything besides “hard work privilege.” Hard work doesn’t see color. It sees success. 

Congrats on leading your business in a way that looks at talent first. We can’t follow why someone wouldn’t look at the talent first regardless of gender, race, creed, etc.  There are success stories everywhere because of it. 

Ask that diverse workforce their honest thoughts on white privilege In America and maybe that will open your eyes more than I can on how you have benefited because you are white.  It seems like that’s exactly what many have been asking these last two, now going on three, weeks.  Otherwise, it seems like we’ve wasted a lot of spray paint, rocks, tear gas, bullets, matches, and businesses.  And, we’ve cut short a few innocent lives too.  

That ends the rebuttal to the comments.  We’re listening here at BBR.  We want to continue to learn.

Regretfully we feel like the sales pitch is falling on ears that wanted to listen but are now turning deaf once again.  One reason?  In a world where everyone is a word policeman and are offended and outraged all of the time, we offer one more offensive one.

It’s “white privilege.”

It seems like an impossible sale.

We hope to lighten up tomorrow.  Every American deserves that opportunity.