A Few Thoughts about Race Relations in the United States
Given all the trouble with police shootings and subsequent protests & counter-protests, I put together a few quick thoughts on the country's current situation (in no particular order):
1. Every gun death (or other violent death) is a tragedy and
ought to be viewed that way.
2. We have WAY too many tragedies in our country.
3. Most folks jump to conclusions about what happened & why way too
quickly.
4. Folks in law enforcement are typically outstanding people who have a tough job to do.
5. Being uncivil and rude to your fellow humans is rarely if ever helpful.
6. While protests might seem distasteful to many of us, the reality is that most hard changes would never have occurred without protest.
7. There are major, systemic problems in many of our African-American communities that don't run parallel to problems in other ethnic/racial groups.
8. The question to ask is not "Do these problems exist?" but rather "Why do these problems exist?" or perhaps better yet "What responsibility do we all have to make things better?"
9. Racism exists. Those who deny it are living a fantasy.
10. Christians ought to be leading the way in building peaceable communities that reflect the self-sacrificing love of Jesus.
(I actually wrote this a week ago. Just now posting it on my blog.)
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