WORDS: 746 — Let’s face it, “white supremacy” is in the moment but all this culminates into is the same old racial, and religious hatred since the country’s founding. Oddly, when you think of the old adage, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink it” as describing a problem of missed opportunity…apparently you can spout racial hatred and people are willing to drink from that cup of anti-human behavior… or be convinced to “drink the Kool-Aid”. So then I ask, why is that? What makes some 18 year old be seduced by racial hatred to the point that he meticulously plans an assault on a grocery store with the only goal of killing people of a different color, and carries it out?
Those who bother to read my posts might find a common thread… I tend to prefer that solutions to human problems come from addressing human decision-making rather than the usual attempts to control the actions themselves made from their decisions. It’s like my recent posts on abortion… we tend to make laws governing the action of performing the deed when I tend to favor trying to affect the decision that led to the action. Trying to control human action through a litany of laws and court decisions runs dangerously close to affecting our freedoms in general. We, as a society, tend to make such laws with complex legal language.. with years of debate. Yet understandably I can concede that it’s far easier and far quicker to see some level of result (or not) to feed to the public from prohibiting an action than create a social program, equally administered, to influence the decision-making process before the action is taken.
I have a deep concern that as we in American society do the groping to control our human-instincts-gone-wild with legislation and laws that are invariably going to influence a degradation of our general freedoms. For the moment, Wiki reports…
The United States does not have hate speech laws, since the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that laws criminalizing hate speech violate the guarantee to freedom of speech contained in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
By contrast social media sites have engaged in direct prohibitions in hate content, which is permitted, and growing in support in spite of opposition screaming some sort of loss of free speech. Yet we have “hate crimes” . Of course I believe in principle what those laws intend to cover, those crimes are still the result of following some level of “hate speech”.
I Think It’s All About Critical Thinking.. To Ward Off The Rampant Conformational Bias Governing Our National Divide
In other words, we go back to education. It’s the composite concept of teaching problem solving skills and critical thinking skills. Our “free speech” does NOT equate to “unbiased” speech… or being unbiased until you confirm what you are seeing and/or reading “makes sense”. But wait… is not this all a part of the greater issue… the greater influence gaining ground in America, white nationalism? The vanishing of white America? White replacement theory? One would think the young would be more accepting toward assimilating human racial diversity given the young dominate social media, which crosses all borders. Yet, certainly with this 18 year old shooter in Buffalo, he ended up vulnerable to receiving racial hate to motivate his violence.
I don’t think as a society we have any other choice but to immediately adjust school curriculum to include age appropriate and developmentally appropriate problem solving and critical thinking skills, along with some behavioral concepts. I recall going through elementary school in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s where there was still “Home Economics” being taught, primarily to female students. Not long after us Boomers started school “Home Ec” classes were phased out. Perhaps if we approach some of our social trends in a similar manner. What’s wrong with teaching elementary kids (the higher grades) usage of social media to learn, and source out accurate information?
I hope they just don’t lock up this kid without some honest psych evaluation (beyond just the can-he-stand-trial-and-know-right-from-wrong thing) and behavioral cause & effect on how he got sucked into committing this crime under his own decision making. Was this the failure of his upbringing.. or a combined nature vs. nurture thing?
No need to drag this post out any further for now. Perhaps in the weeks and months ahead we will have more results from the investigation as the trial unfolds.
We have many laws relating to hate speech and hate crime. Some Far-Right political parties and fundamentalist groups like ISIS have been banned here, and it is an arrestable offence to be a member of them. I am in two minds about these laws, as they force the culprits ‘underground’. The hate doesn’t go away because it is illegal. There is some strength in the argument that says to allow them their hate in public, then at least we know who our enemies are.
Best wishes, Pete.
You make a very good point. So far we value freedom of speech to stifle hate speech. But interesting point about if it’s public you can monitor its effects better. And very true also, hate doesn’t just go away when you make a law against it.
Doug,,
I wonder if this kid ever attended a private religious school to learn to believe in the commandandment though shalt not kill.
Regards and goodwill blogging.
Well, that’s certainly a good question, Rudy. On the other hand, if you recall history regarding abolitionist John Brown.. a fervent God-fearing Christian, who claimed he was acting as an angel of the Lord when he killed to free the slaves.
Doug,
Interesting comparison you made.
When John Brown killed to free the slaves, just before the Civil War, shortly after, many others died to free the slaves.
Apparently, while we ended slavery in the USA, we never succeeded in ending hatred or reducing the risk of more hatred occurring based on race in the USA.
In my opinion, it was because shortly after the Civil War was when States enacted laws to prevent taxpayer funds be used to fund private religious school which was finally ruled unconstitutional in 2020.
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So, if you had to choose between the reasons why John Brown killed to free the slaves, and the reasons why the Buffalo killer chose to kill his victims, in our counterparty times in a church, which will you choose in the next Civil War which is occurring now in the news we read and hear every day.?
Or in other words, which side would you choose to help reduce the risks to prevent the Buffalo killer actions, which could be discerned as his belief that we need another Civil War to occur in the USA, to return the basis of race to rule in the USA again?
Let me know your choice and perhaps I can make a comparison of the Buffalo incident being a prelude to the next Civil War which King Solomon observed about what men did before will be done again,
Which seems to be happening now in the USA because of racial hatreds of people who for some reason have never attended a private religious school to be taught in depth to understand the true wisdom of the Commandment why, thou shalt not kill.
Regards and goodwill blogging.
I was implying with my John Brown comparison that until we get the full story of Buffalo Boy’s motivations we don’t know yet how much religion may have played a roll in his enacting violence. I would guess given his age he had no religion at play at all. Regarding your suggestion that this is all leading to another civil war… I’ve thought that since Trump came down the escalator that some civil war seems looming on the horizon. Keep in mind the “hatred” spreading across the land is also anti-Semitic. Kinda smacks of Nazism.
Doug,
I linked your post to mine today titled:
USA Red Flag Race Superiority, because your post seems to indicate a similar message that we need to discern, to “find a common thread>
I understand you do not agree with my argument, however, in my opinion, if we do as I explain, it will likely not only find a common thread, it will help reduce the issue if what I suggest is the root cause.,
Regards and goodwill blogging.
https://rudymartinka.com/2022/05/19/usa-red-flag-race-superiority-conundrum-king-solomon-blog/
Doug I agree that education would go a long way but unfortunately the States are working to promote racially divisive lessons…..so is government the answer? All I can do is live the way I was taught….to be color blind…I have taught my daughter and granddaughter to judge the person not the color of their skin. chuq
Sounds like you are a good father and grandfather. You are correct.. education begins in the home. The sad part is that many parents should have never been allowed to be parents.
I agree with that…..I try to challenge my girls at every turn….they need critical thought these days. Be well chuq