Sunday, August 16, 2020

Is this the boiling point on racism? (Reader discretion is advised)

 The death of Geoge Floyd at the hands of Police (advertently or inadvertently) seems to be tipping or boiling point for the minorities who are fed up with the racism that they encounter every day. Strictly going by the reports, he was arrested, handcuffed and a police officer put his knee on this neck for nine minutes, the police officer did not remove his knee while the Mr. Floyd kept on saying he could not breath. I am not going into details of the legal matter and the related heated arguments. My point is to make a statement that will this be turning point in addressing racism that permeates parts of society and it is just a phase that will also pass thru and people will normalize themselves again. The way things are going with protests erupting all over the United States and around the world, there are hopeful signs that things may change. I say hopeful and may in the sense that it is hard to predict human nature and change what has been ingrained since childhood and then growing up in a society which had a very racist past and keeps on repeating it now and then.

From Rodney King in 1992 and others before him and after and recently in New York and other places where there has been lesser known but equally reprehensible acts of brutality, will this latest episode tip the balance of racism in favor of equality? Slowly and steadily we are seeing backlash against people who say word or utter a sentence which seems remotely racist or insensitive to minorities and that person gets persona non grata for the rest of his life. Meaning he and she will be ostracized for not only him or her but they get fired from their jobs or their business sustain losses beyond repair. But is this a catalyst for change. I have read history of the United States past as you have also and although there is a great momentum going on to address the systemic racism in all walks of life but despite that I am not sure until I see a change with my eyes that we will truly be a society where all Men and Women are created equal and are afforded equal opportunities in life without the need of being called anything but human. I hope it does but not only the laws but also the mentality needs to change to this to happen.

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