@JK
"I hope that those who criticize those who are protesting understand that their criticism is reinforcing the reason they are protesting."
the reason they're protesting splits up into two groups:
1. the original wave of people believing the flag/anthem only are symbols of the inherently white supremacist system we have in place
2. the reactionary wave that got pissed that Trump attacked some of their friends, creating a more general anti-Trump wave.
at least this is my understanding. if this is incorrect please point out where.
So when i criticize those who are protesting, here are my criticisms of the protests:
1. it's ineffective.
instead of saying the flag is racist and we need change and we're kneeling until then, the more unifying move would be to say this flag doesn't stand for racism, that is a part of America that has been over the years more and more castigated and removed from mainstream America, and we will not tolerate any resurgence of such beliefs. THAT would be a move that attacked white supremacy, bring yourself as the bearer of Americanism (our country) and also not make every aspect of the pre-game in football politicized on a dichotomy (which makes your own side seem more absolutist.
2. your protests are not well defined
because YOU protest the flag, is it alright now for me to support the flag? We're clearly seeing different things, i'm primarily supporting the troops and what i believe America stands for: Liberty, Justice and Freedom. The protestors obviously are inferring something much different from me. But the whole movement for ending white oppression is one that holds little bearing. No there is not a massive anti-black culture in the police.
Basic statistics like there are more blacks in prison tell us nothing about the actual real world causes. You've only shown me a statistical discrepancy. Why are there more black people in prison? here's a quick hint: on average, they commit more crimes. Now before you call me racist, let me back that up real quick.
the number of crimes reported follow close in hand with the number of crime arrests, for homicide, rape, and a series of other crimes. this is true for black populations, white populations, and hispanic populations
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/expanded-offense
https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/fssc06st.pdf
so... what does this mean? Well, in cities where homicide rates are high, if a murder is reported and the suspect is said to be black, this happens just as often as the number of times a murderer is arrested as black.
so for your claim of "systemic racism" to be true in the justice department, then we would expect to find crime reports (filled out by all races) to be different from crime arrests, showing the police are profiling.
But instead, the numbers are quite consistent.
So, is the systemic racism in America, black people reporting that blacks commit crimes? Another statistic that also goes out the window in these talks is that very fact, in black communities, it's often local residents calling in the crime (duh).
Another statistic is that most police in heavily black communities tend to be black. communities, hire from within the community, duh. thus the proportional populations are seen in arrests.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.00905.x/full
this is a hilarious study claiming that black officers racially profile black men more often. what the study doesn't consider? the data behind reporting, ACTAUL crime rates, AND the fact that black officers tend to police high-black areas more often, because: that's how geography works when you police your local community.
this is not to say that racism doesn’t occur, but ALL disparate is not racism. Trying to figure out how much of the disparity is racism is an ongoing, and not clear, problem
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-are-so-many-black-americans-killed-by-police/
http://www.nber.org/papers/w22399
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451466/police-violence-against-black-men-rare-heres-what-data-actually-say
meanwhile, we have "systemic advantages" FOR minority groups nowadays, in fact, that's a major platform for the Democratic party, that up until last year had 8 consecutive years in the Presidency, and for over 2 years had both houses of congress with a supermajority, AND over 80% control in the largest metropolitan areas, which also have 1. the largest black populations, 2. the largest income inequality disparities, 3. largest poverty rates, 4. lowest income mobility. And much of that seeps into the black population within cities. How is it that the political party that champions minorities is responsible for some of the worst economic tidings for said minorities within local districts?
SO. Let's revisit what you said, @JK
"I hope that those who criticize those who are protesting understand that their criticism is reinforcing the reason they are protesting."
so... my criticism is reinforcing the protests?
well, for group 2 this makes no logical sense. The reactionary movement against Trump has been mainly focused around the actual right to protest, of which i have not criticized. that is an entire non-sequitur.
for group 1 i can understand how one could get caught in a logical loop in which they perceive i'm oppressing them. they protest the flag because there is systemic white oppression. i am supporting the flag and criticizing them for something they KNOW *perceive* to be true. therefore i'm evil.
Them working off of false assumptions is not my fault @JK.