RLSH - Police Shootings

I know this is a divisive topic, but I feel that it could be a great opportunity to explore and have a healthy debate within the community. Many are hesitant to speak on topics such as this because it must acknowledge concepts such as Race, Bigotry, Religion, Bias, Honor, Vigilance, and Integrity.

How do you perceive and interpret the rash of Police shooting against civilians across the US?

Where do you think it stems from?

How should it be handled?

What do you think could affect change?

How do you perceive and interpret protest against law enforcement across the US?

-Omen

Is it really a rise in police shootings, or are they more newsworthy now, and getting more widely reported?

There are too many factors involved in each shooting to make a simple post. Marc MacYoung is an expert in the use-of-force continuum, psychology of violence, and self-defense. Don Roley is a Bujinkan instructor, with military experience. Both agree, there are just too many factors at play to judge them on even an individual basis, in as short of a period of time as the mainstream media usually judges them. The media is part of the problem, because they're supposed to get the latest news to the public as fast as possible, and sometimes that means only getting some of the facts out there and making snap decisions. Sometimes, there are what Marc calls "bad shoots", and sometimes, there are "good shoots". The rest of the time - most of the time, - there are what he calls, "grey shoots", which could be anywhere along a continuum. The officer could be at fault, due to a lack of important information; the officer could be at fault, because the stress of the situation caused them to make a poor judgment call; the officer could be at fault, because they just wanted to shoot the suspect, for any number of reasons. The suspect could be at fault, because they unwittingly, or perhaps with full knowledge, pulled a suspicious move that caused the officer to think he was about to pull and use a weapon. The suspect could be at fault, because they actually had a weapon, and were brandishing it. The suspect could be at fault, because they tried to use the weapon, for any number of reasons. That's why it's important to wait for all of the facts to come out

Anyman wrote:

Sometimes, there are what Marc calls "bad shoots", and sometimes, there are "good shoots". The rest of the time - most of the time, - there are what he calls, "grey shoots", which could be anywhere along a continuum. The officer could be at fault, due to a lack of important information; the officer could be at fault, because the stress of the situation caused them to make a poor judgment call; the officer could be at fault, because they just wanted to shoot the suspect, for any number of reasons. The suspect could be at fault, because they unwittingly, or perhaps with full knowledge, pulled a suspicious move that caused the officer to think he was about to pull and use a weapon. The suspect could be at fault, because they actually had a weapon, and were brandishing it. The suspect could be at fault, because they tried to use the weapon, for any number of reasons. That's why it's important to wait for all of the facts to come out

The judgement of the media is remarkably quick these days. To me it seems like the incidents that blow up are the ones that aren't actually the best examples of police brutality. It's definitely out there, and civilians have a right to be angry, but I wish we could focus that anger on the cases that actually deserve it. It's also critical to recognize and participate in the community interaction that police departments are getting right and using those areas and events as a base for expanding trust with the community each department serves.

Police departments don't want these controversial situations any more than civilians do. Even a good shoot requires the officer involved to go through an IA investigation and usually get modified duty and therapy. It's expensive for the department, invasive for the officer, and a general pain, administratively and emotionally, for the officer involved and the victim's family, even if the shoot was good.

I don't think there's any solution, other than getting ahead of the shootings and working on trust on the front end.

As a side note... As I understand it, many veterans have difficulty finding a job back at home that accepts their service as experience/education. Law enforcement is one of the places that's good at that, and it's where a decent number of veterans end up. I already appreciate cops, but I really, really appreciate veteran cops. The vast majority of both circles in that venn diagram as well as the middle overlap deserve more respect than they get, and the vast majority are silently, dutifully weathering the court of public opinion's abuse which rightfully belongs only to a minority of them.

How do I interpret the rash of police shootings against civilians across the US?

First, I don't interpret it as a rash of police shootings. I interpret it as the Democratic Party manipulating the media to cause division. Obama has set this country back a long ways when it comes to race and segregation. Hillary has been helping; Planned Parenthood has been proven to target lower class African American families; to attack the black population. Just about everything Democrats do has a racial motive; these are the monsters who founded the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War. They're mission is to divide and conquer, and getting people focused on being angry at their police departments instead of the Democratic Party's disgusting foundations and corruption helps the Democratic Party look like the good guy when they say they'll clean up "police corruption" when they're the ones who started the mess in the first place. Granted, there are corrupt cops, but they're few and far between in most places, and just because one of them shoots a black guy doesn't make them racist. Statistically speaking, black people are killed much more often by OTHER black people; not cops. The dems won't tell you that though; they want you to think that racism is still a serious issue. It might be getting there, but only because the Democratic Party wants to keep your population down. 

Where do I think the shootings stem from? 

Fear, probably. Fear of what the perp is reaching for. Fear of the perp's mental state and unpredictability. Police Officers have a very dangerous job; they have to take precautions and they cannot afford to take any chances. Sometimes someone gets shot that shouldn't have been shot, but it's very rare. All shootings though, whether police related or not, in my opinion, always, always stems from one simple thing: Fear, just in different states of existing, such as when an individual turns their fear into hatred and anger as a defense mechanism; to make them brave enough to stand in the midst of battle without shaking like a leaf in the wind. Getting mad is a great way to overcome fear. But with fear and anger, adrenaline will be pumping and in the heat of battle mistakes can be made. That's just how it is. 

How should it be handled?

...What do you mean? It's not our jobs to handle it; it's the job of Internal Affairs and the Court System. It's already is being handled as much as you could wish it to be, short of illegal actions which violate the rights of US citizens. 

What could affect change?

People not being stupid when in the middle of dealing with a cop. That would solve 90% of it right there. Do what the cop says, and NOTHING else. That's always the safest bet. Comply. Don't dance around like a showgirl or shove your hands into your pockets or reach into your vehicle through the window or backtalk or aggressively gesticulate. Just about every single person I've seen shot by a cop was doing something stupid. So yeah, less stupid criminals could affect change in police shootings. If you're about to be busted for something, don't fight them. Be calm, cool, collected, polite, professional, courteous and most importantly, obedient. Kiss their ass, basically. They like it.  

How do I perceive and interpret protest against Law Enforcement across the US?

I think it's sad. It's a symbol of the Democratic Party's success in dividing this nation. It pisses me off, and I feel it is completely futile and useless because there isn't even a serious problem. People seem to forget that WE ARE AT WAR. ISIS is here in the US, and the United States of Islam is in full swing across the middle-east and it is only getting worse. We have way bigger things to worry about than cops shooting criminals. Seriously. Focus on issues that actually matter; not huffed up democratic propaganda designed to divide us and break us down.

Their may still be racists in the US, but Racism is not a genuinely serious issue in the US. Hate Crimes are punishable by Law. Blacks are allowed to sit wherever they want on the bus and can go to school with the white kids. Any racism these days is no different in my mind than BULLYING, plain and simple, and I would hope that blacks, by and large, rise easily above that nonsensical juvenile crap. 

  

--204

Authority

Authority is a Right delegated, given, and or voted upon; it is the power given to settle issues and disputes; jurisdiction
Authority is vested as a government agency.

Power
Power is the ability to command, influence, or force another to change their decisions or actions. Power is marked by strength, might, and/or force.

The Police is an organized civil force granted the authority to maintain order, prevent and detect crimes, and enforce the laws; they are public SERVANTS chosen and funded by the people.

The power of this title grants one, that is authorized to use it, the ability to command with the expectation of listening, to act based upon intelligent decision-making and/or deduction, and to serve when a reasonable request has been made.

The title, ‘POLICE’ is absolutely independent of a person. Instead, it is an active title that is GRANTED to an individual for a set amount of time.

A badge and a uniform is a symbol of this title, and they are granted to an individual once they have been voted upon by the people. Once a person has been given this authority, they become responsible, as well as accountable as to how they use their power.

Hence, a policeman’s word carries more weight than a normal civilian. A policeman’s actions have a greater impact to those they serve. A policeman’s decision-making skills echo louder and reach further than an ordinary civilian making a decision in the same situations.

Can't argue with that.

Numbers don’t lie.

Minorities have been disproportionately killed at a higher rate than Whites. There is no easy way to say this or hide it. The only difference today, is that more of these shooting have been caught on camera.

Political affiliations, while there is some truth in the manipulation of information, has little to do with being the direct source of this epidemic.

The simple and brutal truth is that this situation is about the lack of ACCOUNTABILITY and RESPONSIBILTY.

If a child steals candy from the store and gets away with it, he tends to steal again. If he gets caught, lies about it, and get away… he tends to steal again. If he gets caught stealing again, is found to be untruthful, and receives NO punishment… is it wholly unexpected to discover this child later as an adult career thief?

Numbers don’t lie.

Tally up the number of questionable police shootings and compare them to police convictions. The statistics are pushed so far beyond pitiful, until the only way they were described in public was, ‘EVIDENT BIAS’.

This does not take away the unquestionable fact that there are good police officers, in fact, MOST of them are simply trying their best. It is the few ‘bad apples’ that are hurting the image of the title and creating the ripple of distrust that is spreading amongst those they serve.

In fact, this kinda’ works the same way with minorities, and yet… I don’t hear the same explanations made for them. A few bad Latinas does not make all of them rapist, scum, or 'bad hombres'. A few bad Blacks do not make all of them thugs.

Why do minorities run when the police come? Why do they shrug, stare, and get nervous when the cops are around?

AS ‘Two Oh Four’ stated eloquently, allowing some slight changes,

“Fear, probably. Fear of what the cop is reaching for. Fear of the cop’s mental state and unpredictability. Being a minority in America is an EXTREMELY deadly life; they have to take precautions, Whites don’t, and they cannot afford to take any chances of assuming they're equal. Sometimes cops get shot that shouldn’t have been shot, but it’s very rare.”

Because Police are held to a higher standard, ACCOUNTABILITY and RESPONSIBILITY is critical!

This is why there is protest!

It is NOT about hating Law Enforcement.
It is about embracing LAW ENFORCEMENT!

Police are expected to use their brain, training, and wits FIRST and foremost to neutralize a threat, incident, or issue. Pulling your gun and deadly force should NEVER be the first choice.

Neutralizing a threat is MUCH different than eliminating a target - Police do the first and assassins perform the latter. This does not exclude situation in which deadly force IS warranted.

When an unarmed Black man is killed and the Police officer is placed on suspension and/or lose his job, that is a slap in the face to the victim’s family. When a minority chooses to half open his window out of fear of a cop only to have his window shattered, him thrown on the concrete, beaten, and charged with assault… especially when it all started by having his music up in the car – something seems ‘slightly’ unfair. Needless to say, the driver handed his license and registration through the windows that was halfway down.

That individual got hard time.

These are the bad fruits that sit in the apple barrel of police. They are not so different than the bad fruit that sit in the barrel of pears on the other side of this boat called America.

Accountability and Responsibility needs to be fair across the board.

-Omen, "Heroes aren't made during good times." - The Elite Forces Division

How is "protests against law enforcement across the US" the same thing as embracing law enforcement? If someone is holding up a sign saying "Fuck the Police", do you really think his message is actually "Embrace the Police"? I don't think so. 

And sometimes, numbers do lie, depending on where you get them from. 

Also, it's not that these incidents are being caught on camera more often; it's that they're being reported on more often, (often times inaccurately, much for the same reasons Anyman listed), and largely by MSN, ABC, CBS, etc. ....Maybe you should ask why. 


In the end....you asked for our opinions. So far it seems the collective opinion is that there's far too many variables across the various incidents we've seen to make a final decision. There's only one shooting I can recall where I was appalled by the officer; I'm sure that's the one that sticks in your mind too; the video of the black man holding his hands up in the universal gesticulation for "I do not want to fight/I surrender" being shot down. All the others I saw were questionable. It all stemmed from that one incident, and snowballed out of proportion. The most recent incident report said that the latest person to be shot "had his hands up" but when we saw the video for ourselves, quite a different story played out; instead of the innocent citizen they made him out to be, we saw a violent, possibly drug-addled individual reaching through the window of his car after refusing to follow the officer's orders over and over again. That man was dangerous, and the police, in my opinion, were perfectly within their right to shoot him when he reached inside his car. If they'd decided not to, and he had been going for a gun, then those officers could have all been killed. 

Slight change of subject: What about all the COPS who are being killed lately? I think that stems from those same protests you speak of; protests against law enforcement designed solely to divide people, spread anger, and fear. The Democratic Party fanned the flames with gleeful eagerness. Now cops are being ambushed in the streets and shot down in cold blood. This is NOT about "embracing law enforcement".

....Fear and hatred.....I feel like that's what you're promoting, whether you are even aware of it or not. I don't think you're interested in our opinions, unless they match yours. For some reason, you're seeking validation...


--204

I am very much interested in hearing different opinions, mainly because it allows all of us reading to explore different points of view. I also invite you challenging my perspective and stance because it slows me from developing tunnel vision adhering to what I may believe is the only version of, ‘correct’.

As I am digesting what you are offering, I am also handing out my very own ‘plate-of-knowledge’ giving you the choice to nibble on the food that I am presenting… or giving you the freedom to turn it away.

In this set of statements:

It is NOT about hating Law Enforcement.
It is about embracing LAW ENFORCEMENT!

The first line spoke of Law Enforcement as a noun – an organized group enforcing the law (Police, Attorneys, Judges, etc.)
The second line spoke of law enforcement as n action (more like a verb).

I apologize if it was confusing.

NEITHER statement was ‘against’ Law Enforcement or law enforcement. I can’t really speak on the signs saying ‘F—k the Police’, because I didn’t see them. It does not mean they weren’t there… it simply means, I didn’t see them. It would not surprise me if they were there, but that goes back to the bad apple concept.

Listen, one thing can be expected at any type of gathering, especially protests, is ignorance. There will ALWAYS be those amongst the masses struggling to express their own personal grief, frustration, and anger.

Sometimes they may not be following the established theme of the protest… it does NOT mean that they speak for the entire protest and/or define the protest. Many times they are stopped on the spot by leadership or representatives (which was done multiple times during the Civil Rights protests in the 50s, 60s, and 70s).

As for numbers..? Nope, they don’t lie. Numbers are fundamentally data. How they are interpreted is where you derive information. Lies find their home in interpretation.

Now, about the case of the unarmed Black man with his hands up, on PCP, walking back to his vehicle… who ended up being tasered and killed. Let’s discuss this…

This started because his vehicle was broken down. Immediate fact… he was UNARMED. This should instantly trigger the officer… oops, I meant, group of officers, to establish the level of threat this unarmed individual presented. His size and color should NOT have been an issue or much less mentioned.

With multiple officers onsite, no other civilians around, no property being threatened or destroyed… what EXACTLY was the threat they deemed tasering and deadly force?
Let’s hypothetically say, the officer ‘KNEW’ he was on drugs. Did he come at her? Did he attack them? Was he holding a hostage? Was there a visible weapon or threat?

Now let’s apply some common sense… If his truck was broke down and a police officer showed up, I wonder what the very first question and/or conversation ‘should’ have been? Even if that scary – scary, big-bad, unarmed Black man on PCP said, “Fuck you, I don’t need your help!”

Was that a threat evil enough to taser and use deadly force?

This unarmed guy with a broke-down truck raised his hands when ordered and walked back to his truck, which was discovered, had the driver’s side window up, was then tasered for NOT following direct commands. He was outnumbered… an UNARMED, 204! A helicopter was circling above, there was no escape.

But… let’s hypothetically say, he was SO strung out, he was on the edge of going nuts. There were NO civilians around. He wasn’t destroying ANY property. There were no hostages. He had no weapons. He had no escape. PLEASE, for Godssakes tell me, WHAT threat did he present?

After the failed tazing attempt… he still did not attack ANYONE. His window was still up and the truck door was still closed. The vehicle was busted so he couldn’t try to drive away. What was the following threat that was SO awful, she had to open fire?

Here’s the truth, 204… that Black man did NOT deserve death. Those officers… not just one of them, ALL OF THEM should be held accountable and take responsibility for that shooting.
This man was judged instantly by his RACE and they responded according to that judgement.

If that would have been a skinny, White girl on meth with a broke-down car, she would be alive today. The police would have listened to her rant and scream, asked her if she was on drugs, listened to her lie, and at the most arrested her… or called her relatives.

~~~~~~~

This is not about striking down your opinion, it is about exploring the other side of this proverbial ‘coin’ or fairness and equal treatment.

Oh, and the ‘COPS’ who have been killed lately were not killed because of the protest. I was trying to make that clear in my earlier post. While the killing of Police is wrong and I absolutely condemn the killings, the reason they were killed was because of the anger, rage, frustration, and resentment fueled by the lack of ACCOUNTABILITY and RESPONSIBILTY in our current system.

When any people or person feel, they are oppressed, lack a voice, and are being killed indiscriminately, you can expect those who clutch extreme actions as a tool, to exercise those behaviors in a deviant manner.

If punched you in your face and pressed my foot upon your chest, you would ask me to remove it. If I pressed it down hard, shortening your breaths, you would gasp and shout at me to ‘STOP’ with your failing breath. If I moved my second foot on top of your chest, forcing you to absorb the full brunt of my weight… would you not fight back to breath? Would you not fight to survive? Would you not struggle to live? Won’t you try to free yourself?

I would.

THIS is what it is like to be a minority in a nation that has it roots dug into the soil of RACE.

Protests are for those trying to get from under the weight of Racial inequalities. Protest wants to be seen as an equal standing beside the ones with the ‘privilege’ and power. Protest wants privilege to be shared and power to be fair.  

Sickos want to kill those they believe, 'had their feet upon their chest'. They are the extremist that actually believe that if they kill their oppressors, they won’t follow in their footsteps.

This is one of the oldest lies in the history of man. “Any man seeking revenge should start off by digging two graves.”

-Omen

I see your point. That man was still incredibly dangerous, and I'll try my best to explain why. 

First, it's impossible to say for sure whether or not their were any civilians nearby. There could be a cabin in the woods, or a playground, campers, or what have you; there's no telling.

Second, the man is on PCP; a drug known to have horrifying effects on people, including decreased sensitivity to pain, which is why all efforts to control such an individual, short of lethal force, are often futile. The man is not thinking clearly, if at all, and he's essentially a superhuman due to the numbing effects of the drugs, not to mention he is much larger than all of the officers there. This is an intense situation.

Third, the man isn't following instructions, and hasn't been for quite some time. He's now walking away from officers with his hands in the air. He lowers his hands and begins reaching towards his pockets as though he were carrying a weapon; this is a common thing for anyone carrying a weapon, and officers are trained to spot this move. He's proceeding to ignore the officers commands to stop going back to his vehicle, and with the added uncertainty of what he's been reaching toward his pockets for has escalated things. For safety, the officers feel it's time to tase him. They don't want to hurt him, but he's acting like he's about to try something. 

Fourth, after seeing that the large, high-out-of-his-mind, uncooperative individual is now headed to the open window of his vehicle, he leans in as if to retrieve something. The fatal shot is fired from Shelby. She mourns his death, and her mother in law states for her that she isn't prejudiced. Shelby is likely still suffering from symptoms of post traumatic stress. She did what she felt she had to do; she didn't wait to see if he pulled out an assault rifle, because if he had been going for one, officers would have been killed, possibly all of them if the man has a fully automatic weapon. The entire situation was very intense, and he was acting very sketchy, and the police officers had to take every precaution they could to guarantee the safety of everyone present. It's tragic the man was killed. No, he probably didn't deserve to die. But he brought it on himself. He put countless lives in jeopardy by driving while high on PCP, and then he made every mistake a person can make when dealing with the police. 

He posed a threat; whether the threat was real or not, that is how it was perceived, and I perfectly understand why the officers perceived it that way. If they all tried to rush him, officers could have been seriously injured or killed. They chose the safest option they could, and they tried to handle it non-lethally first. They were within the law, and within their right. 

.....What consequences do you feel the officers should have to endure for doing what they felt they had to do? You don't think for a moment that perhaps they're suffering enough as it is? Do you really think they enjoy having to make these kinds of decisions? o.O 

Anyhoo...that's just my two cents. The man was dangerous, unstable, unpredictable, and a threat to everyone around him. I'm sure he was a great guy when he was off the drugs singing in church, but in this situation, he was not that person anymore. None of us are all bad or all good, and I'm not trying to say he was a bad person or deserved to be killed at all. He was acting scary. We know what fear does to people. When in fear for your life, we all do what we feel we have to...for better or for worse. 


--204

The question is: Could this have been handled in another way without the use of Deadly Force?

Deadly force is a ‘last action’ technique applied after all peaceful methods have been attempted.

I agree that a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs can be unpredictable, but unpredictable is a far cry from ‘direct threat’; it does not deem death.

Under this assumption, the police can wait outside a bar and question drunk people as they leave. Anyone not complying and/or walking away from his commands should be shot! Lord forbid, if they were walking to the parking lot.

When a police officer goes onsite to a call, everyone is considered a threat until the situation is understood. This is when intellect, training, and decision-making comes into play. ANYONE can say they perceived a threat and defend it… why? Because the term ‘perceive’ is ambiguous. Death is not.

Officers are trained for trying and stressful situations. This is why the standards are higher when judging their actions.

He was outnumbered. What EXACTLY was the immediate threat that was SO heinous he NEEDED to be killed?

Threat: a declaration of intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, or death, in retaliation for some action; menace.

Now, all of this can be difficult to digest as long as the foundation of this situation starts with, ‘a big-black guy’, but this can be easily changed… let’s try, a 140lb blond-haired, blue-eyed white girl, broken down on the side of the road, high from smoking cannabis (or whatever your drug of choice may be).

What do YOU think the first assumption would be by the first officer onsite? What would it be after the first GROUP of officers arrived?

What do you think the first conversation would be like? Would the first words spoken be a question or a command to this white girl waiting on the side of the road?

Let’s say she was so high she didn’t respond instantly to questions and/or commands, but raised her hands. Was she an immediate threat at this point, with three to four officers onsite and a helicopter circling above?

Remember, her Volkswagen is broken-down… what do you think the conversation is by this point in the situation? Do you think she’s frustrated and shouting back to the police that her car is broke-down and she didn’t do anything? Do you think she’s asking, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’

Do you think they are giving rational answer to this lone white girl scared out of her mind?

Is it too much to consider, her being so scared until she wants to get in her car for safety from the group of police yelling at her for no reason? Is it too far-fetched to imagine this frightened, 140lb white girl walking back to her car with her hands up?

Now, for a minute, become her… you are disoriented, you did not expect your day to end up like this, you have marijuana in your system, a helicopter is flying above, and three to four police officers are closing in on you. Here’s the worst part… there are NO other civilians around. Remember, you’re on a road in the middle of nowhere.

What you needed was help. What you received is a sharp jolt of electricity in your back from one of the officers. Maybe both connections did not successfully connect, but the stabbing pain of at least one of the shock cords could not be ignored hooking into your flesh. How do you react in this situation?

What happens when you jump from the agony only to be shot by one of the looming officers closing in on you. How do you handle falling to the pavement knowing that those are the last faces you would see in this life?

Even worst… what if those officers were black men, except for the one that shot you… she was a black woman?

How would this case be perceived by American, then?

Would you then be writing about how that black female officer was suffering from killing that innocent little white girl, broken down on the side of a road in the middle of no where? Or would you be asking if this could have been handled differently?

-Omen

Could this have been handled in another way without the use of Deadly Force? Sure. Anything's possible, scientifically speaking. It's probably unlikely it could have been though; not impossible however. 

No, "unpredictable" is not a far cry from "threat". The unpredictable is the unknown, and the unknown is scary, and fear promotes menace, ala, threat, in your own words. Another definition of the word "threat" is "A person or thing likely to cause damage or danger." You can google the definition. That man was obviously a threat; high on PCP, one of the worst substances on the planet and a true far cry from, say, marijuana. This individual had the mental state, the physical conditioning, and the proper environmental circumstance to classify him as undoubtedly "likely to cause damage or danger". People do stupid things when using PCP, and people often times get seriously injured or killed because of it. On countless occasions. 

You go on to imply that the man was shot for "just walking away". Wrong. He was shot because he was out of control, and looked like he was about to retrieve a deadly weapon and fire upon the officers. He was not shot for nearly as innocent reasons as you imply. It sounds like you're trying to make it sound like the cops wanted to kill him. Is that what you are saying? How can you possibly no this, and what makes you think you can claim or imply this without any actual evidence of malicious intent?

Him being outnumbered is irrelevant in the situation because the cops are at a distance and Shelby only fired when he saw him reaching for what she feared was a deadly weapon. She made a judgment call and acted upon it to protect herself and her fellow officers. 

I 140 pound blue eyed white girl high on weed is completely different than a 250 pound giant black man stoned on PCP; of course they are going to be treated differently! If I was dressed like a gangster spewing ghetto lingo and back-talking the cops, REGARDLESS of my skin color, I would be treated differently than if I were instead wearing a shirt and tie and was calm, well spoken and cooperative. People treat you differently based on your appearance and behavior, as they very well should. Hate to burst you're bubble, but not all people are equal. Reality simply doesn't work like that because life simply isn't fair, and it's never going to be. People will always act on their instincts, and people will always make mistakes, and some people will always think it's about the color of their skin. 

...Think of this as a new way of looking at things.

A police office is a servant of the people.

You don’t have to wear a button up shirt and tie to be treated fairly.

A person can’t help that they were born large and happen to be a 200lb Mexican or Muslim. This doesn’t mean that they should be treated differently.

As for the ghetto-lingo… 204, YOU went nuts multiple times screaming, yelling, and attacking people left-and-right… and yet, we (including myself) are speaking with you rationally. That comment you made, just now, was flat out racist!

Should a gay guy be treated different because of the way he talks or act? Should he be tasered because he’s wearing a pink shirt and has on eye-liner… or maybe walking with his boyfriend?
What EXACTLY are you saying, 204?

Listen, I understand your point-of-view on perception, but she did NOT know the guy was on PCP. The window of the truck was up, according to the last video and article I saw.

I am a 300lb Black male that works out… are you saying I should be treated differently? I will agree with you that I AM treated differently, but should I not strive to be treated fairly? Or are you saying that I should simply accept the racism and bias thrown against me every day?

How would that make me a hero to my children? How can I tell them to have faith in the system and that the law is fair to all of us? How can I tell them to believe in the police?

Why do black parents have to sit down with their children and warn them about police officers and getting shot by cops? Why did two white cops confront me one night when I was helping my sister with her broke-down car? Why did they try to fight me?

Look… I know you’re not going to see another point-of-view. You never have in the past and you’re not going to do it today. I was thinking… hoping that maybe something changed in you over this time you’ve been away.

I’m sorry, 204. I was wrong and I am wrong for this conversation.

I don’t know ‘what’ kind of RLSH you want to be, but I will respect you for what you are.

-Omen

I've spent time in Tulsa. It may be of note that the site of that city's recent shooting, 36th Street North & Lewis Avenue, is firmly in what we called North Tulsa, generally meaning the part of Tulsa north of a set of railroad tracks. North Tulsa is poorer and mostly black, simply because Tulsa has a painful history of racism and non-whites being pushed into there. It's also on average much more violent than town south of the tracks, because for whatever reason all the gangs meet up and do deals and shoot each other there. Maybe it's the freight and salvage yards. Anyway. Most violence there is gang-on-gang, but it still leads to the area being somewhere where you feel less safe, so this was something the officer involved would have been thinking about.

Indeed. It always comes back to fear. We all do what we feel we have to in our fight for survival; it's in our genes. 

Slums are actually the modern day plantations designed by the same slave-driving Democratic Party from over a hundred years ago to place immigrants and minorities. Tells all about it in Dinesh D'Souza's latest film. Sad times indeed. 

...Vote for Trump. XD (Sorry guys; I'm gonna have tints of political agendas until the election. My apologies if it offends anyone....actually, nah, I'm not going to apologize for expressing my freedom of speech; we all have the right to promote and protest.


--204

Disregarding 204’s racist, divisive, and extremist rhetoric… I will gladly converse with you about dangerous areas.

Yes, you are unquestionably correct about some areas with high crime rates being more unsafe than others, in fact, where I grew up was flat out treacherous. It is not only fair that these facts are pointed out, but enriching when we study them as a situation that, WE ALL, should address.

Humans are, arguably, the most intelligent species on Earth. Humans evolve to survive when placed under pressure. While a single person is gifted with willpower and has the ability to change… ‘people’ are often seeking a leader to follow and to guide their will by taking the ‘power’ from the equation.

People are, arguably one of the simplest species on Earth. They devolve when placed under pressure by corrupt leadership or no leadership; for them, fear and ignorance are the keys to blame and hatred. This is a consistent pattern repeated all through history (you can find this research in Anthropology).

While willpower is critical to a person… it is worth repeating, PEOPLE are vastly different, they have will, but the ‘power’ portion of the equation is the component that they are willing to offer (or be taken) to others or BY others. This is why people act in groups, teams, packs, and mobs.

Now that’s out the way…

Imagine a father going to war. Imagine him fighting wars for his entire life. Imagine him being a POW for years, escaping, coming home, only to be called back to another conflict.

Imagine what that life did to his family – his wife and his kids. Each time he came home he would have flashbacks of the battlefield and the deaths he witnessed. He fought with his wife and felt distant to his children.

Luckily, this soldier, like many others, receives free medical for life, is diagnosed for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and gets counseling. Over time… it saves his marriage and repairs the relationship with his children.

~~~~~~~~~~

The first slaves came to America in 1619. The Emancipation Proclamation was enacted in 1863; this was when slavery was 'officially' abolished.

Slaves could not read-or-write and had no history. Slaves owned nothing, had no money, and the land that was given to them was taken less than three years after their freedom. Black women were raped, daughters taken, sons sold, and father’s lynched. This occurred for over 300 years… THREE hundred years.

Now here’s the catch that puts the nail in the coffin…

Ask yourself, how many freed slaves received counseling after the Emancipation Proclamation?

Black mothers with 4 to 5 children, half of them mixed, raised them in the shadows of a rapist master and a lynched husband. What values do you think she taught her children?

How often do you think she lost her patience with her children over simple tasks in their collapsing household? How much counseling do you think she received?

What did her children learn from this and pass down to their children?

Ask yourself, how many children in the ‘ghetto’ have seen killings by their same kind, mistreatment by the police, unfair treatment at school, and poverty in the surroundings? Now, how many of those do you think have been diagnosed with PTSD? (hint – you can probably count the amount on LESS than one hand).

Blue Stranger, you are correct in your observations for these areas. The gift of this conversation, is that you allowed me to explain, ‘WHY’ many areas all over the United States are exactly the same.

-Omen

On another note – back to 204.

When I first came on here and learned about him, I defended him adamantly, because he went through a short history of extreme torture. Over time, I watched him digress into anger, hate, attacks, and lies… even then, I struggled to ration with him and explain things as best I could.

204 not only had medical treatment, he had medicine, counseling, and a family to return to. Instead of embracing something positive, his rage and lack of control drug him deeper into the darkness. He allied with racists, championed bigots, attacked those who disagreed with him, and advised younger members on the board in questionable ways.

He was literally becoming the person he despised.

Paint me as insane, ‘Repeating the same actions, while hoping for a different result’, but I continued to entertain his rants and give him a chance. Each time he reverted back to losing control and attacking people on this board.

He is the classic, ‘thug’ he complains about. His lies and rants are that which is not much different than the ‘ghetto-lingo’ he loosely spoke about. His lust for revenge is insatiable and the ‘privilege’ that allows him to feel above others, he clasps, as a God given ‘Right’.

204 was a firefighter. Property and lives depended on his actions and decisions. HE went on a tirade as to how he got caught smoking drugs at work. HE DID THIS. No one forced him to do it. He went nuts about losing his job and blamed the entire world, NOT excluding those on this board. And yet he always had a response and answer to the unfairness within this community. Listen to some of his whining and honestly ask yourself what his response would be if you swapped the race and/or gender of someone caught in his EXACT same situation.

What if a woman firefighter was caught smoking dope on the job? What about a Mexican woman firefighter? Oh, wait... in his world, a Mexican would never be worthy of being a firefighter in his town. Of course, 204 wants the wall! If wouldn't surprise anyone. Of course we wants to inject political poison on to this board without the aspect of healthy discussion or points-of-view.

He has rarely struggled to place himself in the shoes of others; for it happens to be the critical ingredient of Empathy. He has announced his pride in not doing so and clearly stated that he flat-out didn’t care to. This is what honestly made me wonder, ‘WHY’ was he here on a Real Life Super Hero forum.

He can’t see the plight of minorities. He can’t comprehend the concept of equality. He can’t digest and/or respect religions. He is disgusted by authority… and yet, attracted to power. He cares not for fairness, as long as he is not the victim of unfairness. The depth of his foresight is limited to length of his shadow at high noon in the desert.

There are no more excuses that can be made for 204. He is no longer a child under 18… he is a man. When he had the chance to create his own forum and board to serve his type of topics, rants, and subjects… it laid empty as a virtual wasteland. He did not once wonder or ask, why others did not come over to him or follow. Instead… he came back to this community and relaunched his topics, rants, and subjects forcing more and more of the members in this community to exit without looking back.

And now he has returned again.

-Omen

My goal really above was to give direct intel which only locals would know on that particular incident in Tulsa. I don't feel qualified to say what I think should have been done in that situation by law enforcement.

I'm hesitant to ascribe current poverty and violence in mostly black areas to a multigenerational legacy to PTSD, mostly because to me it seems racist. Still, it may have been racist for me to suggest that after the legal end of slavery, white people's prejudice and influence was so much greater for such a long time than the power of black Americans to effect change.

I have no doubt that after the Emancipation Proclamation, treatment for PTSD was completely necessary for former slaves who spent their entire lives in active trauma or the anticipation thereof. Unfortunately, nobody recognized the need for addressing that, much less knew how. PTSD didn't achieve recognition as a legitimate condition until well after WWI. Back then, in fact, it was 'shell shock'.

Present day, I'd say we no longer have an excuse for not helping people who live with PTSD. Counseling should be available and affordable to kids who routinely witness violence. 'Available' and 'affordable' are of course the hangups now... but it's not like we haven't had warning that we'd need to have a solution in place for dealing with PTSD on a large scale for at least 100 years now. The best efforts I've seen so far involve pro bono counseling and psychiatry (with these always incredibly understaffed) as well as big brother and sister programs.

omen wrote:

On another note – back to 204.

When I first came on here and learned about him, I defended him adamantly, because he went through a short history of extreme torture. Over time, I watched him digress into anger, hate, attacks, and lies… even then, I struggled to ration with him and explain things as best I could.

204 not only had medical treatment, he had medicine, counseling, and a family to return to. Instead of embracing something positive, his rage and lack of control drug him deeper into the darkness. He allied with racists, championed bigots, attacked those who disagreed with him, and advised younger members on the board in questionable ways.

He was literally becoming the person he despised.

Paint me as insane, ‘Repeating the same actions, while hoping for a different result’, but I continued to entertain his rants and give him a chance. Each time he reverted back to losing control and attacking people on this board.

He is the classic, ‘thug’ he complains about. His lies and rants are that which is not much different than the ‘ghetto-lingo’ he loosely spoke about. His lust for revenge is insatiable and the ‘privilege’ that allows him to feel above others, he clasps, as a God given ‘Right’.

204 was a firefighter. Property and lives depended on his actions and decisions. HE went on a tirade as to how he got caught smoking drugs at work. HE DID THIS. No one forced him to do it. He went nuts about losing his job and blamed the entire world, NOT excluding those on this board. And yet he always had a response and answer to the unfairness within this community. Listen to some of his whining and honestly ask yourself what his response would be if you swapped the race and/or gender of someone caught in his EXACT same situation.

What if a woman firefighter was caught smoking dope on the job? What about a Mexican woman firefighter? Oh, wait... in his world, a Mexican would never be worthy of being a firefighter in his town. Of course, 204 wants the wall! If wouldn't surprise anyone. Of course we wants to inject political poison on to this board without the aspect of healthy discussion or points-of-view.

He has rarely struggled to place himself in the shoes of others; for it happens to be the critical ingredient of Empathy. He has announced his pride in not doing so and clearly stated that he flat-out didn’t care to. This is what honestly made me wonder, ‘WHY’ was he here on a Real Life Super Hero forum.

He can’t see the plight of minorities. He can’t comprehend the concept of equality. He can’t digest and/or respect religions. He is disgusted by authority… and yet, attracted to power. He cares not for fairness, as long as he is not the victim of unfairness. The depth of his foresight is limited to length of his shadow at high noon in the desert.

There are no more excuses that can be made for 204. He is no longer a child under 18… he is a man. When he had the chance to create his own forum and board to serve his type of topics, rants, and subjects… it laid empty as a virtual wasteland. He did not once wonder or ask, why others did not come over to him or follow. Instead… he came back to this community and relaunched his topics, rants, and subjects forcing more and more of the members in this community to exit without looking back.

And now he has returned again.

-Omen

"When I first came on here and learned about him, I defended him adamantly, because he went through a short history of extreme torture."

You never defended me adamantly; that's at least an exaggeration and at most a flat-out lie. You took a brief interest. Told me I was wrong. I explained why the law is inadequate in my situation. You ignored it, and insisted you were right, and we went our separate paths. In recent months, you've taken a hostile stance towards me despite my first attempts to be civil. That was when I lost most of my respect for you.  

"Over time, I watched him digress into anger, hate, attacks, and lies… even then, I struggled to ration with him and explain things as best I could."

If you saw the things I did, you'd feel an abundance of anger, hate, and hostility too. You didn't "struggle" with anything at all. That is a lie. You gleefully berated me, much the same way Superman-RLSH likes to do from time to time "when he gets bored" (in his own words). You're looking for a reaction, because it's fun. Anyone who knows me well and knows our past interactions should be able to see this clearly after our most recent discussion where I've tried to be as polite as I can be, unlike yourself. 

"204 not only had medical treatment, he had medicine, counseling, and a family to return to."

Wrong. This is merely your ASSUMPTION. And it proves you clearly haven't been paying attention. I didn't have any medical treatment, nor did I need any when I was kidnapped in the night. I had ADHD; I was hyper. ADHD is also one of the most widely misdiagnosed mental disorders, so chances are I didn't even have that; I was just a normal little kid. I was bullied for years in school and I flipped out when I was 12. The School Board, rife with liberal, socialist democrats, overreacted and had me expelled. Some people came to my parents to make them scared I'd end up in jail if they didn't send me away to a "safe place" for a "standard evaluation". My parents, fearing for my future, decided to agree to it. I wouldn't see their faces again until I was over halfway through my teenage years. I didn't receive "medical treatment" of any kind. I was imprisoned, beaten, raped, stabbed, drugged, brainwashed, tortured, and experimented on for years. I didn't have medicine, I was FORCED to take DRUGS which made me physically sick. I didn't receive "counseling", I received RE-EDUCATION, concentration camp style. ....And I didn't have a family return to. Their son died a long time ago, they looked different, they sounded different, they acted different....they weren't the family I was taken from, and I was a complete, and irrevocable STRANGER to them now. 

"Instead of embracing something positive, his rage and lack of control drug him deeper into the darkness."

At first it was my rage, then it was my feelings of obligation. Yes, I have had control issues before. I'm working on them. And yes, I am in a dark place. You would be too. Darkness has been my entire world for as long as I can remember, because I can't remember my life before I was seized into that world of darkness. The world is a scary place. Monsters do exist. The Law can't fix everything. That's why I am the way I am. That's why I feel the way I feel. 

"He allied with racists, championed bigots, attacked those who disagreed with him, and advised younger members on the board in questionable ways."

This is ALL A LIE, (except perhaps attacking people that I disagree with, but WE ALL DO THAT from time to time). Also, if all you're trying to say is that Donald Trump is a bigot, then why not just say that? Are you aware that Hillary Clinton is ALSO A BIGOT?! I can show you proof, given the time. I'd be happy to if it ended up with you not voting for that heinous, evil criminal. Did you know that SHE BLAMED A TWELVE YEAR OLD FOR BEING THE VICTIM OF HER OWN RAPE?! LOOK IT UP! Do some homework. Unless you've already voted without waiting for all the facts to come out. By the way people, the FBI has re-opened the criminal investigation into Hillary; there's a good chance she's going to get arrested. Whether or not it's before or after the election is too hard to say, but I'm pretty sure Director Comey wouldn't have risked saying anything if it wasn't a serious matter of pertinence to the previous investigation. He was pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place; make the statement early and tick off the Democrats, or make the statement after the election, ticking off republicans. Guess he genuinely felt that the American People have the right to know that HILLARY CLINTON IS A CROOKED MOBSTER. 

"He was literally becoming the person he despised."

Another lie. The people I despise are THE WWASPS. I've never kidnapped and tortured children to death for money, and I never will. 


"Paint me as insane, ‘Repeating the same actions, while hoping for a different result’, but I continued to entertain his rants and give him a chance. Each time he reverted back to losing control and attacking people on this board."

No, you didn't. You were hostile virtually every single time. Also, you as well as many others can also be said to be guilty of "losing control and attacking people on this board." 

"He is the classic, ‘thug’ he complains about. His lies and rants are that which is not much different than the ‘ghetto-lingo’ he loosely spoke about. His lust for revenge is insatiable and the ‘privilege’ that allows him to feel above others, he clasps, as a God given ‘Right’."

....Yeah, I guess I am a little bit of a thug. Hard life makes a hard person, hard people can be jerks, jerks can be called thugs. 
The only thing I've every lied to any of you about though IS MY IDENTITY. You and pretty much everyone here is lying about their identity. This is a forum; people rant. You can ignore it if you want to. You don't appear to want to. Starting to think perhaps you just like to stir up drama. As you yourself said, you knew this was a "divisive topic", yet decided to bring it up anyway, and when people disagreed to you, you lost it and started attacking me. You're acting like a hypocrite. No worries though; we're all human beings subject to human faults. 

On my feelings towards retribution, yes, I do feel it's a god-given right. We all have the right to justice. Under normal circumstances, the Law provides us with the Justice we all need to feel, but when the Law is UNJUST, then I feel justice must become an Outlaw. What is RIGHT, is not always what's legal. Sometime, revenge is not only justified, but necessary for the greater good. It means having to make a tough decision....that's what heroes do. ....A hero's not afraid to give his life.

"204 was a firefighter. Property and lives depended on his actions and decisions. HE went on a tirade as to how he got caught smoking drugs at work. HE DID THIS. No one forced him to do it. He went nuts about losing his job and blamed the entire world, NOT excluding those on this board."

Another lie. I NEVER blamed you or ANYONE for being kicked off the fire. ALSO, I wasn't smoking AT WORK. I was smoking a little marijuana in my tent, at night, OFF-DUTY. You failed to mention what "drug" I was smoking, and you failed to state that I wasn't endangering anyone. You instead opted to make me out to be a drug fiend that was actively on the job and putting everyone in danger, and that sir, is simply not the TRUTH. 


"And yet he always had a response and answer to the unfairness within this community. Listen to some of his whining and honestly ask yourself what his response would be if you swapped the race and/or gender of someone caught in his EXACT same situation."

Seriously? You're making this a race thing again?! Dude, are you sure YOU'RE not racist against WHITES? That's how I'm feeling. I feel like you're the racist one here. Not saying you are, but that's how you're coming off as. 

"What if a woman firefighter was caught smoking dope on the job? What about a Mexican woman firefighter? Oh, wait... in his world, a Mexican would never be worthy of being a firefighter in his town."

Omen, that is absolutely disgusting. My town has people of all different races just like anywhere else in America; Alaska is no exception, and most of us are not racist towards anyone, especially myself. I do have strong feelings on Illegal Immigration, but that's a political thing for me, NOT a race thing. Stop lying. 

"Of course, 204 wants the wall! If wouldn't surprise anyone. Of course we wants to inject political poison on to this board without the aspect of healthy discussion or points-of-view."

Yes, I do want the Wall. And you do realize that you're accusing me of the exact same thing that you are doing, right? Injecting political poison on to this board without the aspect of HEALTHY DISCUSSION or [different] point-of-view. Any rational, thinking person can clearly see that. 

"He has rarely struggled to place himself in the shoes of others; for it happens to be the critical ingredient of Empathy. He has announced his pride in not doing so and clearly stated that he flat-out didn’t care to. This is what honestly made me wonder, ‘WHY’ was he here on a Real Life Super Hero forum."

I admit it. I'm a high-functioning sociopath, but I HAVE struggled to place myself in others shoes. It's hard. Unless I've already BEEN in those shoes, such as in the case of the child-prisoners being tortured by the WWASPS, I have a TREMENDOUS amount of empathy for them. My brain doesn't work the way it should because I did not grow up the way I should have. I am here because of THAT empathy specifically; I'm here because I don't fit in as well in any other group. In this group, I've met the most amount of people that I can relate with. We're good friends. There's really only a small handful of people like you and Superman who can't seem to put themselves in other people's shoes. Ironic. 

"He can’t see the plight of minorities."

That's not true.

"He can’t comprehend the concept of equality."

That's not true. I comprehend the concept. It's just not a thing that exists in this world. The only way we would be equal is if we all grew up the exact same way and all believed the exact same things and all did the exact same things for society. Thank goodness not everything is created equal; life would be boring. But I DO understand the concept. 

"He can’t digest and/or respect religions."

...Actually, this is true. I hate religion. That's my right. Religious people ruined my life, and now subconsciously, whenever I think about religion, I think about the Mormon State of Utah, and all the atrocities that happen there every single day. Over time, I guess it just kinda made me hate religion altogether. I'm DEFINITELY willing to bet that certain events in your life ended up leaving you a little bit prejudiced hahaha. XD



"He is disgusted by authority…and yet, attracted to power."

Very true. I simply CANNOT fit it into my head why on earth someone else thinks they have any right whatsoever to tell me what to do or demand how I should live my life. I don't like people telling me what to do. I don't like people who want to turn me into a mindless drone. I don't like people who tell me that my aspirations and dreams are irrelevant. I'm an Atheist. I don't believe in an eternal afterlife where everything is perfect. I believe when I die, THAT'S IT, my body will rot in the ground, and that will be the story of me, THERE IS NO SEQUEL in my mind....I never asked to be born in this shitty universe, within this shitty solar system, on a shitty planet, under a shitty government, that would instantly demand I follow all of their shitty rules, during a shitty time, only to lead a shitty life, and DIE......WHAT GIVES THEM THE RIGHT!?!? ....This is MY life. It's the only one I get.....Goddamn me if I don't live it the way I want to; if I don't do what I feel in bones that I have to do. Damn me if I live my life a SLAVE, and god-damn right I'd rather die. I'd rather die than let society just slowly kill me, slowly grind me away like another cog in their machine.....just a fucking number...

"He cares not for fairness, as long as he is not the victim of unfairness."

Liar. I care ALL ABOUT fairness. I'm all about justice, and damn straight I don't take to being a victim of injustice very well.

"The depth of his foresight is limited to length of his shadow at high noon in the desert."

My foresight is fine. I just get personality swings from time to time, and so my views change along with my personalities, giving off a conflicting signal to others; mostly for the people who don't know me/all of myselves. 

"There are no more excuses that can be made for 204."

And there's no need for one. Only in your mind. And maybe a select few others. 

"He is no longer a child under 18… he is a man."

Another rare statement of truth. 

"When he had the chance to create his own forum and board to serve his type of topics, rants, and subjects… it laid empty as a virtual wasteland. He did not once wonder or ask, why others did not come over to him or follow. Instead… he came back to this community and relaunched his topics, rants, and subjects forcing more and more of the members in this community to exit without looking back."

Yes, I tried out the whole forum-making thingy. Couldn't really get into it because it was too glitchy; I like in the middle of nowhere, Alaska, and the internet connection here sucks bad. Took way too long to work the site-manager. That's why it died, sorry to disappoint. (Lol, who am I kidding; you won't be disappointed, you probably still think you're completely right and I'm completely wrong. XD)

Also, I'm not the sole one responsible for anyone leaving, if they ever even did. It's just the fact that from time to time drama gets stirred up. Like right now. Why? Because of you. I know, I know; I'm a nice, easy target to pin the blame on. I understand.

"And now he has returned again."

Yep. And within the rules, (I deleted my last account myself). And this is the first somewhat uncouth post of mine this time, and it's a direct result of YOUR somewhat uncouth post. You want peace? Don't attack people. I tried to be friendly. I'm just not good at it. I was counting on you also wanting a civil discussion. Guess you can't be counted on to not provoke and insult people who you disagree with. *shrugs* 

PS: It would be seriously cool if we really could just politely and respectfully agree to disagree without name-calling and false accusations. Willing to give it a try if you are. If all you're wanting to do though is fan the flames, then the nicest thing you could do is just keep it to yourself. I think we have both already said what's needed to be said in regards to our opinions on this topic; anything further and other than the subject would be a waste of time. My apologies in advance if I hurt your feelings more than intended. 


--204

^^This.

I'd like to see The Unreality Lab get bigger. Right now we have a lot of ideas, but not much happening with them being realized. Seems like the kind of thing that gets more effective with each new person but we're operating with a small number of users now. On the bright side Superman started it involving more of the users we do have in administration and moderation. I'm all for free discussion and topics which develop beyond their initial questions, but in here we seem to be getting off subject. More moderators means more attention paid to when threads might need to be split. Not saying anything against the Admins here, because keeping mod privileges contained to a small number of users has its advantages too--that's just a different approach.

I do see a lot of good ideas on the UL boards, and in the meetings I was able to attend. Hopefully, soon, I'll be able to participate more in the activity

Something that many of us are forgetting about this topic is, regardless of who we are, appearances really are important. As much as I don't like admitting that my father is right on that point, he is; people, especially under pressure, revert to the availability heuristic (for those who aren't familiar with the term, it basically means that information is automatically processed by the first thought that comes to mind, when that information is perceived; pine trees for Christmas, fireworks for Independence Day, etc.). Some of those heuristics 'trigger' certain thoughts and feelings in us, and some of those are so powerful that, unless we consciously try to override them, they will overrule our better judgment. Depending on what we've had communicated to us our entire lives, and our personal experiences, that could mean anything, but it does mean we all have biases to overcome