Reporters in Birmingham, Alabama, attacked live on camera with a bottle and then beaten by demonstrators

To my friends on the right side of history:

Don't worry too much about the people in this thread trying to completely ignore the point of the protests in order to point out some shit that shouldn't have happened.

It's a distraction. It's them trying to validate that their fear is correct. That the black man is irrational and will even hit journalists and attack people who don't deserve it.

The biggest difference here is that this isn't systematic. This is reactionary to a cauldron bubbling over, not just an inherent rule that says black people will lash out when angry. Of course they won't say that's what they mean (because they know to SAY it would be wrong) but it's being heavily implied.

What this dude did was wrong. Those reporters should have been safe... But if THIS is the thing they're paying the most attention to with everything else going on, there's some fear responses happening.

And now to my friends on the WRONG side of history:

You guys are losing.

This won't be the end of racism in America, but this powderkeg has been building for a while and it's a sign that things won't stay the same.

You guys are losing.

Your safety bubble of privileged normalcy is being eroded so that other people can be brought up, and you're just making it about what YOU. This isn't about you. You'd know that if you'd listen instead of applying yourself and how you feel to situations that are way bigger than you.

You guys are losing.

Are you scared? Good. The people that have been oppressed for generations are too. Worse than you. Way worse than you've ever been. And that has given them way more power than you guys have.

You guys are losing.

Did you see these people with ARs demanding haircuts and freedom? No, you see these people demanding that their lives be taken seriously... and you're concerned that they aren't doing it according to the law that has abused them? Fuck right off. You're wrong. You're scared.

You guys are losing.

Most racists don't think they're racist. They're just looking at the facts or being pragmatic or whatever they want to tell themselves to completely separate the point from what is actually happening so they don't have to question difficult questions about what they think about people different than them.

You guys are losing.

You guys have lost over and over and over again throughout history and are the villains.

The worst people in history had perspective that made them feel justified.

You still have time to actually check what you're feeling vs your moral compass, be that the bible or some other philosophy. That's how you win. You listen to morality and decency and you help these people just live their lives like humans.

But until then you guys are losing.

And you'll be losing until you swap sides and give a damn about people. And not just the ones like you from your neighborhood.

Even if you feel like you're empowered, it's temporary death throes. History is pretty clear on that.

/r/Alabama Thread Link - twitter.com