Two histories, one future - A discourse to the Daily Press

In regard to, Two histories, one future. 2-24-2019 Daily Press Opinion “Where the Newspaper stands.” Let's break this opinion down into a readable analysis and then offer discourse.

“ African-Americans still live within our society where policies and practices keep our fellow citizens at the back of the bus and force them to travel  separate avenues to succeed.”

Reasons:
1. Separate and unequal paths leading to economic independence
2. An atmosphere that stifles the ability to obtain adequate health care.
3. African -American are profiled by police officers at higher rates than other drivers.
4. Virginia courts levy harsher sentences to African Americans than other defendants.

5. African Americans are referred to the justice system at greater rates than their whiter counterparts for “acting out in class.”
6. Africa Americans are consistently arrested, charged and convicted of drug crimes including possession, distribution, and conspiracy at far higher rates than whites.
7. African-Americans defendants who plead guilty to malicious wounding or burglary receive higher sentences at twice the rate of Whites.

So we have a list of grievances. Now, let's find the reason why shall we?
According to the Daily Press and I quote. “ Whether it is the result of unconscious bias on the part of some police, prosecutors, and judges or sickness that infects the entire criminal justice system, we do not know.”

The blame game:

Reasons for failure:
1. Gatekeeper is Mr. Herring, who has admitted to wearing blackface has done little to nothing to review these newspapers findings regarding equal protections for defendants.
2. African Americans were 2.4 times more likely to be denied a conventional home loan as white applicants.
3. And for the second time in this opinion, we read the following. “ People of color face significant disparities in access to health care.”


The Daily Presses reasons for:

1. African-Americans are traveling a road that has many more obstacles than whites.
2. Too few elected officials realize there needs to be a greater urgency to make the road more accessible to blacks.
3. Society must recognize injustice exist and take corrective measures.
4. The Daily Press suites the term “systemic racism, to bring attention to prejudices that appear racist, “because of the way these (policies?) are written.
5. Lots of European-Americans (whites) are treated unfairly. Yet there is always a (BUT) when it comes to the Daily Press- time and time again, a Spector (dreaded source of terror) is heaped on African - Americans at greater rates.

A solution offered by the Daily Press:

“Society must recognize injustice exists and take corrective action and measures that can only evolve through tough conversations on College Campuses, Suburban neighborhoods, in the main street diner and at family dinner tables.”

The paper goes on to write concerning Del Jay Jones, D- Norfolk.
1. Del. Jones family experienced and fought racism for generations.
2. Del. Jones called for forgiveness...
3. We must address longstanding issues head-on.
4. We need healing and reconciliation between African-Americans and European Americans.
5. Let's not let these differences fester.

The paper finishes with the following advice for all readers.
1. Like a Sunday sermon, we are asked to go out and begin conversations on our own.
2. They want us to talk about our families and past experiences of past generations.
3. The paper insists that a foundation of understanding can be had through education for an understanding of where we are going.
4. The paper assumes European Virignians and African Virginians have separate pasts. I assume, that by talking about our pasts we can bind our futures.

So the Daily Press wants a conversation? Let's start here with this video from World Cloud.
(https://worldcloudnetwork.com/).   https://www.facebook.com/WorldCloudLA/videos/807724096018441?sfns=mo

Let us move on to history. If we are to understand the present as the Daily Press points to, then let us understand our past.
Let us start here with this paper.
https://www.edge.org/conversation/jared_diamond-why-did-human-history-unfold-differently-on-different-continents-for-the

If the Daily Press wants to articulate the 7-reasons found at the beginning of this opinion as written by the editors of the Daily Press then let us start here. https://www.amazon.com/Race-Economics-Discrimination-Institution-Publication/dp/0817912452 I read this book and many of Walter Willams books. Walter Williams, in my opinion, speaks the truth to the 7-reasons you list yet, you do not recognize. Why does the Daily Press not acknowledge the possibility of the truth that may be different than the opinion of the writer's reality?

I wrote Jay Jones and the Daily Press this week. You can find my letter to the Delegate and the Daily Press here. You may find this and other commentaries at www.discourseweekly.com. So far there has been no response and of course, there will not be a response from the Daily Press if, past history of no response holds true. Alas, I have my own 7-reasons why.

My discourse to Delegate Jay Jones “ Bias defines daily life for blacks” as found in the Daily Press 2-22-2019.

I read the article and the Delegate talks about and notes, “bias defines daily life for Blacks”

The term Bias from the Webster dictionary is as follows.

1a: an inclination of temperament or outlook

especially: a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment: PREJUDICE

b: an instance of such prejudice

c: BENT, TENDENCY

d(1): deviation of the expected value of a statistical estimate from the quantity it estimates

(2) : systematic error introduced into sampling or testing by selecting or encouraging one outcome or answer over others.

Other definitions bring us closer to a racial bias.

A particular tendency, trend, inclination, feeling, or opinion, especially one that is preconceived or unreasoned: illegal bias against older job applicants; the magazine’s bias toward art rather than photography; our strong bias in favor of the idea. unreasonably hostile feelings or opinions about a social group; prejudice accusations of racial bias.

The term prejudice comes up in our definitions of bias thus we must define prejudice. Definition: preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.

The Delegate says that the blackface perpetrated by Ralph Northam at el, and I quote “To me, and many people like me, these events are a window into a struggle that defines daily life for black Americans from the day we are born to the day we die”

I feel your pain, “I am prejudged with bias and prejudices by black people from the day I am born to the day I die.”

I, on the other hand, will offer recent and past examples.

1. I am white therefore you think I am racist.

2. I wear a MAGA hat, therefore, you think I am racist.

3. I celebrate my southern heritage and therefore you think I am racist.

4. I have worked hard in life and have done well. You think that is because I and others are racist.

5. Because I have succeeded and you have not, I am racist.

6. I have taken the stance to exclaim “ social welfare of the sixties is a complete failure and has harmed the black community.” But when I make this observation, I am labeled a racist. When Walter Williams makes the same observation he is ignored.

7. I have taken the stance of marriage between a man and a woman is the only way to raise a child. Single parent families should not be normal in our society. Noting 75% of all children born to black women are not in marriage, I am labeled a racist when Walter Williams makes this observation he is ignored. This is today.

The Delegate’s examples are from the 60’s meaning he is still clinging to stories of old, stories taught him by a father and grandfather. He presents anecdotal evidence from child rearing. I can do the same, having been jumped and beaten by blacks in the 1960s on a regular basis.

I think when it comes down to prejudices and bias we need to examine experiences. The black community needs to examine the harm they do to themselves when they beat a white boy at the age of 10 in the 1960s because he is white. The black community needs to own up to the violence perpetrated against whites in the past and present and how that has affected a community that is 18% of the population in America. This is the history the liberals and most likely you will not respond to or acknowledge as you will always want to play the victim and not take responsibility or acknowledge the true history of our past. I have to say, and based on my experiences it has taken me many years and now at the age of 58, to overcome my fear of black people based on my childhood. I think the same can be said for your father and grandfather. I will say this, you were not there in the 1960s and while our history books portray a mighty injustice during that era and I am thankful for the civil rights afforded all today, in the 1960’s we were at war in our schools, in our neighborhoods, our parks, and our streets. Both sides guilty of harming the other and that harm, if you want to heal the races, needs to be acknowledged. The harm of the Black Panthers, the harm is done by today's protestors shouting kill cops, fry them like bacon, burning down cities needs to stop. You point the finger at me and that is ok, but you need to look deep into the mirror young man.

 “Prejudices are not “prejudice” if they are related to actual experience. What I am saying is our biases are related to our prejudices, are related to our experiences and our need to survive. Our experiences in life create preservation of life action. So, when you ask why do I cross the street when you walk by, it is because in the 1960s there was a good chance your father or grandfather would have beaten me. If I avoid you, it is based on experiences and bias and not prejudices according to the definition of prejudices. If I experienced as a child or adult bad experiences in my relationship with blacks and on a daily basis, I learn self-preservation, and of course, self-preservation is not prejudice or bias.

The Daily Press finishes its opinion with advice. My advice.

1. Why do you call me white? I am European American and your reference to my skin color is racist.

2. You want us to talk about the past generations? Ok, then let's talk about why you, only want to talk about black history during the civil rights era from one perspective? Let's talk about how the media, political figures and race baiters like Al Sharpton only portray one narrative? There is a part of the civil rights movement you simply do not want to address in my opinion.

3. Ralph Northam, LT Governor Herring and Justin Fairfax. Let's talk about these people as you have done in your opinion. Let's talk about how the Daily Press endorsed all three of these candidates for office. This is a truth you conveniently leave out and avoid. Let's ask why the media did not do it’s homework and blindly follows the Democrats with endorsements of candidates.

4. Let's talk about tough conversations. I am willing to meet with any of you. Let's observe the following. College campuses are not the place for discourse. Let us be reminded of how conservatives have been treated on college campuses for the last two years. William and Mary invited one conservative to speak. After leaving the students called him a racist (note: not brave enough to call him racist to his face.) Other college conservative invites need to be reviewed. Conservatives at CA Berkeley were threatened with harm and Antifa students promote violence against speakers. Students shouting down speakers with no respect and college presidents allow this behavior. College presidents have lost control of the insane asylum. Professors are teaching hate of fellow citizens and indoctrinating students to socialism. NO, I say college campuses is not the place for discussion when the students have no respect for differences of opinion and respect for speakers.

So, here we are. I am offering to speak to any of you. I am willing to have this tough conversation. I am willing to listen and I am willing to offer my experiences. I do not see any of you replying, in other words, you like to preach but, not be preached to. Marisa Porto will not respond. Digby Solomon will not respond. Mike Mullin will not respond. Monty Mason will not respond. The Daily Press will not respond beyond a robot. Peggy Bellows will not respond. The Gazette will not respond. Jay Jones will not respond. Katherine Rowe will not respond. So you get the picture right?



The best part is, Walter Williams will respond, sometimes.