This Chappelle bit is powerful. Recommend it to everyone.
Thrag
5061
Switching gears to some good news, reconstruction and the dismantling of the confederacy continues to proceed nicely.
Timex
5064
I like watching white people talk down to other white people about how their views aren’t valid, and they shouldn’t talk about things.
I didn’t mean to provoke any reactions other than “Please watch Chappelle’s thing,” so apologies if I seemed otherwise.
Instead, I’ll admit some of my own white ignorance. I had no real idea of the incredible importance of June 11, 1963 (I mean, I knew about Medgar Evers, and JFK and the Civil Rights act, and Wallace, but didn’t connect them all into a single incredible day), and didn’t really acknowledge that importance yesterday.
So I will now, now that I know. This is such a worthwhile read on one of the most important days – I think, seeing it now – in our post-war history.
KevinC
5067
I just watched it. That was a terrific performance. I don’t know if “performance” is the right word, but you know what I mean.
Heh. Yeah, I wasn’t sure what to call it either, so I just went with “thing”. Which probably could’ve used a smarter person’s word choice. :)
As some have pointed out in this thread, the ideas within “Defund the police” are quite smart and very much on point.
But the “branding” if you will of the slogan doesn’t appear to be a dog that will hunt. If it’s that far underwater with blacks, time to brainstorm another way to put reform out there.
Or, out another way, “Overton window successfully shifted.”
Thrag
5073
“Replace some of the police with first responders that are more appropriate to the situation.”
Now how do we edit that down to bumper sticker length.
Of course that’s not even all of it because it doesn’t touch on spending money on things that reduce to root causes of crime.
Also, we have to add “fund homes and services for the homeless and mentally ill so we don’t need police to constantly harass them by taking some of the money we spend on police we won’t need to do that any more” to that bumper sticker. Gonna need a small font.
“As Woolen_Horde pointed out up-thread…” :D
I think Telefrog also made that same point, too. I thought it was pretty salient, especially comparing it to the frame of reference that a lot of folks have, where “defund” things like Planned Parenthood means “Get rid of”.
I mean, the thing about ‘defund the police’ as a slogan is that candidates for office aren’t going to embrace the slogan unless it helps them. So it will do absolutely no harm to the candidates, while it serves as a great rallying cry for the activists who want real change; and they are gaining ground.
Timex
5078
Most folks are going to interpret “defund” as “get rid of”, as you say… that’s what it’s always meant in the past. And indeed, it’s exactly how it’s being used in this case, by many.
It’s just a bad way of phrasing it. Rather than try to explain how “it really means…”, they need to just call it something else.
I’m not seeing why folks can’t just say “major reform of the justice system.” That’s what people are actually talking about.
The “defund police” phrasing needs to end, now, because it’s a freaking GIFT to the GOP.
I’m not sure it will do absolutely no harm to candidates. They’ll be painted with a broad brush because it’s a progressive idea. And if those candidates don’t embrace “Defund the police”, they draw the ire of those who push the slogan, which lets “Dems in disarray” headlines flourish.
Candidates will constantly be asked if they support “Defund the Police”
Because “reform” has become politician code for “do something irrelevant and claim it’s better” even among Democrats.
I thought “repeal and replace” might work but it’s possible that would also be perceived as pushing too far or perhaps simply already tainted too much by Republicans and health care.
They already are. This is just icing on the cake when it comes to that.
And they’ll answer with some form of I think we need substantial reform of policing to accomplish X and Y and Z and that we also need to have police in some form.
In any event, activists are going to keep saying defund the police.
Thrag
5083
This is the catch-22 here. To black people reform is a term that has been made meaningless through repetition. The police departments have been “reforming” since the civil rights movement.
On one hand we have a term that is taken to mean too much by one group and a term that means little if nothing to another.
Thrag
5084
They will be asked, and the good ones should be able to use it as an opportunity to explain some details of their position rather than fall for the false dilemma.
