I always believed racism was something of the past, something that my generation had nothing to do with. Throughout this class I was made to think deeper on many topics, one being racism. I grew up with a father and grandparents who often used the “n word”, I never said anything about it until I was older and felt comfortable telling them times had changed and language like that was inappropriate. It took about a year but they stopped using that term at least around me. I was blindsided by some of the comments that came out when President Obama was elected, the hatred that these people had not just for him but his family. I believe he has done a great deal for our country while in office, the hate that he and …show more content…
Had they really improved? I began to compare the Rodney King riots and the riots in Baltimore last year. There were several instances where the situations were the same. I believe we have made progress toward equality, but I believe it will be a never ending process. As I looked I found an interview that President Obama did in 2015. In it he states that he tells young people to not say nothings changed unless you have lived through the worst times as a black male. He also brings up a good point that attitudes have changed. I do not have the same attitudes my grandparents have even though we are family and they were involved in my upbringing. Although some things seem like they have not changed, the focus needs to be on the improvements that America has made in regard to …show more content…
I believe yes, as Americans we are now in a better position to capture video of police misbehavior. Am I saying that every time you get pulled over for speeding you should film and harass the officer, no. In October of 2015 100 of the nation’s top politicians and law enforcement officers held a private meeting. In that meeting they came to the consensus that citizens are responsible for a less proactive nation of police officers. They call it the YouTube effect, claiming that police officers have stopped being aggressive in their methods for fear that a career ending video of their actions will make its way online. Especially in today’s media police are seen as the bad guys before any news actually comes out. There was a case in Utah last year where a man was going door to door to shovel sidewalks. Some of the residents in the neighborhood felt unsafe and called the police. When the officer approached the man became aggravated, the body camera the officer was wearing caught the whole thing. The man hits the officer with the shovel and knocks him off a porch, then hits him with the shovel while he is down breaking the body camera in the process. The officer suffered fractured bones in an arm and foot. The officer shot and killed the man with the shovel. Not all police officers are racist, some are and when the situation is justified I believe recording and reporting is a great way to help weed out