F is for Fascism (Ferguson MO)

[PhDeac]

Friend shared this on Facebook:

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Sue Klebold, the mother of Dylan Klebold -- the Columbine High School murderer -- wrote a book about her son and the aftereffects of his violent rampage and suicide. On Amazon, the book has 4.6 out of 5 stars with 75% 5-star reviews. In large part, reviewers commend her bravery, her eloquence, and her strength. Even critical reviews are mostly empathetic and proclaim, "My heart goes out to her."

The mother of Michael Brown, Lezley McSpadden, also recently wrote a book about her son and the aftereffects of his death after he was murdered by a police officer. On Amazon, the book has 3.3 out of 5 stars. 43% of these reviews are one-star. They condemn both McSpadden and her son, writing, "The only truth here is that Mike Brown was a violent criminal, and he got what he deserved. Darren Wilson is the real hero of this story," "...shame on you mom for trying to make money with your son's bad behavior that got himself shot," "Loved the ending!," and "An interesting work of fiction. The narrative would be better if she explained how she failed as a parent and raised a criminal."

Why is our society so willing to offer public care and compassion to the mother of Klebold but not Brown? It's so easy for us to pretend that race isn't a factor and that we are living in a post-racial era, but look at the response to these two grieving mothers side by side. We offer more sympathy to the white mother of a murderer than the black mother of the murdered. And THAT difference -- our ability and our desire to imagine the humanity of the one and not the other -- is interwoven into the fabric of this country.
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[ImTheCaptain]

FWIW kebold's has 618 reviews, released in Feb '16;

McSpadden 93; released on the 10th of May

 

[Junebug]

Friend shared this on Facebook:

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Sue Klebold, the mother of Dylan Klebold -- the Columbine High School murderer -- wrote a book about her son and the aftereffects of his violent rampage and suicide. On Amazon, the book has 4.6 out of 5 stars with 75% 5-star reviews. In large part, reviewers commend her bravery, her eloquence, and her strength. Even critical reviews are mostly empathetic and proclaim, "My heart goes out to her."

The mother of Michael Brown, Lezley McSpadden, also recently wrote a book about her son and the aftereffects of his death after he was murdered by a police officer. On Amazon, the book has 3.3 out of 5 stars. 43% of these reviews are one-star. They condemn both McSpadden and her son, writing, "The only truth here is that Mike Brown was a violent criminal, and he got what he deserved. Darren Wilson is the real hero of this story," "...shame on you mom for trying to make money with your son's bad behavior that got himself shot," "Loved the ending!," and "An interesting work of fiction. The narrative would be better if she explained how she failed as a parent and raised a criminal."

Why is our society so willing to offer public care and compassion to the mother of Klebold but not Brown? It's so easy for us to pretend that race isn't a factor and that we are living in a post-racial era, but look at the response to these two grieving mothers side by side. We offer more sympathy to the white mother of a murderer than the black mother of the murdered. And THAT difference -- our ability and our desire to imagine the humanity of the one and not the other -- is interwoven into the fabric of this country.
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Maybe McSpadden's book sucks? Maybe Klebold was apologetic and McSpadden defiant? Without knowing the content of the books the reviews say nothing.

 

[PhDeac]

The quoted reviews didn't say anything about the content of the book.

The point is about how both authors are judged.

 

[Junebug]

So you think they just wrote the reviews without thinking about the content of the books?

I knew this guy who could have voted for Obama but he voted for Romney instead so he's obviously a racist.

 

[PhDeac]

Are you familiar with the Internet?

 

[Junebug]

Are you familiar with the Internet?

Enough to know that the anonymity of the internet--like the invisibility gained by donning the One Ring--can create an evil that isn't otherwise there.

 

[PhDeac]

Anonymity does not create evil. It frees people from being sanctioned for evil actions.

 

[Junebug]

Anonymity does not create evil. It frees people from being sanctioned for evil actions.

In some instances, you are undoubtedly correct. But I think in the majority of cases, the opposite is true; the anonymity creates an evil that wouldn't exist in community.

 

[ImTheCaptain]

In some instances, you are undoubtedly correct. But I think in the majority of cases, the opposite is true; the anonymity creates an evil that wouldn't exist in community.

example please of how the state of anonymity compels a person to act

 

[Junebug]

example please of how the state of anonymity compels a person to act

Makes you wonder

 

[ImTheCaptain]

no, i think your point is quite clear. i just don't think it makes any sense and I want to see you try to explain it.

 

[avalon]

She was charged in juvenile court with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. Williams claimed she had tried to kick him, de la Cruz said.

He said the charges against Tillman were dismissed by a judge who viewed the video and found no evidence that the officer was investigating a crime when Tillman was stopped and no evidence that she assaulted Williams.

Tillman’s brother, who is one year older, was also arrested and cited for bicycling without a helmet, said de la Cruz.

Williams still works for the Tacoma Police Department, according to a department spokeswoman.

Lawsuit: Tacoma cop at mall threw teen girl around ‘like a child’s doll’

 

[avalon]

This is old, but just came across my Twitter feed:

The First 48 Makes Millions Off Imprisoning Innocents

It was great television. And sure enough, within days, barely past the show's deadline, Miami Police had their man. The missing roommate, 21-year-old Taiwan Smart — who'd been present before the murders but conspicuously absent afterward — was charged on November 18, 2009, with two counts of second-degree murder. "What we have is a circumstantial case, but the circumstantial evidence that we have tells a strong story," Detective Fabio Sanchez said into the cameras as Smart was carted away in handcuffs. Sanchez paused. "It's a shame that these two victims, who were very young, had to lose their lives to a person who they thought was their friend."

But the cops' case wasn't nearly as strong as Sanchez made it sound. To lock up Smart — which they'd do for a staggering 20 months — Miami Police would grossly misrepresent witness statements and tell outright lies. They'd take an impoverished kid and destroy his character not only on the streets but on a national scale. Finally, they'd ignore the man who was fingered as the real killer.

The tragedy inflicted upon this wrongfully accused man, however, is only the latest injustice in this show's history. In Detroit, city police shot a 7-year-old girl in the head in a bungled attempt to catch a suspect on The First 48. In Houston, another man was locked up for three years after cops wrongfully accused him of murder within the first 48 hours. And in Miami, according to a New Times examination of court records, at least 15 men have walked free of murder charges spawned under the program's glare.

Despite it all — sloppy crime scenes, rushed arrests, ruined lives — The First 48, which has now reached its 13th season, is as popular as ever. Millions of Americans tune in to every new episode, and with ratings as seductive as these, who cares about a few botched investigations?

At the time of Taiwan Smart's arrest, there were several people whom detectives might have wanted to interview. One witness, named only "Christine" in the investigation's internal logs, said the killer had sought vengeance for a past Little Haiti murder — a tale corroborated by Smart. Another witness, 40-year-old Wayne Mitchell, had heard that his friend's cousins were behind the killings.

Perhaps these tips seemed too tangential or the witnesses too unreliable, or maybe detectives felt the heat of The First 48's deadline, but cops didn't investigate the leads.

The families of the murdered never see a dime of the show's profits. "No one cared that my boy was killed, and the cops just rushed it for a damn show," says Clyde Ray, the stooped father of Smart's murdered 14-year-old roommate. "Everyone was a victim in this. Them boys killed, that boy who spent two years in prison for it."

 

[Deacs89]

Friend shared this on Facebook:

----------
Sue Klebold, the mother of Dylan Klebold -- the Columbine High School murderer -- wrote a book about her son and the aftereffects of his violent rampage and suicide. On Amazon, the book has 4.6 out of 5 stars with 75% 5-star reviews. In large part, reviewers commend her bravery, her eloquence, and her strength. Even critical reviews are mostly empathetic and proclaim, "My heart goes out to her."

The mother of Michael Brown, Lezley McSpadden, also recently wrote a book about her son and the aftereffects of his death after he was murdered by a police officer. On Amazon, the book has 3.3 out of 5 stars. 43% of these reviews are one-star. They condemn both McSpadden and her son, writing, "The only truth here is that Mike Brown was a violent criminal, and he got what he deserved. Darren Wilson is the real hero of this story," "...shame on you mom for trying to make money with your son's bad behavior that got himself shot," "Loved the ending!," and "An interesting work of fiction. The narrative would be better if she explained how she failed as a parent and raised a criminal."

Why is our society so willing to offer public care and compassion to the mother of Klebold but not Brown? It's so easy for us to pretend that race isn't a factor and that we are living in a post-racial era, but look at the response to these two grieving mothers side by side. We offer more sympathy to the white mother of a murderer than the black mother of the murdered. And THAT difference -- our ability and our desire to imagine the humanity of the one and not the other -- is interwoven into the fabric of this country.
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your friend is an idiot

 

[bmoneydeac]

Strong rebuttal as always

 

[bobknightfan]

your friend is an idiot

And Michael Brown wasn't murdered. He was responsible for his own death with multiple deadly irresponsible actions.

 

[ImTheCaptain]

The quoted reviews didn't say anything about the content of the book.

The point is about how both authors are judged.

5 days later, the book is now a 4.5 star w/ 92 reviews. i'm guessing Amazon wiped out the racist non-reviews

 

[Milhouse]

so much outrage, so little time

 

[avalon]

SFPD Chief Greg Suhr resigns after police killing of woman

Suhr’s resignation came after a tumultuous day that began when two officers came upon a black woman in a sedan on the edge of the Bayview district. The officers suspected the car was stolen, but before they could question the woman, she drove off, police said.

The car crashed into a utility truck a short distance away. Although no weapon was found on the woman and the car was wedged under the truck, a police sergeant fired a single shot, killing her, police said.

For the mayor, the shooting happened under the worst circumstances at the worst possible time — what appeared to be an unarmed woman who was black, shot by a sergeant who apparently used none of the de-escalation tactics that Suhr and Lee had been pushing for months.