Journal so... just my thoughts on what's happening in the world.

[proiettile]

i half expect this to get deleted within the next 20 minutes so here we go

so... i was honestly just thinking this, and it's probably because of the quarantine. i just started typing here, so... apologies, it might not be the best ^^''


the younger people of the world are some of the most accepting yet rejecting people at the same time. like, by this you can see some of the most open-minded people in gen z and millennials (or gen y i think), and some of the most closed minded people. and... honestly, it's kinda scary. yes, it sounds immature, but the way that i see it, we need more people that are both open minded and closed minded. what i mean by this is that people keep doing reckless things, like what recently happened in Minneapolis, a riot happened. over a few officers being incredibly close-minded, and not even protecting the peace by physically making someone unable to breathe at that moment (an officer's knee was on his neck for 8-9 minutes.) in response, 2 people or more recorded it, and it became known to the public. now, i'm not in the slightest condoning what happened in Minneapolis is right in the slightest, but i can understand it, to a degree. a few open-minded people thought that it'd be an interesting idea to... vandalize? steal? whatever you want to call it, it created a bandwagon effect, and more and more people began to join in, burning buildings down, and it seems to be finally calming down with increasing armed forces coming in for protection. now, it is the officer's fault for this starting, but what had transpired before? was the man doing something like... murder? or something? i honestly think it went way too far, which could have been entirely prevented by a more open-minded person, and not someone who would attack, but arrest them without choking them or causing them physical pain, was there to handle the case, this would have been much easier to work with.

and this is how i'm mentally defining open-minded and closed minded

open minded is someone who's willing to take more risks, and try more new things. closed minded is someone who prefers to keep with what they know, and stay on that track. if we had a combination of both of those kinds of people, it wouldn't fix everything, but it could be a bit more peaceful... ish. i don't know. this isn't a vent post, this is just me... giving my idea, persay.


random 13 year old who really doesn't know much is... done.

**apparently it was over a counterfeit $20 bill... i can understand that money is tight, but police brutality isn't... it's illegal. i hope. i don't know the laws, ok? but that sounds like domestic abuse or something. again, i don't know many laws, other than beating someone, driving while drunk, and a few others are illegal. i'm just trying to give my point of view as i can see it with the amount of information i have... so apologies if i made anyone angry by posting this.​

 

[Delinquent]

now, it is the officer's fault for this starting, but what had transpired before? was the man doing something like... murder? or something?

It doesn't matter what led to Georg Floyd's arrest (it was for paying with a counterfeit 20$ bill, by the way), it doesn't justify the police brutality that followed regardless.

 

[rae2nerdy]

So the people who are destroying property are not affiliated with the protesters. Many videos are circulating showing white people instigating a lot of the property damage**

The man who murdered George Floyd has also been confirmed to be a serial killer* who murdered at least two or three other people of color (I can’t remember the exact number but if you would like I can send you the link to his charges via PM).

* I don’t know if he’s a literal serial killer as I can’t remember how many people you have to kill before you get that label.

** Previous statement about arrests and undercover cops are under investigation. Will update when a more definitive answer reveals itself.

(edited for clarity)

 

[defenderofberk]

So the people** who are destroying property have been confirmed to be either undercover police or white people shipped in from out of state.

The man who murdered George Floyd has also been confirmed to be a serial killer* who murdered at least two or three other people of color (I can’t remember the exact number but if you would like I can send you the link to his charges via PM).

* I don’t know if he’s a literal serial killer as I can’t remember how many people you have to kill before you get that label.

** The Governor I believe said it was about 80% of arrests. And this is a phenomena that’s showing up in other protests across the country as well. So it’s possible there are a relatively small minority of legitimate protesters rioting but it’s mostly white supremacists or white people who are using the protests as an excuse to stir up trouble

(edited for clarity)

The White people involved in the riot are either looters (there were a few but not that many) or Antifa.

Also, there are plenty of black people looting and destroying the place. There's mass video footage of it. Does that mean it's all blacks? No. But it doesn't mean the damage (or most of it anyways) is caused by white people.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Also to expand on what you brought up yourself. I moved to the Midwest when I was nine years old (I'm in my thirties now so that was some time ago ). The week I moved into my new hometown there was a KKK rally in my town square. I remember hearing that somewhere between 100-200 Klan members would be coming into town and that residents were encouraged to stay in their homes. I remember vividly being shocked. I had been taught that the KKK was something that existed in my grandparent's time. That they went away with the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luthor King JR.

I was so stunned, and I think my mom was stunned too. Because we had just never had to deal with the reality that such things could still exist in an America where black people had equal rights. But I think that's a failing of my education system and honestly the fact that I never grew up in predominately black neighborhoods. (The place I moved from had notoriously bad education standards, people graduated with barely a ninth-grade education. My new hometown tbh isn't much better. I think we might also graduate with a ninth-grade education)

I think this is where your own generation has a leg up because you have the power of the internet on your side. You aren't limited to just what the textbooks tell you about American history OR what your parents can tell you. You can look up things online, you can read news sources from multiple outlets, you can follow podcasts, etc. You can educate yourself in ways that I would never have dreamed of at your age.

I know it's scary and a little overwhelming. And I certainly wouldn't recommend jumping into the deep end of the internet without a parent's permission or guidance. But even if you can't find out things yourself you have the option going forward. I didn't really start to question the things I had been taught until college. And every few months I am reminded of how much I have left to learn. Again I'm in my thirties and I admit I don't know everything.

I think a good thing that George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmed Aubrey show us is how much we have to work on still. That this country has a long way to go before we can fully say we are an equal society for all. But it is also heartening to see the truth. America has a real problem with racism and the only way we cure it is by acknowledging that it exists. By white people and young people and people who aren't directly affected acknowledging what's happening. Amplifying the truth. And saying enough is enough.

Edited - I am certainly not offended by your post. I am actually pleased that a young person is attempting to understand what is going on. It is the responsibility of those older and wiser to help you learn. To show you things in context and to expand your views of the world.

 

[rae2nerdy]

The White people involved in the riot are either looters (there were a few but not that many) or Antifa.

Also, there are plenty of black people looting and destroying the place. There's mass video footage of it. Does that mean it's all blacks? No. But it doesn't mean the damage (or most of it anyways) is caused by white people.

If you could send me links to articles about this I would be very pleased. You can send them to me via PM.

 

[defenderofberk]

Honestly 13 is really too young to get into politics, regardless of your leanings. Wait until you can look at things objectively, which will be at least 16/17.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Honestly 13 is really too young to get into politics, regardless of your leanings. Wait until you can look at things objectively, which will be at least 16/17.

lol not gonna lie that got a chuckle out of me.

 

[defenderofberk]

lol not gonna lie that got a chuckle out of me.

Because you think I don't look at things objectively?

 

[rae2nerdy]

Because you think I don't look at things objectively?

Wait your 16/17?

 

[defenderofberk]

Wait your 16/17?

Would it change your opinions if I was?

 

[rae2nerdy]

Would it change your opinions if I was?

No just would be surprised the age of consent is so young in your neck of the woods. I don’t know why but I thought it was eighteen. But legit couldn’t tell you where that idea came from.

 

[defenderofberk]

No just would be surprised the age of consent is so young in your neck of the woods. I don’t know why but I thought it was eighteen. But legit couldn’t tell you where that idea came from.

Oh no, the age of consent is 16 here. I think it should be raised actually but that's not the point.

 

[rae2nerdy]

Oh no, the age of consent is 16 here. I think it should be raised actually but that's not the point.

I mean I thought you were making a joke. So I laughed. I wasn't trying to offend you or start anything.

 

[defenderofberk]

I mean I thought you were making a joke. So I laughed. I wasn't trying to offend you or start anything.

Oh no it's fine.

 

[Kazami42]

Neat thread. But there is one thing that rustles my jimmies a tiny bit towards the end.

I would more so say someone open minded is more willing to tolerate things, but subtypes can also fully accept every new experience equally as another can be pragmatic but retain a set of personal rules.

While the closed minded can also be very tolerant, but can also be an immense hardass and take everything seriously.

People stealing all is essentially "opportunity" to them, but overall is just mindless anarchy. Same with other crimes. Rioting however, depending upon context, is not really a matter of how open or not their mind is to anything. Considering factors such as education, fees, losing homes because of losing their jobs, etc, it ranges from Idiocracy stuffing into places it doesn't belong [What one has a belief in regardless of if it's a cause, for a religion, thinks something a threat, etc. The theme is belief here.] emotional outbursts manifested [Emotion is the theme here.], all the way to doing it just because it is for some kind of fight, actual or perceived reason, just because "why not", or misguided lunacy. [Cause.]

I can get the context of why you wrote of definement there, but I felt compelled to add this because these kind of things can't be generalized. It underplays the actual factors behind the mentality and/or action, and could be utilized by the less initiated as a subconscious weapon to against people that think not akin to them. Take people that sack police holdings because now people have accepted some kind of generalization that "blue men bad". All in all, all is merely a case of moderation and adaption. Without either, you get the anarchical shenanigans like this reaction as a end result. Yet, it would not resolve the cause of which is being reacted to. There's people that literally go up to random people on the street and hit them just because, or conduct more serious crimes just because [and unlike some would have you believe, the majority aren't even with a mental disorder. Unless in for one example, being enraged at something is now a mental disorder to people.]

Though besides that, I don't have a contribution to the thread.

 

[defenderofberk]

Just some advice for the creator of this thread.

I stand by what I said, 13 is too young to be getting involved in politics. For many, many reasons, most of them out of your control.

Experience -
No 13 year old has the experience to put politics into context, and this is extremely dangerous. For example, many 13 year olds have a very limited understanding of money, class, gender roles, freedom, tensions, religion, patriotism, war and group identity, all which play a huge part in politics. Most adults don't understand this stuff either (just before you start to feel too bad ) but they are better suited to put it into context and project how it might change or effect society. For example -

Jimmy has four candy bars. You have none.
A teacher comes along and takes one of Jimmy's candy bars and gives it to you.
Great right?
Another kid walks in. He has no candy either.
So the teacher makes Jimmy give up one of his candy bars. Then she takes the other one off him for herself. Now everyone has one bar.
Why can't we apply this to wider society?

History, Sociology and Psychology -
All these things play a huge part in politics, none of which any 13 year old can really grasp. If you would like to get into politics, try studying history, particularly the history of the country you want to study politics in (so in your case America).

Adults reaction to you
Even if you're a mature 13 year old, you're still a 13 year old. As such, many adults will dismiss what you say (mainly due to the lack of experience). As such, I'd be cautious of anyone who really wants to engage with you unless it's someone you closely know in real life (like an aunt). Chances are, any person invested in politics chatting to you will be trying to get you over to their narrative, but this can be pretty hard to spot until you're entrenched in it.

Avoid anyone who doesn't like questions.
You might think this is odd, but hear me out. If you're chatting to someone about anything and it doesn't make sense, (politely) ask them about it. Don't be rude or silly about it, just ask them to please elaborate and explain a bit more. Just a heads up - most of the time they won't.

This includes your teachers. If it's something like life or social studies (I don't know if Americans have that) try to get them to explain their reasoning. Of course they do actually have a lesson to teach, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Just remember to be polite.

On that note, just because an adult or a teacher says it doesn't make it true. Be careful of opinion being presented as fact, I'll try some out below and see what you make of them:
1. Vegetarian diets are better for you.
2. There is evidence to suggest that global warming is accelerating.
3. Single parent families are bad and I can prove it.
4. Pythagoras theory is correct.
5. Animal cruelty is wrong.

Avoid 'bogeymen' and people who have all the answers.
I admit the first part of this statement likely sounds rather strange. But what I mean is, avoid any group that either -

Points at one group and say that's the cause of all (or at least most of) the ills in society.
Believes in a shadowy conspiracy that has minor proof to suggest as much but nothing solid.

No one has all the answers and people that claim to are trying to sell you something (probably an idea or a used car).

Don't be afraid to research -
If something sounds wrong to you, read up on it! Just be careful to watch out for bias - you don't want the book telling you what to think, it should present the information available and let you draw your own conclusions.

Name calling
Be able to spot a bully when you see one. At the end of the day, your politics don't make you better or worse than other people, so avoid people who claim this to be true.

I can't believe I have to say this, but Violence is bad. If your cause requires a violent uprising, maybe you should leave it.

I'll probably add to this later, but here's what I've got so far

 

[Hella Downweather]

Offering another perspective here Not that what other people have said is not true/good, but like many things in society, nothing is really white or black. (And I felt like some information was missing)

I learned here that people don't universally have civic classes or politic classes in their school system, but in France (where I did all my education before college), we actually have civic and politic classes from 9 year old until we arrive in Lycée where it is replaced with a debate class then two philosophical classes. I know it is also the case in Germany and in some schools in Canada (since I helped my little sister study for it).

Also starting from age 12, at least in Canada, you CAN be prosecuted by the youth criminal law (which applies the criminal code with lighter sentences and a focus on rehabilitation), so you are expected to have some knowledge about how the law system works, and a bit about morals. Whether you desire it or not, you are a citizen from your country, and you have some responsibilities to uphold towards it (ie : obey the law and don't vandalize public property, but also inform yourself of what the government is doing so that when you are able to vote, you can do so informed and not blindly).

Which is why I am going to disagree in part with what Berk said earlier, the fact that you are asking yourself these questions, that you are searching for some answers by asking them to your peers, and getting informed on WHY people don't always act logically in some circumstances actually lead to more open minded people (which is good!). At 13, you may not understand fully how the world works, but saying that you are too young to be interested or involved in politics is not true.

There are organizations like children parliament who aim to take minors that wants to learn about politics and giving them knowledge and resources to do so. I don't know if it is the case in your country, but I vividly remember being taught about the revolution, and why people decided to take to the streets and kill their king around your age (French revolution, pretty interesting from an historical standpoint).

Now, facts being over, I'm going to go on a more subjective tangent here, so take it with a grain of salt.

We have a saying where I come from : Intéresse toi à la politique ou la politique va s'intéresser à toi, which roughly translate to : Pay attention to politics or politics will pay attention to you.

And honestly, it's becoming truer everyday, either with some country mismanagement of the COVID crisis, the whole climate change that will fall on our shoulders and our children shoulders when we will be old and gray.

So yeah, there is no age to talk politics, because what is happening now, will have repercussions on you when you get older, and even minors can make their voices heard (Greta Thunberg is a great example, she got the whole world to talk about the environment).

That, and if you are old enough to get locked up for a crime, you are old enough to care about justice and politics (but hey! that's just my opinion).

However, I do agree with Berk that you have to be careful when talking with people online, not everyone will try to help you or treat your question as objective as possible. And always read the full article before making a judgement when reading anything in the journal (the media tends to like clickbait titles...which are sometimes disproved in the same article).

 

[incandescent]

i don't wanna sound like a conspiracy theorist nut but it's important to know that the media amplifies all the extremities of a situation; of course, there's going to be people taking advantage of the riots, destroying things just because they have the opportunity to, but the percentage of those people is way lower compared to the amount of people who are peacefully protesting and just want justice for george floyd. and it's also important to keep in mind that some of the damage to property is being started or enticed by people who want the BLM movement to look bad, whether that be police officers or just racists.

 

[Hella Downweather]

incandescent

Again, grain of salt, I'm only talking with the experience/knowledge I got from Canada/France, so it may not be 100% similar in the US.

We can isolate two reasons for such coverage :

1- The position of the media

If a media isn't owned by the government, this means that a private entity or a person owns it. Which means that said entity or person can push their own beliefs and point of view on the content that is produced in that media. It can be influenced directly, by exaggerating and demonizing those who oppose said point of view, or indirectly, by only covering things that paint their point of view in a positive light, and those that oppose it in a negative light.

You can see this a lot when you talk about right wing media and left wing media.

Usually right wing media doesn't like manifestations so they will try to portray it as 'evil' as they can. Fun fact, in Quebec in 2012, we had a LOT of student protest. Only problem for the press...one of these protests were relatively peaceful, so the only dramatic picture they got from it was a shot from a burning trashcan, taken from below to give it a sensational effect. BAM add an allegory where the student are doing something useless and hurtful for society (pelleteux de nuage in french...which roughly translate to plowing clouds...enhancing the uselessness of their actions).

Similarly, left wing media will jump at any news of a reform that will hurt the environment, taking pictures of injured birds or oil spills (even if said spill happened a few years ago...in a different place).

2- How the media makes money

It's becoming harder and harder to make money as a newsource since paper subscriptions are declining and that people are used to receive free information online. Journalism is costly, hosting the website for your local news is too. So they have to rely on publicity and advertisement to help pay for everything.

When you click on an article, whether you read it completely or not, the media is getting paid ad revenue. So their goal is to make you click on as many articles as possible to monetize their work. And what kind of article are you most likely to click? A shocking one? Or something a went well as expected?

This can lead to a lot of clickbait titles, and first paragraph. Because yeah...most people don't read the body of an article, so when you want to pass a message, twist something so it aligns with your point of view, you put a sensational title, twist the info in the first paragraph, THEN explain the rest in the body of the article so you don't get sued.

But even if you explain it well, most people won't take the time to read it, and all they will remember is the title and the lead.

 

[Jannah]

Honestly 13 is really too young to get into politics, regardless of your leanings. Wait until you can look at things objectively, which will be at least 16/17.

I got into politics when I was like 14(Granted, I was not a regular kid). I wouldn't be so quick to judge.

 

[incandescent]

Hella Downweather

yeah no, i totally agree. when it really comes down to it, at the core of media and journalism and all that, people love to hear about things that are- for lack of a better word- exciting; they don't want to hear about how at the protests many people are just sitting and holding out signs, or chanting. gives people a reason to hang on to one thing that one person did and use it to discredit the entire group. it's incredibly harmful and very scummy, but unfortunately it works.

 

[defenderofberk]

I got into politics when I was like 14(Granted, I was not a regular kid). I wouldn't be so quick to judge.

So did I, which is why I say it's a bad idea.

 

[rae2nerdy]

I also agree that you absolutely should question the world around you at your age. Especially in America where basic human rights are politicized.

Case in point the basic humanity of minorities (black, brown, LGBTQ, Asian, etc) are a clear political stance in America.

Now I do think that at your age you shouldn’t be picking sides as it where since you won’t be able to vote for five years.

But getting involved in local government is not a bad idea. Or at least becoming aware of who the players in your local government are. What the police department policy is. Does it justify extreme force or does it promote de-escalation? What kind of platforms did you local representative run on? What are ones on the ballots running on?

Go to your local library ask them if they can help you find information on local government officials. Ask them if they can help you find information on your local police policy (I don’t know if it’s necessarily a publicly available document where you are from but it doesn’t hurt to ask).

Also read read read. Read history books written by black authors. Read fiction books by black authors that center racism. If you want book suggestions I’m happy to help.

Ask questions, figure out the issues that are important to you and see how they are represented in your local community. Also if your into fandoms ask people from different states or countries about how those issues are handled in their local community.

I think one of the best things I can tell is to just expand your friend circle through fandoms or online communities such as RPN. Talk to people who come from different backgrounds and therefore will have different perspectives. The reason so many people get blind sided by bad things happenining is because they are cushioned in their own little bubbles.

They aren’t directly affected by the bad thing, they don’t know anyone who is affected by the bad thing, so therefore the bad thing must not exist.

 

[defenderofberk]

Case in point the basic humanity of minorities (black, brown, LGBTQ, Asian, etc) are a clear political stance in America.

Don't you see that this kind of language isn't objective? So few people are arguing we need to kill everyone of a certain race or sexuallity that's it's basically a mute point, but you make it sound as if the right wing stand point (because that's obviously what you're referring to) is simply calling for a genocide. I hate to point this out, but if Trump supporters wanted a genocide against gays and black people, not only would it likely result in a war but most of them would be dead by now.

Read history books written by black authors. Read fiction books by black authors that center racism. If you want book suggestions I’m happy to help.

Well like I said in my post you have to be cautious of bias. It's very easy to frame history and race relations to fit a certain narrative, so rather than reading books that set out to prove America is or isn't racist, you should read a broad variety of information to help break fact from ficition and to develop your own opinion.

I think one of the best things I can tell is to just expand your friend circle. Talk to people who come from different backgrounds and therefore will have different perspectives. The reason so many people get blind sided by bad things happenining is because they are cushioned in their own little bubbles.

This is pretty dangerous advice for a young teen (and thus irresponsible). Your previous advice about fandoms is much safer and much more appropriate.