Serious Do Minority Lives Matter in the US?

FinalxxSin

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I'll add more to this later. I believe if you ask people on an individual level, then the answer would typically be yes. However, for those that have the mindset of superiority, the answer is no..especially if I look at things from a masses outlook. One could say that there are minorities with the same mindset, which is very true. The difference is a white person with a superiority mindset is more likely to have more influence and power than a minority. The lack of accountability with those in power along with the fact that minority killings seem to get gloried more with media (I'm assuming to stir up more conflict) plays a role in this imo. While things have gotten better over time, there is still a lot that needs to be addressed.
 
Like you said, it really depends on how far zoomed in or zoomed out you are. On an individual level, I do believe most people would say yes. But I think a lot of people brush it off at that point, and don't actually think any further. They don't stop to think about what it would actually be like to be in someone elses position.

The one thing that really made me realize how little so many people care, actually related to homosexuality. I -like a lot of other people- used to think that homosexuality was a choice. But then someone brought up a point that made me realize how foolish that was; what person would actively choose to be ridiculed, hated, and harassed (or worse), if they could just choose to be straight? It just sort of spiraled from there, with me reflecting on this when dealing with transgendered people and such, as well as how it related to racial minorities. Just like I cannot pretend to understand what it would be like to just 'feel gay', or feel 'like a women', so to speak, I cannot pretend to understand what it would be like to be a racial minority. I don't have people look at me or treat me like a leach, or like a criminal, or like a terrorist, because of my race. So I don't know what it's like. I can't understand the fear of being targeted just because of the color of my skin, or my home culture, or my religion. So I try my hardest to think about the ramifications of political ideals and such, before I make my own choices on them. And I'm always open to learning more and changing my view.

The one and only thing, is that I wish people would stop using the race card so much. Part of the reason that things are so tense, is that every single incident that involves a minority automatically has to be a racial issue, even when it isn't. This dilutes the conversation with false flags (a "boy who cried wolf" sort of thing), and can make people feel backed into a corner; like they're being persecuted as a racist just because they're white. And that's what causes many of those people to rebel, and become racist. That also goes into the white privilege thing. Yes, white people do have privilege in America. There is no doubt about that. But I wish it wasn't used as a way to dismiss their problems. Everyone has problems, and being white doesn't always automatically make the real world easier in every way. "You're white... just f*cking deal with it." That's no different than "You're a man, so you're supposed to be stronger than that." Those sorts of assumptions are no more fair than "You're black, so you're probably too dumb to get it", or "You're Muslim, so you're obviously too violent.".

In conclusion... everything is a giant mess because people take any chance they can to avoid real reflection, instead just jumping to assumptions.

EDIT: One thing I can say is this... minorities definitely don't matter to any of these politicians. Hillary, or Ted Cruz, or whoever can pretend they care all they want, but they don't. And Trump, well he doesn't care about anyone but himself. The media doesn't care either; otherwise they wouldn't constantly stir the pot for ratings. I feel they're the root of the problem honestly.
 
I am not a big fan of this topic. Mainly because humanity has taken a dip here in the States on a skin color level. It would be different if this was a topic on Terrorism, then most Countries could identify with it. I think the main thing that is occurring is purely Economics right now.

I think what you have to understand is one thing: Awareness. Whether you think things have been better as of late (90s-2k+), you might have just had a sheltered point of view.

The OP's post topic is "Do Minority Lives Matter in the States?" That's vague to an extent. I mean quantifying all minorities is one thing. I don't consider sex/religion/age/sexual preference a part of the minority topic to be honest. So let's get down to quantifying. We have Latinos, African Americans, Caucasians, Asians and other cultural driving societies.

The tension is whether racism in the media is a distraction for other hidden agendas. Is there a middle class anymore? I think the line sort of disappears more and more with each new presidential term. Meaning what is happening and keeps happening is the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. How does this affect minorities?

Economy

Well when the minimum wage used to be enough to pay for a small apartment and help out on groceries, it wasn't much to complain about. Though when the job market plummeted in 2008, and the rebound never fully occurred the Government had to make a choice. They bailed out the Banks (Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac) and folks like AIG were kept safe, money was only distributed at the cost of National Debt.

Who took the biggest dent in all this? Middle to Lower class. What is the majority of the lower class? Minorities.

Price of living had to recover and due to it inflation occurred. Also due to sub prime loans were a thing at one point, it forced foreclosure of property and families lost their safe haven. When people get desperate they do whatever it takes to keep afloat.

So what occurs? Well more police hired to make sure the calm is kept. The "minimum wage" is upped, but you still have to have 3+ jobs to even break even. Who are affected? Minorities and now blue collared workers as a whole.

Blue collared workers either have been to Trade Schools, have their Associates or just trained as an apprentice. Their value is dwindling to due to automation and engineering, but there is still a place for manual labor. These people deserve more in terms of Salary/Wage.

How do you have time to go to School on financial aid which might take half of your life to pay off? Privilege is relevant. If you grow up in a bad area, and you do not have the luxury of choice, then What family you grow up in is also relevant. If you do not have a College Education or beyond, your hopes in getting a job that makes enough for the "Standard" of living is decreased.

Bottom line is there are some stories that tell a fairy tale story of a black gentleman like Michael Oher, who did have someone see that he needed him and growing up where he was would "maybe" have led to eventual spiral down. Though why in the first place are these economic situations occurring where people do not have the ability to get these privileges on their own?

Media

NOW let me segue into something that is on my mind now: Media

Media by far has literally zoomed in on things so tunnel vision like that people can not see the good. If some topic makes a rating, the media is going to cover it. I'm not saying that media should show a blind eye to Police racial profiling, but this should already be a no-brainer. The cops who are at fault should be stripped of their badge, arrested and given a psych eval test IF there was no weapon involved.

The media has always dramatized things to the point where ANYONE can be brain washed into disinformation. This happens in the Upper Class Soccer Mom's of society as well. Remember the Natalie Holloway, Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding, and Casey Anthony stories? How long did people discuss these events? Every single news story aired this, because of ratings.

The only public minority figures who get air time are all entertainers or those speaking out against racial injustice:

Examples:

* Malcom X
* Tupac Shakur
* Rodney King
* Martin Luther King, Jr.

You get the picture - these are just some of the most notable figures from the previous decades in the "MEDIA"'s eyes. The idea is that at any point, at any day there is probably wrongful death in the country. If the media can get their paws on it and spin it to make the ratings go nuts, it will make them money. If you are easily moved by what you watch on the Zombie Tube, then that's your own fault for not educating yourself outside of these blinders.

Politics

I honestly think currently minorities are not being represented by the right people. Nor do I feel like their individual issues are being looked at on a case by case basis. Federally I do not see anyone responding to these issues. Now at a State or City level these issues most likely are were things are being dealt.

Do we know? Most likely not. I mean you hear how Ferguson's response was by a fella shooting a man and getting off scot free. Though I do no know everything that went on in that trial or do I have enough info due to the media.

It would be up to the State/City level to prosecute the officer. Now should the FBI always be involved, absolutely. Now economically is this feasible? Most likely not. The are other issues which have priorities in their eyes.

The bottom line to Politics and Government overall is these issues are not being treated at the Federal level:

* Economic Crisis for Lower Class
* Education Availability - Same availability as an Upper class white person.
* Blue Collared Job Wage to be upped to facilitate the advancement in an individuals social status or their children's.
* Police Discrimination/Brutality - Remove the bad cops already. Most make dirt in pay, but at least make sure their are whistle blowers that when alerted the Force at be has zero tolerance for it.
 
The bottom line to Politics and Government overall is these issues are not being treated at the Federal level...

Pushing my own beliefs about small federal government aside, I have one question.

How can we trust these politicians to fix these things on a federal level, when they can't even fix anything they've already been tasked with?

Like with education for example. Universities are federally sponsored schools. The idea was to help manage and regulate education so that there was an alternative to private colleges. But they're still too expensive for even middle class white people in fair situations to actually afford. Or what about public education? The federal government effectively controls that too, and it has slowly declined in quality across the board, due to over regulation, and backhanded political blackmail (things like holding federal funding hostage if the state doesn't vote a certain way, or change their laws). The perfect example of that happening over the past few years, is when dealing with marijuana legalization; federally, they don't want the states to legalize it, so they threaten to drop funding for education and infrastructure in those states. Luckily, the states are mostly holding their ground, but still. I don't think giving the federal government more power will solve any of these issues. I think it's a cultural thing, wrapped up in a multitude of societal issues that include things like politics, economics, the media, etc. But I think the backbone of it is a mismanagement of culture. There needs to be a shift toward fundamental, honest conversation. We need to ignore the bigots and the radicals with hidden agendas, rather than trying to address their attempts to troll, manipulate, and create destabilization through drama. We need people to hold the media accountable for what they say. Otherwise, there's just too much static to hear any real conversations being had. Because in reality, I firmly believe nearly everyone truly wants peace, and wants to see their neighbors prosper. But so much bullshit has clogged the drain and backed up into the clean water, that we can no longer see what we're actually trying to accomplish.
 
Here's my honest opinion. It might be charged it might not be.

The people in charge are the ones with the money. Ask any Political Candidate who have had to deal with funding or hedge funding. They have to basically build from the banks and they make specific promises to stay on top. There is no way around it. Whatever President - white or black / male or female / Trump or Hillary, things will have to promised period in which may or may not go against their ideals to these Congressmen and Bankers.

Look at the campaigns that actually were for the blue collared worker or minority issues. They made ideal solutions. None of them had enough funding to make it through primaries of Democrats or Republicans. I'm not saying all of them were good, but way better than who we will have in the future. Independents never can make enough of a vote to get elected but only sway votes of the two major candidates.

If you see bills go through at the Federal level, they are affecting constitutional laws and executive laws. Unless the bills get all the way up to the Supreme Court (which requires money and time and a decent chance), then these will not get looked at.

So that's why I am saying, as long as these folks with money and power are on top, I believe we won't see much of a change in the lower class or the help for minority societies as well. Just ask a social worker what their major cases are. These home issues and family issues are an indirect result of having to raise kids in a society where minorities are not backed fully. There is no social reform in the works where people are given choices to progress. They have to take the risk and try everything in their power to get out of the economic spiral.
 


TLDR; Yes, there are a lot of problems, but if they are ignored then there is no hope they will ever get resolved.

With the thread title that I selected, I wanted to hopefully get across without additional words that the problems in the US are not strictly happening to blacks. Having the mindset that this conflict is just blacks vs. higher authority would be extremely narrow-minded of me. ZaXo brought up a great point about gays and transgender people. Personally, not even I could relate with them as I know they have even more hoops to jump through to get the same respect as some of the other status people. Hell, I don’t even know if either group has equal opportunities in the US. Should it be that way in 2016? No, not by a long shot, but that’s where I feel things are at right now for those groups of people.

Shu, I think anybody with enough understanding of the world around them in the US will understand that messed up crimes have been taking place for a long time. The only difference with the current is the rates appear to be higher in my eyes for some areas. Also, it’s a lot easier for a person to record something and have it uploaded to a site not to long after. That option probably wasn’t even available 20 years ago. Evidence has a higher chance of being collected these days that can do something against some of the higher authorities. There is a lack of accountability with higher authorities.

Right now, the problem is only being looked on a surface level, as you are alluding to Shu. Fixing the police brutality is a surface level problem. If the mindset of higher authorities does not change, then police brutality will run in a cycle and come back up eventually. The fact is a lot of blacks, even if they aren’t armed, are viewed as a threat by higher authorities. I’ll leave it at negative stereotyping. I would not be surprised if other minorities groups receive their own type of negative stereotyping when in similar situations. You are right Shu, the media focuses on things that generate a lot of attention.

ZaXo, I fully understand where you are coming from with the college aspect. That in turn is something that is hindering anybody that trying to make themselves better off financially. There is a white lady that I know that is working toward her master’s degree currently. I was mindblown when she told me that is getting 0 financial aid. I did not realize that for her master’s tier, it would all be on her. People with a better education and are better off financially are less likely to resort to crime and other negative actions. Hell, if ZaXo and I ended up in an environment where there were only enough resources for one person…well it would not be a surprise if we ended up trying to kill each other at some point. Sorry if that example is offensive, but hopefully you see where I am going with that.

Part of the reason I made this thread is because of an event that took place years ago:
http://sandrarose.com/2015/12/spoiled-rich-kid-who-killed-four-while-driving-drunk-is-missing/
Long story short, a rich kid stole their parent’s vehicle, then stole some alcohol from a store. They then was driving with an alcohol level way over the limit and ended up killing several people. The punishment……10 years of probation. Why would this person get probation, but if another everyday person say had a good amount of weed on them…then they would more than likely be going to prison/jail. I don’t understand the logic in this. There are multiple other cases that have passed like with Hilary Clinton for example where the person is let off easy or gets to linger around due to their status. So now it’s becoming more and more apparent that it is possible to be above the law.

One could argue that simply talking about it won’t fix anything. They would be right. If I could do more I would. I feel this is a step in the right direction. If things like this aren’t talked about, and acknowledged as problems, then there’s no way it’ll get fixed. Therefore, it will continue to get sweep under the rug with higher authorities. If I am wrong on this outlook, please let me know.

The solutions start with the environments and the schools imo. A rapper by the name of Killer Mike had an interview, and he talked about minorities investing into a black investment organization such as a bank. He was saying that if 1 mil black people can invest 100 dollars each into a bank, trade unit, etc. that would generate 100 million dollars. That could be used for loans, payments toward a home and other things. That is a way to start creating power for those that have less imo. He also gives an example of enhancing High Schools toward the end of the video below:

On the higher government level, they can’t be trusted to bring change imo. Shu you are right that there is a lack of proper representation for minority groups at that level. Imo, as long as they profit off of conflicts and death that will probably remain to be that way. A country that is divided and too occupied fighting itself is probably going to be less unified when it comes to being against things the government wants to push. I can’t really say the government currently is around to serve the people. Do they serve big businesses? I would not be surprised because again as Shu may have alluded to money and power go hand in hand.
 
If we want to get the power out of the hands of the rich, and distribute said power in a more balanced way, then I think focusing on reworking the election process is the key. If either of you have ever watched CGP Grey, you'll understand how truly broken our system is. I'm kind of glad that the Republicans and Democrats are currently tearing themselves apart, and I hope it continues. The two party system is fundamentally flawed. I think a good solution would be to require equal media coverage for all parties that make up over a certain percentage of the vote. But more importantly, disallow private campaign funds, and give each candidate a preset amount of federally distributed campaign money (they would also have to update the screening process, so that some loser can't just start a party so that they can get some free money). Any money they don't use, goes straight back to the government. This would make sure everyone has an equal chance to market their beliefs, it would eliminate favors for private donors, and it would make these people use this money much more intelligently. Get rid of the first past the post system, and the electoral college. We have the technology now to count every vote rather quickly... we don't have to rely on electoral college to 'hopefully' vote in the direction the people who elected them did. If we can get this sort of stuff done, elections and politics will have to be more nuanced and honest in order for a candidate to stand a chance. And with that, we might actually be able to have real, nation wide conversations about racial issues, because more viewpoints will be represented.
 
Well I had an interesting conversation (obviously with a few drinks) last night with some coworkers. I never bring politics up or religion due to those are two subjects that neither pro/con party has an adequate solution to. Though I did evolving some ideas in my head and tossed around to the gents.

So let's take a few things into account. I apologize if I get into the Presidential Debate topic, but hear me out first.

1) Trump has no experience at all in office. He is a narcissist and says utterly anything under the sun to get a regime. He is the single scariest person to ever get the Republican vote.
2) Hillary had Senator and Secretary of State under her name due to mostly carrying the torch for her Husband and Michelle Obama. To me she was just a face as Secretary of State, and many foreign leaders have admitted to disliking her politics and not because she is a woman. She made quite a few mistakes with Libya and I'm afraid that she will keep pushing those buttons as did Bill Clinton himself. (I personally liked Bill Clinton as a president)

Accomplishments:


With that said, it sounds like anyone can run for these two parties. All you have to do is push the envelope for the congressmen and boom you are a well funded party leader. Well jokes aside, you still have to be relatively good at speeches. (see John Kerry 2004 election and why he wasn't elected)

Though let me get back to my point. The issues start at the City and State level. If you don't like your President now, well then you must press on the issue of the electoral college itself. We need to research the swing states and what it would take to actually get a Libertarian, if that's what you want, elected as a senator or house of rep. I know a few states have them now, but not enough to make people turn their heads and pay attention to it.

Another interesting point was.. let Trump win. Trump made promises to his Republican party in which can not be kept to be quite frank. When people see what a failure he will become under pressure, the nation itself will wise up. I think it would be a grave mistake having Hillary in power due to pushing Putin's buttons or Libya's buttons or any other distracting points that would extend her tenure. Also if she does get elected, the next Democrat in line to run is who in 2020? You don't think about the long run, but some of us do. I'm not a fan of either party, but I do want an educated member of the system.

Also for folks to actually understand minority issues, they have to have had experience living under these conditions. Trump? Hillary? .. they are wealthy beyond their ears. Privileged with a capital P. I'm sure they even have Gatorade flowing through their water fountains (Mr. Deeds joke).

Another issue is this.

You have entertainers and professional Athletes who are what we call "New Money." I say new money because I don't see them investing, I see them only talking. I might not be entirely accurate to this point. Though I don't see them footing the money for educational reform or organizations that can contribute. If you give me only one or two examples, that does not help.

People with a net worth of 100+ million dollars that do not contribute to any of these organizations, make me sick. I don't care where you come from, but you got there not because of raw talent, but due to the people who helped you along the way.

Zaxo what you mentioned is also great as well. Though how many people have that sort of integrity to actually donate $100.00? Most also expect instant results from it and not the seriousness of the longevity. The issue is once the money is in storage like a bank and the organization is deemed a non profit, tax free organization, how would the money be allocated? How would one apply themselves to this scholarship? I think managing that will be the bottle neck due to how many people would think it's a bank where what you put in, you can get out as well.

There would need to be pretty strict regulatory rules around this funding for proper benefit.
 
To do a little reiteration, yes, from what is understood through testimonials of "real" people and what is deduced above; the lives of those considered a minority do matter in the US - to "real", everyday people. By the looks of it from accounts, reports, statistics and first hand perspectives, the government doesn't care about the lives of anyone below a certain standard of living, no matter what their race, religion or creed be. Is this issue solely the problem of minorities, certainly not and neither is it even an issue of racism. It's pure greed and it affects everyone, even people outside the US. It's a stigma broadcasted loud and clear through social media where everyone has an opinion to voice.

When looking at economics and standards of education and health systems, would it not be more helpful if, in general and in the spirit of cooperation with your fellow man, these issues were addressed in light of the importance for everyone's rights rather than highlighting the problems and significance of the lives of each group separately? This only breeds a disconnectedness between each section turning everyone into a minority and gives rise to discrimination from all sides (yes, "reverse" discrimination has risen significantly too), leaving each group isolated and resentful of the blame piled on their plate. Meanwhile the select few, also a "minority" in terms of numbers ironically enough, get along quite nicely at the ensuing banquet.

This is just an "outsider's" view (despite being an American citizen), but it seems that the anger being directed back and forth between races, cultures, etc. is now being considered as a misplaced fury intended to be vented on a system that simply doesn't work. Admittedly this is simplifying matters considerably as one still has to take into account the fact that some people will unfortunately hold the opinion that they just don't like "foreigners" or "those sort of folk". However, in light of the question asked, whether or not the specific lives of minorities matter is more a social one and not one that can actually be summerised through the system of a country. If on an individual level you think they matter, then they matter. Chances are, since most people are averagely decent (and not as described a few moments ago), they're going to care on some level. If the government has the power to turn your opinion against your fellow man, then that is a great shame and is a problem to be addressed on a personal level regardless of what your fellow man's race or orientation is. This may be a sheltered point of view coming from a countryside dwelling Irish girl, but the problem of discrimination (reversed or otherwise), intolerance and its stem from fear and feeling threatened is identifyable worldwide, so maybe we should all join in on the converstation!
 
ZaxO, I fully agree with better distributing of funds and power from the rich for better balancing. It would also be really interesting to see running mates have a set amount of money to work with for a campaign. To me, this could show some form of financial budgeting and prioritizing through actions, which is something the US desperately needs with the outrageous amount of debt the country has currently. The Electoral College is unfair. That’s all there is to it. I feel a person should be able to live where they want in the US, while still having their vote matter when it comes to presidential elections.


Shu, I agree that a good number of people that do reach a certain status do nothing to contribute back. I also agree that they got help getting to where they are at, and in a good number of cases the everyday person allows them to live the life that they do. For example, if a lot less people invested their time and money into sports, athletes would have way lower salaries. I get where you are coming from with allowing Trump to win to show others the flaws in their thinking. I know Trump is running on the “truth card”, which has been very effective for him. However, I don’t even need to listen to him too much to already get my cringe senses to go off. I’m not saying that somebody else couldn’t take this route, but Trump imo would push racial and other forms of discrimination situations more. I would not be surprised if he went to some country running his mouth off and ended up getting the country into another war. Wars need money obviously, and people that struggle to get by are going to get impacted by higher prices much more than the rich and powerful. Less resources leads to higher chances of crime, and other domino based effects.

Edit: I took out the federal part because I was getting it confused for state level earlier. My fault.



Galadin, I agree that even whites that do not make a lot financially are effected as well. However, imo they are less likely to end up dead if they have to deal with a higher authority or get thrown into jail or prison for unreasonable amounts of time that aren’t fitting for the act done. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen at all, but I am implying that it’s less likely in comparison to other groups. The reason imo why this situation is looked at from a more separate angle is because everybody is not being equally effected. As I may have mentioned already, I would not be surprised if gays and transgender people have even more hoops to jump through in the US. I don’t feel it should be that way. Wrong is still wrong, but there are for sure different tiers to being wrong imo. The pure social aspect of the situation may be flawed as well. Imo, the system plays a much larger role, because of power. Take this as an example: I could discriminate on you because you are a female. However, regardless of that discrimination I have no power over your life because I am just an everyday person. Now, put me into a position of power, and I could then do things to impose on your life that would be unfair. <---------Granted, there are laws that are meant to keep things like this in check in the US, but money and power may over-ride such laws as that has been displayed in many other cases.
 
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These were videos that were mentioned in another video that I had watched days back. I took the time to look them up.

I didn't realize that quotas exist for the NYPD. Apparently this is something that has existed for awhile for this department. I do wonder how many others have this quota system as well.

Truth be told, I didn't know private prisons even existed before today. Some, if not all of those prisons have a quota that needs to be met, or the respective state could get sued for it.
http://www.govtslaves.info/private-prisons-suing-states-millions-dont-stay-full/
 
If you wanna learn more about these sorts of injustices, and places like private prisons, etc., you should check out John Oliver. I really, really don't like most of the political satire talk show things, because most of them have a tendency to push slightly harder against (perfectly acceptable) political ideals they disagree with. It feels like they're reprimanding you for thinking differently. But John Oliver is much less biased, I personally feel much more informative... and much more funny. Though his show is on HBO, a lot of his segments are uploaded on his YouTube channel, including the one that talks about private prisons (I think this is that video; he has a few related to prison):

He also has a video about police quotas I believe, which exist in a lot of places unfortunately. A lot of this comes down to funding, with departments feeling -whether it's warranted or not- that they're underfunded, and needing to make up for it either by seizing assets that don't belong to them, or by proving that they're a really effective department with tons of arrests/tickets, so that they can get more money when they ask for it.
 
Galadin, I agree that even whites that do not make a lot financially are effected as well. However, imo they are less likely to end up dead if they have to deal with a higher authority or get thrown into jail or prison for unreasonable amounts of time that aren’t fitting for the act done. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen at all, but I am implying that it’s less likely in comparison to other groups. The reason imo why this situation is looked at from a more separate angle is because everybody is not being equally effected. As I may have mentioned already, I would not be surprised if gays and transgender people have even more hoops to jump through in the US. I don’t feel it should be that way. Wrong is still wrong, but there are for sure different tiers to being wrong imo. The pure social aspect of the situation may be flawed as well. Imo, the system plays a much larger role, because of power. Take this as an example: I could discriminate on you because you are a female. However, regardless of that discrimination I have no power over your life because I am just an everyday person. Now, put me into a position of power, and I could then do things to impose on your life that would be unfair. <---------Granted, there are laws that are meant to keep things like this in check in the US, but money and power may over-ride such laws as that has been displayed in many other cases.

What I will point out here is that being part of a minority doesn't equate to being disadvantaged. A homosexual is not destined to a life of poverty, being a Hispanic doesn't mean you will be unfairly targeted by corrupt cops. And actually, being an African American in the US doesn't make you part of a disadvantaged minority at all! There are plenty of African Americans in Congress, plenty that enjoy positions of power or influence and the same can be said about any considered to be part of a minority. What has been pointed out in this thread is the power that the rich authority figures have over the disadvantaged, but this isn't necessarily something that pertains specifically to minorities, this is problem faced by all who are disadvantaged.

The collective discrimination against people of minorities does not stem from their bank balance but rather from the social outlook on how they should be treated and the unequal regard they get from their fellow man. Minorities can have money and power too; the Jews had plenty of wealth before the atrocities of World War II and look at today where an African American holds the highest seat of power in the Western world. Neither money nor power can explain why the discrimination continues, this is something which stems from people's perceived fears and intolerance towards that which is "different". This biggotry comes from all walks of life and social economic backgrounds.

Accepted that those in a position of power and influence should help address this issue far better than what they are doing now, and given that the media does little to calm the brewing storm of intollerance, in the end, everyone plays a very significant role in the continuation of discrimination.
 
Being a minority can and will lead to a disadvantage if the conditions are met for it. For example, I as a straight person do not have to worry about being killed or mistreated for being straight, but a gay person could be killed simply for being gay. A transgender person could be killed simply for being viewed as an abomination in some people’s eyes. I’ll give you a somewhat recent example of a gay shooting down below:
http://thoughtcatalog.com/jacob-gee...ople-applauding-the-orlando-gay-club-shooter/

I agree that some higher positions of power are held by minority groups. Regardless though, most of those positions last time I checked are still today held by whites. Yes, there is a part black man that is president, but that point isn’t as significant due to the Balance of Powers between the three branches that has been set for a very long time.

You have the viewpoint that minorities have no disadvantages? If so, could you please explain these cases to me:

Yes, I will agree in advance that these policemen have poor training, but I highly, highly, highly doubt that is where it stops and ends.

If money and power are isolated and looked at, then yes they do not provide the full picture to discrimination. They are however key factors. Do all groups face this problem to the same scale? The answer is no, and history has backed that up and may continue to back that up as time progresses. I do agree that addressing the problem will be a group effort.
 
To clarify, I didn't stipulate that minorities didn't have any disadvantages (I think you missed the spirit of what I was referencing there), I was more pointing out that the issue regarding the government and their lack of consideration for economically disadvantaged people is something that applies to all lower income classes and not just the minorities. Further more, I also went on to say that discrimination against minorities isn't something which is an automatic assumption based on their wealth (or what was assumed in this thread to be the lack thereof); instead of taking the view that the government's lack of support for these people was in relation to their lack of power and money which would somehow equate itself the the lack of importance of their lives, the perspective I was stating was more along the lines that: it is the collective view from the social outlook on these people which is more likely to affect how important the lives of minorities are considered.

An elected government's policy is only as strong as the people who follow it. As long as people fight among themselves and as long as the media stirs the waters of discontent, the less likely that the individual will stand up against the attitude of these authority figures.

In short, I'm not disagreeing with you FinalxxSin, I just believe the cause of the discrimination of minorities comes from a different angle.
 
Imo, the United States is a fairly materialistic country. A reason why money plays a factor in it is due to backlash potential. Far as I know, crime in general is less likely to occur with those that are well off or are even rich in the states. Money itself becomes a deterrent. A lot of minorities are not well off, so the chances of wrongful acts being done upon them is greater. A well off person whom is Asian for example is more likely to be able to have somebody put in jail/prison or get a death sentence if a wrongful act is done, because they will have a higher chance of affording a good lawyer. If the Asian person doesn't have the options open due to a lack of money, then the chances of a wrongful act done upon them is greater since the backlash potential isn't as great. Could this happen to a straight white person as well that is low income/poor as well? Absolutely, but there are other deterrents present with them to reduce the chances that other groups won't be able to rely on. This is no different from most bullies that pick on people smaller than them in school. Most bullies won't deal with people on their level, or even above. The social outlook does play a larger factor for gays and transgender people. Gay couples, last time I recall, are still not able to legally marry in every state. For everybody else though, power plays a larger role imo. Since money is a contributing factor to power, of course it is going to be focused on. Power has historically proven to create influence within the states.
 
Really it depends on what determines a "minority" and the time you are talking about it.. Right now in the US Minority lives matter a lot because it is an election year and I'm sure that the Minorities will come out in great numbers, so you will see Hilary and Trump trying to get those votes (Although Trump might be pulling the Bush tactic and win...)

But right now they matter a lot... maybe even too much... I am not going back racist people, and since the cop things were talked about I am going bring it up...

Yes there were some very bad shootings that should have never happen to a minority... but then I have seen social media jump against cops right away before all the evidence was out there, and by the time the evidence gets out it is too late, the cop is already a "racist" when he did everything by the book and was forced to shoot for one reason or another...

but the real question is in what way you are going look at if "minorities matter in the US" when it comes to election votes? when it comes to crime? When it comes to how a white person? Rich person? cops? an individual person?
 
The thread focus is not elections. Even if it was, the flaws of the Electoral College have already been pointed out along with the flaws of big business playing too large of a role in elections.

I understand that, but if someone asks if "minorities matter in the US" right now, you have to look at what is going on everywhere. With the election coming up and every side trying to get votes, the minorities are getting more attention in social media and on the news media thanks to that.

Also I said it depends on what level you are going look at it. If you ask me personally if minority life matters, I would have to ask from what perspective are we going look at this, which goes down a very slippery slope. If you look at it from a general perspective I would say yes minority loves matter in the US because they have a history of building our country...not in the best of ways... Like slavery or being forced off their own land, but they have mattered and built the US since the US were just small colonies.
 
I'm not going that far back in history, although I would disagree with your stance for that time frame. A lot of slaves, especially ones from the south during the time, were considered to be nothing more than disposable property. Even when some slaves were allowed to vote, they would only be considered 3/5's of a person. Native Americans were forced into smaller and smaller living areas. I would not be surprised if Asians that worked in the mines ended up with diseases and ended up dead. The services various minorities could provide back then was valued a lot more universally in comparison to their actual life imo. You are free to go more in depth with others on that area, but I am personally going to be more focused on the modern times.
 
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