@ana My take on what Dave Chapelle is saying here is that if we look at how people (of all colors but in this instance people of color) are marginalized and literally driven towards hopelessness and segregation, then we’ll see how their plight is deserving of empathy and kindness. I see the corner crack addict/dealer as no different than a white collar criminal who strips people of their well-being.
John Ehrlichman revealed that Nixon’s “War on Drugs, was a political tool to suppress blacks and anti-war activists by “associating hippies w marijuana and blacks w heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily... We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night in the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
Hence, many people of color were marginalized, criminalized, and succumbed to the vicious life cycle of self-destruction. It’s a lot easier for a white male to be forgiven and accepted into the workforce and white society. Racists only need one reason—true or false—not to keep a door open for a black man.
It is radical. Acts of radical grace are the personification of Christ (or the Divine) in our world. Maybe that dude is destroying his community because he is angry and knows of no other way to effect change. He is without hope. Acts of loving-kindness can interrupt that thought process and instill a seed of hope. Especially when it comes from someone who represents the root cause of all his problems.
Acts of loving-kindness can interrupt that thought process and instill a seed of hope.
Yes, I agree with that.
Just as a thought exercise, what if we take the radical approach a bit farther? Say there is a white-collar, one-percenter criminal ripping people off- and he or she happens to be black. Would it be more difficult to buy that person a theoretical ice cream cone than the drug dealer? If so, why? If not, why not?
(I am not trying to argue any point here I just think it is instructive to explore our views in our own minds--- it helps with insight. )
@ana A good question and I only can answer via my teaching/life experience that the white guy, regardless of crime and punishment, most often receives preferential treatment, as highlighted during our country’s past and recent gross injustices.
Personally, I feel they both should be given an ice cream cone as acts of genuine kindness
@earthangel I think you mis-read my scenario: In the situation I described, the criminal, white-collar one-percenter would *also* be black.
Given Dave Chappelle's criteria, he gets an ice cream cone too, just because he is black.
And I agree that any act of kindness, shown to anyone, regardless of circumstances, can help to change their hearts.
But what I meant to say was how would we *feel* about giving the ice cream cone to the upper class black criminal vs. the lower-class black criminal? And why would we feel the way we do? I was exploring that in my mind for myself and wondered what others felt.
@ana I understood your point and I still feel/believe that regardless of class, people of color face harsher discrimination and treatment.
Honestly, I’d feel less sorry for either white collar criminal. Chapelle’s plea is to give a down-and-out black man a break and I don’t know what he’d say to white collar crimes committed by people of color. They do occur. Greed knows no boundaries.
I don’t think that scenario would feel different for me. What would feel different for me, and what I would struggle with, would be to give an ice cream cone to anyone who has anything to do with Donald Trump, or with Donald Trump himself. That example of radical grace would be the longest stretch I could make, it would have to be the Jesus in me doing it. I certainly couldn’t do it in my flawed humanity, it would be grace beyond my own abilities.
Not sure that was worded properly. I would not feel more lenient toward white collar criminals, regardless of color. I’d hold them both to a higher standard bc of the privileges they’re already afforded based on income.
Well, the way my emotions led me was at first read of Chapelle's idea that one should do something nice for a black person just because they are black-- even if (or even because) they are doing bad things-- struck me as "That would feel very wrong". However upon intellectualizing it (sometimes I have to do that to get ahead of my imperfect human emotions), I can see how it could soften the person's armor and help heal their heart--- and anyway like I said before it's not really my place to judge them or even judge whether they NEED their armor softened and their heart healed.
Then I thought about the scenario of what if it was a wealthy, but corrupt black person. Again, my first impulse was, "NOPE, that I'd rather do a kindness to a guy scratching his way through life even if he was doing it by dealing drugs". But again intellectualizing it-- it seems to me like that would miss the point. The wealthy black person -- even if he/she was BORN wealthy, has doubtless experienced setbacks because of their skin color. So maybe it would benefit the collective energy for them also to experience random acts of kindness.
But then if you carry it further: Everyone, regardless of race or status, has trauma to heal. So maybe everyone ought to get at least a metaphorical ice cream cone, aka random act of kindness. It is not as though the supply is limited. Thoughts??
@ana it’s a challenging complex issue that is overwhelming at times, probably all of the time, bc we’re forced to consider others motivations, experiences, etc. Sometimes, we don’t feel like expending the effort and it’s understandable. I still hold prejudices that I have to check. And while I recognize, as you point out, that we all have trauma to heal, I’m human and always don’t give the benefit of the doubt. And, as we’re feeling abused by T and Co., it’s easy to want to deny some people an ice cream cone.