(05-30-2020, 12:09 PM)NYC4jags Wrote: I applaud your first two paragraphs here  - but I'll go ahead and answer the question anyway. 

Missing the point that it's not about explaining away the problem with numbers that say incidents are not widespread. It's not about explaining it away by pointing out the way the issues are blown out of proportion. 
It's about recognizing and fixing the divide already caused by the sum total of all these things  -- racially motivated injustices, wrongful deaths, police brutality, the media's "disproportionalizing" of incidents,  and the room for improvement within our police forces however small it may be statistically. 

I'm just the guy over here yelling, "why is everyone trying to explain this away instead of fixing it?"

I don't feel like we're far apart. The answer to your question above was buried in my post: I would like to see media and politicians tamp down their rhetoric. I think it's the much bigger culprit in deteriorating race relations. I believe "fixing it" involves removing the narrative of racial injustice and excessive police brutality. If we could do this as well as work to reduce police brutality (making no excuses for clear violations), I think we'd see racial tensions begin to heal. However, I don't believe that will ever be true unless we arrive at perfection (which I believe to be an admirable, but impossible goal), or until those who are using the narrative to advance their careers or agendas are no longer able to exploit it. The only peaceful way to undo the latter is to combat it with facts.

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