Racism, Cops, and Americans

Coverage of the Henry Louis Gates incident morphed, within mere days, from general statements about the situation that unfolded between Gates and Officer Crowley, to asinine commentary about what beers were or were not chosen for the meeting at the White House. I'd say it's unbelievable, but... this is America, and apparently anything is fair game.

While President Obama tried to turn the incident into something that people could understand a little easier than soundbites or tidbits of a police report, it seems that the public quickly made up its mind about what happened. Half of the country jumped on Obama for saying that the police "acted stupidly", while the other half cried "Racism!". The most telling part of this whole scenario is that while race might have played a part in what happened on Professor Gates's doorstep, nobody really bothered to think about what they might have done, or for that matter, what actually happened.

Let's be clear: Once it was determined that Mr. Gates lived in the house, it was the officer's duty to either ensure that Gates safely got into the house, or turn around and walk away. Instead, the scene escalated, and before long, Gates was (allegedly) yelling about Officer Crowley's mama, and Crowley was helping to handcuff the professor. Furthermore, I think both parties share an equal amount of responsibility (blame?) for what happened. The police officer showed up with vague information from a 911 call made by a cautious passerby. The professor stoked the situation by being belligerent. Interesting sidenote: the police report adds a few details that the 911 caller considers inaccurate.

The furor that engulfed the country immediately following the events in Cambridge boggled my mind. People seemed to be much more interested in talking and gauging the reaction of a new president than with considering the facts and their own feelings on the matter. Dialogue is difficult when everyone is talking, and understanding is impossible. Little by little, America seemed to revert to decades past when it talked about the Gates incident.

For me, the bottom line is that America has managed to convince itself that racism is a thing of the past, while reality rears its ugly head in the form of national headlines every 6-12 months. When we have cops telling people that the responsibility for not getting shot lies on the shoulders of those being confronted by police, it becomes clear that the country is still ankle-deep in the muck. Both Gates and Crowley were stubborn and impulsive during their altercation, but the national "dialogue" that followed is what really made the incident shameful.

The Active Youth Myth and Gatesgate

I've finally returned after a 16-day hiatus which completely shattered my goal of writing every day for 30 days. Thanks to all for your patience! A wife, son, job, and house to take care of sometimes take precedent over the internet. Sometimes. This won't be a full post, but more of a teaser for the posts I intend to write this week. Feel free to comment on this post in an attempt to tease back.

My first post will discuss what I consider to be a rather pervasive (but unsubstantiated) myth about political activism among the 18-24 age bracket. Oddly enough, the subject came to as I drove back to Baltimore this evening. I rediscovered my copy of John Mayer's album Continuum (which is one of the most finely recorded, composed, and performed records of the last 5 years), and put it on for some easy listening. The first track, titled "Waiting on the World to Change", is an unusually political song for Mayer, but it addresses a lot of what I'll write about in more detail later: the 18-24 age bracket has some of the most staunch opinions about contemporary issues, yet young adults tend to be the least politically active age group in the country. Why the myth when the disconnect seems so obvious? More importantly, why is this apathy allowed to slide, especially when it is supported by ridiculous arguments like the one Mayer makes: "We just don't feel like we have the means to rise above and beat it"?

Next up will be my take on the media storm surrounding Gatesgate. President Obama's short and simple answer to a simple question at the end of his press conference the other night completely overshadowed the major points he made on health care. I'll go over what is known about what happened in Cambridge between Mr. Gates and the police, and why the issue is important even though it doesn't seem to have any long-term consequences for the general public.

Thanks again for being patient while I fulfill my duties outside of the blogosphere. Comments made to this post by Tuesday evening will almost certainly be considered as I write my full posts on the subjects described above, so let loose!