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This for me is the real problem.

None of us know if the skin colour of the kid played a part in the old manā€™s decision to shoot.

What we do know though is that America has both a gun problem and a race problem. When an old white man shoots a young black kid just for knocking on the wrong door itā€™s basically impossible to ignore race.

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Well then we largely agree. Iā€™m also not saying to ignore race in this case but going back to the original point - putting it in the headline and summary makes it the primary focus which isnā€™t necessarily the case.

Imo it propagates this us against them, black vs white mentality that is the exact thing we are trying to eradicate.

I think itā€™s awful the way the media can stir up so much hatred to make their headlines more catchy. Whether this case does in fact turn out to be racially motivated or not, is actually not really the point I was making. So far thereā€™s no clear indication (as you say we donā€™t know) and yet its ā€˜white man shoots black kidā€™ storyline. They knew exactly what they were doing.

Thats true, the shooter will like have implicit views on race. ie he perceives a black adolescent as a threat compared to a white person

Its true the American media does goes out of their way to foment and exacerbate racial hate narriatives

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Or the USA is an ultra racist society and media coverage is just the tip of the iceberg.

Exhibit A

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I think there is a racial component to this. However I donā€™t think itā€™s for the media to decide unless itā€™s proven so. But I mainly think that because the media is irresponsible.

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Letā€™s assume the USA is an ultra racist country. My definition of ultra racist is: more than a majority are bigoted racists, swearing and breathing racism.

How do you explain Barack Obama got elected. Twice?

Reading about another mass shooting in the US is like reading about IEDs in Iraq during the American invasion. Canā€™t believe how bad things are. For the folks living in the US, do you feel safe? Are these incidents specific to a few states or is this a growing problem all around the country? I mean, if I were in the US, Iā€™d be afraid to even have an argument with someone just in case they pull a gun on me.

And then thereā€™s the racism and everything that goes with that. In fact, my wife and I were contemplating moving to the US a while back but my 12 year old was opposed to the idea saying he didnā€™t want to get shot at school. I have to say, I feel much safer in a 3rd world country like India, despite the many problems we face.

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A better and more broadly accepted understanding of racism is that it is historic and institutional. What you describe is maybe rabbit bigotry or prejudice.

Bigotry/prejudice = personal, emotional reaction
Racism = structural and have material consequences.

If you ask any black American dealing with material hardship born out of historical and contemporary deprivation Barack Obama didnā€™t do anything for them but be black. He upheld the same racist policies as his predecessors and upheld the same institutions that exploit marginalized people.

The shooter might have been a bigot but the legal framework to release him immediately after murdering an innocent child is racist.

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Thatā€™s a really good explainer. Nice :+1:

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You explained it rather well. Thanks!

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And the sickening beat goes on.

Thereā€™s clearly no threat from anyone in the vehicle," Sheriff Murphy said. ā€œThereā€™s no reason for Mr Monahan to feel threatened.ā€ The friends drove away from the house and attempted to call for help in a nearby town, but Ms Gillis was pronounced dead by paramedics. Mr Monahan was ā€œuncooperative with the investigation and refused to exit his residence to speak with policeā€, the sheriffā€™s office said in a news release.

Wow, the shooter sounds like the type of person who shouldnā€™t have access to a gun.

Looks like he was charged real quick though. Shooting a young white woman doesnā€™t get you released after a 24 hour hold.

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White woman and black kid are both equally and tragically dead.
Whatever happens next can be debated but the tragedy of the victims is shared.

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The boy survived, somehow.

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Oh well thatā€™s good. Makes it slightly more plausible why the shooter of the woman is detained as well.

Thatā€™s so frustrating. I wanted to see those lying sacks of shit testify.

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Exactly what I was thinking.

This was a case is an unfortunate accident, however itā€™s clear self-defence. 84 yr old man living on his own, someone rings his door bell and opens the outside screen to your house at night (which was left out by the article), he had every right to feel threatened in that situation.