K with a very direct and powerful Black Lives Matter Video statement

[WakeDevil]

All lives matter, yes. Black lives matter right now. Because they haven't for a very long time.

"All lives matter" is like going to someone's birthday party and saying "I have a birthday party too, you know."

It misses the point.

You're woke. We get it.

The responses on this subject, with one exception, were as predictable as night following day.

[SupaDave]

Not sure. I disagree with almost everything he said. A lot of platitudes with no real discussion of what system he is claiming is racist. I doubt he has visited the blm website and read the antisemitic and anti-family messaging. I doubt he has looked at the statistical evidence that doesn't support the blm narrative.

If he wants to talk about reigning in some of the tactics that law enforcement has abused recently against everyone, I can get on board. If he wants to really talk about what really ails the black community in America I'm all for it.

All lives matter.

Basically this post is about some guys ability to tune out a cause bc it makes his privilege have to examine life outside of a bubble and it makes him uncomfortable. So instead he tries to hijack the statement with a phrase like All lives matter while continuously not giving a damn about Black Lives - or anyone else but himself and his little world.

Which is why Black Lives Matter. You will not be able to ignore this anymore.

This post reminds me of when Elton Brand had to go off on a Dukie - you’re that guy.

There’s more I would say but mostly you need to read more books and stop watching Fox News.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

You're woke. We get it.

The responses on this subject, with one exception, were as predictable as night following day.

This isn't about me any more than it's about Coach K.

[SupaDave]

You're woke. We get it.

The responses on this subject, with one exception, were as predictable as night following day.

Actually you don’t get it. That’s why you posted this tone deaf analysis.

You obviously didn’t pay attention to what K said bc it made you uncomfortable with your own apathy.

[OldPhiKap]

This isn't about me any more than it's about Coach K.

“You must spread some Comments around before commenting on Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 again.”

IT. IS. NOT. A. POLITICAL. STATEMENT.

(But unfortunately, a few political responses will get this thread locked. Shame.)

[roywhite]

There’s more I would say but mostly you need to read more books and stop watching Fox News.

IT. IS. NOT. A. POLITICAL. STATEMENT.

(But unfortunately, a few political responses will get this thread locked. Shame.)

Political responses, like that of a Moderator noted above?

[OldPhiKap]

K expressly said it was not a political statement, it was a human rights statement. Those that want to question K’s motives are free to do so. I’ll take him at his word.

(not directed at you Roy, but the person who flamed my post. I would rather respond publicly than re-flame privately).

[SupaDave]

Political responses, like that of a Moderator noted above?

Me thinks you don’t know what a political response is if you think that’s one.

That’s a BLACK response. How bout that.

We can sit and talk about it or you can choose to find a way not to.

Obviously K wants folks to talk about it.

[Chard]

Basically this post is about some guys ability to tune out a cause bc it makes his privilege have to examine life outside of a bubble and it makes him uncomfortable. So instead he tries to hijack the statement with a phrase like All lives matter while continuously not giving a damn about Black Lives - or anyone else but himself and his little world.

Which is why Black Lives Matter. You will not be able to ignore this anymore.

This post reminds me of when Elton Brand had to go off on a Dukie - you’re that guy.

There’s more I would say but mostly you need to read more books and stop watching Fox News.

I assume when you mention my "privilege " you assume that I am white. You're half right. So that makes your assumption half racist. Further, I reject the notion of white privilege. It doesn't exist and is basically racist in nature.

The rest of your post is nonsense and personal in nature. You know nothing about me and what I believe. You immediately jump to conclusions and vilify me and seek to silence me because I dare to think differently than you. You don't even attempt to tackle the ideas and converse in a civil matter. Shame on you. You make no effort to discuss the antisemitic materials on the blm website. You make no effort to discuss the real problems facing black Americans. You can't respond without your comments coming off like a child throwing an emotional tantrum. It is the typical response seen on places like reddit or twitter that offer nothing but vitriol. That's your post. And you're a moderator!?

[SupaDave]

K expressly said it was not a political statement, it was a human rights statement. Those that want to question K’s motives are free to do so. I’ll take him at his word.

(not directed at you Roy, but the person who flamed my post. I would rather respond publicly than re-flame privately).

Imagine flaming someone because Coach K said black peoples lives matter.

Let that sink in...

There’s no politics in that. It’s life.

A life that a few of you can’t even begin to comprehend - obviously.

Some of you need to watch that clip again. Soak it in. And get over yourself.

[SupaDave]

I assume when you mention my "privilege " you assume that I am white. You're half right. So that makes your assumption half racist. Further, I reject the notion of white privilege. It doesn't exist and is basically racist in nature.

The rest of your post is nonsense and personal in nature. You know nothing about me and what I believe. You immediately jump to conclusions and vilify me and seek to silence me because I dare to think differently than you. You don't even attempt to tackle the ideas and converse in a civil matter. Shame on you. You make no effort to discuss the antisemitic materials on the blm website. You make no effort to discuss the real problems facing black Americans. You can't respond without your comments coming off like a child throwing an emotional tantrum. It is the typical response seen on places like reddit or twitter that offer nothing but vitriol. That's your post. And you're a moderator!?

I guess only a half of you matters then - right?

I don’t need to know you to know what equality looks like and when someone refuses to see it bc of their own privilege.

My responses are that of someone who wants you to actually listen to Coach K. Bc you obviously haven’t.

[brlftz]

To think that it’s “racist” to point out that being born white confers advantages is either astonishingly naive or deliberately hostile.

ETA: the fact that there are people that think this way explains a lot

[Chard]

I guess only a half of you matters then - right?

I don’t need to know you to know what equality looks like and when someone refuses to see bc of their own privilege.

My response are that of someone who wants you to actually listen to Coach K. Bc you obviously haven’t.

Wrong. It just makes you look racist.

You don't need to know me because then your list of fantastical assumptions and emotionally crafted straw man wouldn't be anywhere close to the truth. Obviously that it not important to you since your goal isn't dialogue and understanding.

Your response is nothing close to what you say. Your response was all about belittling, shaming and obfuscation. You were mad because I DID LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAID and didn't agree with a majority of it. I think you should listen more and get out of your echo chambers. Because your echo chambers don't want to discuss real issues. They're hijacking a message for purposes not related to the black community.

Police brutality is bad. Black on black crime is exponentially worse. Racism is bad. American isn't a racist country. Certain policies/laws/beliefs are; redlining, voting right, segregation, safe spaces, etc.

All lives matter. It doesn't belittle black lives. It includes everyone.

[bundabergdevil]

Not sure. I disagree with almost everything he said. A lot of platitudes with no real discussion of what system he is claiming is racist. I doubt he has visited the blm website and read the antisemitic and anti-family messaging. I doubt he has looked at the statistical evidence that doesn't support the blm narrative.

If he wants to talk about reigning in some of the tactics that law enforcement has abused recently against everyone, I can get on board. If he wants to really talk about what really ails the black community in America I'm all for it.

All lives matter.

You assume much about K’s personal experience and imply it would be impossible to believe what he does if he visited a website. Do you think maybe K has had the opportunity to discuss the experience of young black men in America with many young black men in America? Do you think BLM means something different to those young black men than it might to those, like you, who disagree with the three words?

Have you looked at the statistical evidence that DOES support the idea behind BLM? Would you know the difference between good evidence and bad? Are you the type of person that can change your mind based on evidence contradictory to your belief? Not many people are, I’ve found, so it is probably useless to have a discussion based on evidence. People arrive at a place where they simply believe something, evidence be darned. You’re accusing K of that but would you even know if you were actually that person?

What qualifies you to discuss what really, as you put it, ails the black community in America?

We’re barely 50 years beyond the major civil rights legislation of the 60s. The law changed then; sentiment did not. Many people now in various powerful positions formed their identity in opposition to civil rights. The system in systemic exists because we’re not even a full generation removed from half the country opposing basic civil rights for black Americans.

I don’t know why there is disagreement with the Idea that the playing field is not yet 100% level.

[Lord Ash]

Further, I reject the notion of white privilege. It doesn't exist and is basically racist in nature.

I was lucky enough to get into Duke, and lucky enough to learn from, and listen to, some thoughtful, informed people and get one my degrees in African American studies. You can reject whatever you would like, but there isn’t really any objective argument to be made that there is no “white privilege” in our country when you look at exactly what Coach K discusses... systems of education and business and housing and the like. Obviously we have made strides leveling the playing field, but there is still a ways to go.

And I cannot fathom how it can be racist in nature. Being racist is making negative judgments of a person because of their race. The modern, accepted concept of “White privilege” does not make such a judgment of any person of any race.

[duke4ever19]

You're woke. We get it.

The responses on this subject, with one exception, were as predictable as night following day.

Wait, you don’t like ‘either/or’ debates foisted upon you in the name of fuzzy idealized words, which neither side is interested in defining in order to understand each other? How dare you!

You know how people accuse others of being “above it all” if they don’t accept one or the other side, or fail to meet their level of emotional investment? Typically the accused will immediately try to avoid that label by offering token platitudes that reaffirm that they indeed possess human empathy? On this issue, I finally feel “above it all” and I have no interest in pretending otherwise. This is a low-effort debate, with low-effort individuals using pathetic tactics to coerce verbal acceptance of their low-effort philosophy that will inevitably cannabilize itself into oblivion. Everyone needs a contrarian in the ranks. Allow me to introduce myself.

[OldPhiKap]

Can someone tell me what K said with which they disagree? If not, I do not see what the relevant problem is here.

[brlftz]

I guess I do live in a bubble. It’s filled with people that are smart enough to understand that the phrase “Black lives matter” is a response to a system that says “black lives don’t matter”, and that responding with “All lives matter” marks you as someone who doesn’t seem particularly troubled by the reality of what law enforcement means in the lives of Black families. It only makes sense if you think it’s important to pretend you don’t understand what’s being said, which allows you to ignore the concerns and change the subject. I really can’t understand it as anything other than overt racism.

[-jk]

And I think we're going in circles now.

-jk

[Stray Gator]

Wait, you don’t like ‘either/or’ debates foisted upon you in the name of fuzzy idealized words, which neither side is interested in defining in order to understand each other? How dare you!

You know how people accuse others of being “above it all” if they don’t accept one or the other side, or fail to meet their level of emotional investment? Typically the accused will immediately try to avoid that label by offering token platitudes that reaffirm that they indeed possess human empathy? On this issue, I finally feel “above it all” and I have no interest in pretending otherwise. This is a low-effort debate, with low-effort individuals using pathetic tactics to coerce verbal acceptance of their low-effort philosophy that will inevitably cannabilize itself into oblivion. Everyone needs a contrarian in the ranks. Allow me to introduce myself.

I don't believe Coach K's message framed this as an "either/or" debate, and I certainly don't view it that way. To me, acknowledging that black lives matter doesn't necessarily mean endorsing every proposed policy or statement of principle that the Black Lives Matter organization advocates. It simply means recognizing that historically, in many ways, the lives of black people haven't "mattered" as much or been valued as highly, and the life experiences of black people have been less favorable, than those of white people.

As a white person who grew up in the South, during a time when we still had segregated schools, segregated sections of theaters, and even separate drinking fountains, I've witnessed significant changes in the relationships between races, and substantial progress in narrowing the economic and social disparities. But I'd have to be blind to ignore the fact that real disparities, some more subtle than others, persist; and even though the discriminatory treatment may not be felt in every interaction with every white person, it arises with sufficient regularity that the consciousness of it can never be pushed completely out of view.

As I understand it, what Coach K means by saying we need to acknowledge that black lives matter is that we first need to recognize there is a problem by listening and learning about how those lingering disparities -- in treatment by some in the police, and by some in the judicial system, and by some employers, and by some realtors, and by some store clerks, and by some servers in restaurants, and by some teachers in school, etc. -- unfairly diminish the quality and value of black people's lives. Until we acknowledge those differences in treatment, we can't begin to work towards eliminating them; and until we eliminate them, black lives will not matter as much as others -- which means, of course, that we can't say truthfully that all lives matter.

As for "white privilege," I have no problem acknowledging that I have been, and continue to be, the beneficiary of social and economic advantages by virtue of the fact that I'm white. I don't apologize for being white; I had no choice in the matter. But I don't see any reason why I -- or my children and grandchildren -- should continue to enjoy an advantage over black people for that reason alone. Conversely, let there be no mistake that I don't agree with everything the Black Lives Matter movement is doing and saying. So for me, it's not an "either/or" debate -- it's an objective, the achievement of which will ultimately require some measure of mutual agreement. But that objective is one in which I genuinely believe, because it is nothing more than a closer approximation to the American ideal of equal rights, and equal justice, and equal opportunity for all. Isn't that fair? And isn't that all Coach K is really suggesting?