President Barack Obama’s remarks at the memorial for those Dallas police officers killed reminded me that everything is better with soul. Listening to Obama’s remarks felt like I was eating a plate of food cooked by an old black woman from the south who didn’t know that slavery was abolished.
It’s not that President George Bush’s remarks weren’t profound – they actually were. It’s that while I listened, in my head I kept screaming, “Put some hot sauce on that shit!” Seriously, we’re going to miss Obama when he’s gone, y’all.
The big takeaway, for me, was that while we have issues associated with race and policing, we should not fall victim to cynicism. Most importantly, both Bush and Obama stressed the need for us to recognize each other’s humanity. In spite of how we may feel about these issues, if we’re to advance change, it’s important that we see, recognize, and acknowledge our shared humanity.
“I understand how Americans are feeling,” Obama said. “But Dallas, I’m here to say we must reject such despair. I’m here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. And I know that because I know America. I know how far we’ve come against impossible odds.”
Police and citizens are both human
Whether you agree or not, feel free to let e know in your comments below. Personally, I would have to agree with President Obama. In my opinion, the division we’re seeing o the issue in due in large part to social media. That would be, that the assumed anonymity of the internet gives rise to the expression of ignorant thoughts. These are thoughts expressed on both sides of the debate. These are thoughts tat manage to derail any attempt to establish understanding.
This is not good at all, folks. In my view, it’s time for us to stop yelling and screaming past each other and recognize that there’s a problem. Frankly, our failure to build consensus that says we do have a policing problem because too many people – both white and black – are being killed by police officers each year. In a society where crime continues to decline, this is unacceptable.
At the end of the day, we’ll only have our failure to blame. And to be perfectly honest, with President Obama leaving office soon, I’m not sure if I can stomach the speeches that are ass dry as overcooked Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing with five grains of salt. Yeah, for me, that’s gonna get old real quick.
Watch Obama’s speech below: