Brian Peacock wrote: ↑Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:28 pm
L'Emmerdeur wrote: ↑Mon Jul 20, 2020 11:36 pm
...
There is much reliance on statistics that show white suspects are killed by police proportionally more often than black suspects are. He does speculate briefly on why that might be the case, but takes it as read and uses it as a solid point on the side of 'hey, it's pretty much all in their heads', his precise wording is 'mass hysteria.' Good ol' Sam. God bless him.
I think you pretty much nailed why Harris' remarks are, shall we say, unsettling. I've selected the bit above because I found this the most problematic part of what he said. Even being charitable I think it's difficult not to take this any other way than him saying, "Data seems to show racism isn't a factor in policing because police officers kill proportionately more unarmed white people than black people."
Elsewhere he's said that people who have done nothing wrong and/or have been misidentified or unreliably targetted by law enforcement are probably more likely to be annoyed, angry and non-compliant, but when that's laid against statements which appear to highlight that black people commit a disproportionate amount of crime - particularly violent crime against other black people - then it feels as if he is encouraging us to simply take these facts in isolation and without any further social, economic, judicial etc context.
It's a reasonable inference that 'people who have done nothing wrong and/or have been misidentified or unreliably targetted by law enforcement are probably more likely to be annoyed'. When it's part of your everyday life, you're likely to be annoyed by
any interaction with the police. That's a given.
Then we listen to black mothers describing how they teach their children to be very careful in their interactions with police. Perhaps more significant is the evidence of the world around them showing that the police can end you with impunity if you mess with them. I think that facet of the situation is at least as significant as being annoyed by undue attention from police. In my opinion any argument built on 'annoyance at police' by black people or their supposed 'culture of resisting arrest' is, absent empirical evidence in support, of minimal worth. Harris knows this, so why is he even trotting it out?
Brian Peacock wrote: ↑Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:28 pm
It's also easily taken to imply that black people are just more dangerous and criminally minded as a group. And yet, the data seems reliable. Which leaves me thinking that the matter of racism in law enforcement is far more complex than any particular data-point might suggest.
Egad, after listening to that last one I've had more than my fill of Dr Harris this
week month. For some reason my initial reaction to him (we're talking years and years ago) was negative. I kept listening though, because he does have interesting things to say. Over the years I've found that I disagree with much more from him than I agree with, and my tolerance for his schtick has not grown.
I agree he does sidle right up to the idea that 'basically, it's their own fault', but he doesn't do it via sound argument.