[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I made this same point last night in the Minneapolis thread over in OT, called out racism as I saw it, and had two posters calling for me to be banned or have the moderators intervene.

But this problem, it’s not just that racism exists. It’s just not posters who espouse toxic and hateful views as we’ve seen in this thread or in many of the other threads relating to these issues. It’s that those same people who espouse these views want to shut the conversation down. They get mad at people speaking out or protesting, and not from a place of “more should be done” but from a place of “nothing should be done at all.” They want to shut down broader conversations and even shut down conversations here. And should you call racism as you see it? It’s not just those people who rush to deny it, you’re also told by others that “racism” is a bad word, and you shouldn’t use it so casually.

Why is it that every time a Black man is shot or killed by police, these people are solely interested in excusing the police? Why must every Black victim have their criminal history explored in detail? Why must every video be analysed to find reason to justify a Black man shot in the back? And most importantly, why do none of the same people that do this treat the White shooter the same? A Black man who is killed after forging a cheque will have his entire history on display and be given every possible reason why it might have been ok to choke him to death. But a White killer? The only word from any of these people (literally the only thing said by any of those who constantly justify every execution by cop) about Kyle Rittenhouse? “It’s an open carry state, but he was 17 so I guess he was breaking the ‘law’”

We all know what this is. As Noah says, we also know why this is. It isn’t about the gun or the actions. And to those who think it’s a “US problem”: wake up. It’s a problem here. It’s a problem that affects all of us. You don’t have to go to the US to see the type of thinking that makes this problem real, you can see it right here on CalgaryPuck if you want.

Don’t be like these people. Don’t look to shut the conversation down. Do what Jiri did and let these views exist but call them exactly as they are. Call out hate. Call out racism, call out homophobia, call out sexism. But, for this issue, focus on calling out racism today. Because it’s not a problem in some other country, it’s a problem right in front of your face. And we may not have the money or the resources to make meaningful change, but the least we can do is call out racism as we see it.

Will any of this change with the NHL going away for two days? Probably not, so do something yourself and start small.

Thank you for being an ally and calling people out on this.