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| Serpicat and Rex. Cat and Dog. Black and White. In harmony. Words and photo by F LoBuono |
Shakespeare begins Richard III with that ominous line. First published in 1594, it has never rang more true than it does today. The people have taken to the streets to show their discontent with a legal system that, somehow, seems to be broken. Young men, particularly young black men, are being killed at an alarming rate by both the police and one another. And people are angry about it. Reminiscent of Peter Finch's legendary portrayal of TV news anchor Harold Beale's call to action in Paddy Chayefsky's seminal film Network, people are screaming, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore"! They will be heard. They must be heard.
This is a passionate debate with inflamed emotions on both sides of the argument. There are those who very much support the police and system, citing the fact that the great majority of men and women who serve to protect us do just that under often difficult and dangerous conditions. Then there are those who feel the system itself is corrupt and, therefore, anyone laboring under it enforces laws that are unjust and applied unequally.
One thing is certain; feelings have been rubbed raw. I know mine have and I'm sure that my comments have had the same effect on others. It's easy to get caught up in the passion. It's easy to get angry and allow emotion, rather than reason, rule the day. Yes, I have fallen into that trap - too often, in fact. When I stop, step back, take a breath, and actually THINK about what I may have just said or written, I often feel badly about it. It's not that I feel what I may have thought was not accurate but, rather, HOW I may have said it. And there within lies the problem.
On subjects as deeply felt as this one, the chances of actually changing another's mind are slim at best. However, if one resorts to pejoratives and personal attacks, not only does that task become impossible, it usually ends with both parties even further apart from where they originally began.
So, argue with passion and pride but leave the anger and hate behind, Remember:
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
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