Summary Of The Coming Race War Won T Be About Race
On the surface, the Ferguson shooting is a prime example of modern racial prejudice. Since the incident, the media has utilized this tragedy to promote public discourse regarding the discrimination that still exists within our global community. However, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the author of the Time magazine article “The Coming Race War Won’t Be About Race”, argues that race is not the only problem at hand. Instead, he believes that a variety of socio-economic issues have emerged through the nature of this event and others similar to it. He looks further than just the narrow context and explores all of the factors that have caused the events of the shooting of Mike Brown to escalate; to explore the reason why not only the Ferguson community, but, also the nation has such animosity towards
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law enforcement. In the article, Abdul-Jabbar discusses economic, political, and educational concerns (through credible events and comparisons) in relation to the Ferguson shooting. Firstly, the author discusses similar events that have occurred over the past few decades.
He validates the comparison of the events with credibility by mentioning the time and repercussions of those tragedies. It was in May of 1970, Kent State in Ohio faced an eerie ordeal. The National Guard shot at protesters who were students at the university. This garnered a great amount of attention from the media and people across the nation. But, similar events did not get nearly as much attention and were easily forgotten. While making the comparison to the modern day event in Ferguson, Missouri, Abdul-Jabbar brings to light the Jackson State shooting. Which happened only 10 days after the Kent State shooting. But, “There was no national outcry” (par. 6) not much attention from the media, and not as many protesters. The author of the article inquires and delves into the reason as to why two tragedies that had similar catalysts and outcomes were perpetuated differently. Abdul-Jabbar dissects the factors that went into the way both tragedies were reflected. He also questions if the Ferguson shooting will have the same fate and be forgotten, just like the tragedy at Jackson
State. All three of these events make subscribers of Time Magazine ponder and question if race was the cause of these indifferences. Although many say that generalization of races is the prime suspect for the shootings not receiving enough attention, Abdul-Jabbar conveys the fact that it is far more than just race. He brings up the debatable question if “police in America are themselves an endangered minority who are also discriminated against based on their color—blue.” (par. 9) Regardless of that theory, it is clear that Abdul-Jabbar thinks that the way the media perceived these shootings as solely a problem with race was out of line. He pleads his case and urges the nation to look at the other sides of the situation. He claims that if we continue to look at these disasters solely based on race, we will begin to forget what happened and forget to look at the real problems. He begins to debate whether the real problem is discrimination of justification by the police and if our government has given too much power and control to law enforcement. Jackson State, which is a predominately black, was forgotten because people chose to perceive it as only a problem with race issues. When in reality it extends further than that. It has to do with so much more (e.g. classism, distribution of wealth among minorities, and poor education systems.) In the article, it’s clear to see that Abdul-Jabbar attempts to not be biased about the matter. We can see this attempt based on his observations from all viewpoints. Rather than on the basis of color. He emphasizes inequality. However, he makes sure to highlight that the root for the injustice and prejudice are things like income gaps. He does this by stating, “being a person of color is synonymous with being poor” (par. 10,) and connects those two points. Inequality, race, and deterrence of economic opportunity are all one and the same. He makes a case that not only our government but also law enforcement over regulate. Especially with minorities and lower income individuals. This has to make us as a society question if we give too much power to individuals in senate and the police force. To further his case, Abdul-Jabbar uses television shows and books to strengthen his opinion. He talks about Last Week Tonight, an HBO show that ran an episode exposing the infamous payday loans. This episode exposed them for manipulating the poor. “Oliver showed how the poor are lured into such a loan, only to be unable to pay it back.” (par. 15.) They practically try to keep those lower income people, stuck below those with higher incomes. Abdul-Jabbar urges the audience that “The cycle shall be unbroken” (par. 15.) He also uses examples from popular novels like Hunger Games. He makes the comparison of the corrupt society in the book to our society now. “The One Percent gets richer while our middle class is collapsing” (par. 16.) This analogy rings true. In the Hunger Games, the president isolates the rich and separates them from the poor. This is equivalent to our socio-economic structure in the United States. In this article, Abdul-Jabbar makes a great effort at cracking wide open these reasons for why we, as a nation, overlook tragedies like these in predominately African-American communities. What Abdul-Jabbar is trying to convey is that we need to look past black vs. white, and look at both sides rather than one; to have a broader idea of a situation before we jump to conclusions. He highlights how it is far more than a racial issue, and if the media and the nation dissect and look further into the situation, they would realize that the anger erupting from the Ferguson community is not solely based on race, but that it comes from a constant distaste and betrayal from law enforcement and the government. But, since most decide to hate the police solely based on discrimination, they can easily hold grudges against them. If we as a nation - as people - continue to focus on that discrimination and race we will not be able to move forward and whatever happens will inevitably be forgotten, similar to events like the Jackson State shooting that have occurred throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
law enforcement. In the article, Abdul-Jabbar discusses economic, political, and educational concerns (through credible events and comparisons) in relation to the Ferguson shooting. Firstly, the author discusses similar events that have occurred over the past few decades.
He validates the comparison of the events with credibility by mentioning the time and repercussions of those tragedies. It was in May of 1970, Kent State in Ohio faced an eerie ordeal. The National Guard shot at protesters who were students at the university. This garnered a great amount of attention from the media and people across the nation. But, similar events did not get nearly as much attention and were easily forgotten. While making the comparison to the modern day event in Ferguson, Missouri, Abdul-Jabbar brings to light the Jackson State shooting. Which happened only 10 days after the Kent State shooting. But, “There was no national outcry” (par. 6) not much attention from the media, and not as many protesters. The author of the article inquires and delves into the reason as to why two tragedies that had similar catalysts and outcomes were perpetuated differently. Abdul-Jabbar dissects the factors that went into the way both tragedies were reflected. He also questions if the Ferguson shooting will have the same fate and be forgotten, just like the tragedy at Jackson
State. All three of these events make subscribers of Time Magazine ponder and question if race was the cause of these indifferences. Although many say that generalization of races is the prime suspect for the shootings not receiving enough attention, Abdul-Jabbar conveys the fact that it is far more than just race. He brings up the debatable question if “police in America are themselves an endangered minority who are also discriminated against based on their color—blue.” (par. 9) Regardless of that theory, it is clear that Abdul-Jabbar thinks that the way the media perceived these shootings as solely a problem with race was out of line. He pleads his case and urges the nation to look at the other sides of the situation. He claims that if we continue to look at these disasters solely based on race, we will begin to forget what happened and forget to look at the real problems. He begins to debate whether the real problem is discrimination of justification by the police and if our government has given too much power and control to law enforcement. Jackson State, which is a predominately black, was forgotten because people chose to perceive it as only a problem with race issues. When in reality it extends further than that. It has to do with so much more (e.g. classism, distribution of wealth among minorities, and poor education systems.) In the article, it’s clear to see that Abdul-Jabbar attempts to not be biased about the matter. We can see this attempt based on his observations from all viewpoints. Rather than on the basis of color. He emphasizes inequality. However, he makes sure to highlight that the root for the injustice and prejudice are things like income gaps. He does this by stating, “being a person of color is synonymous with being poor” (par. 10,) and connects those two points. Inequality, race, and deterrence of economic opportunity are all one and the same. He makes a case that not only our government but also law enforcement over regulate. Especially with minorities and lower income individuals. This has to make us as a society question if we give too much power to individuals in senate and the police force. To further his case, Abdul-Jabbar uses television shows and books to strengthen his opinion. He talks about Last Week Tonight, an HBO show that ran an episode exposing the infamous payday loans. This episode exposed them for manipulating the poor. “Oliver showed how the poor are lured into such a loan, only to be unable to pay it back.” (par. 15.) They practically try to keep those lower income people, stuck below those with higher incomes. Abdul-Jabbar urges the audience that “The cycle shall be unbroken” (par. 15.) He also uses examples from popular novels like Hunger Games. He makes the comparison of the corrupt society in the book to our society now. “The One Percent gets richer while our middle class is collapsing” (par. 16.) This analogy rings true. In the Hunger Games, the president isolates the rich and separates them from the poor. This is equivalent to our socio-economic structure in the United States. In this article, Abdul-Jabbar makes a great effort at cracking wide open these reasons for why we, as a nation, overlook tragedies like these in predominately African-American communities. What Abdul-Jabbar is trying to convey is that we need to look past black vs. white, and look at both sides rather than one; to have a broader idea of a situation before we jump to conclusions. He highlights how it is far more than a racial issue, and if the media and the nation dissect and look further into the situation, they would realize that the anger erupting from the Ferguson community is not solely based on race, but that it comes from a constant distaste and betrayal from law enforcement and the government. But, since most decide to hate the police solely based on discrimination, they can easily hold grudges against them. If we as a nation - as people - continue to focus on that discrimination and race we will not be able to move forward and whatever happens will inevitably be forgotten, similar to events like the Jackson State shooting that have occurred throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.