Admittedly, violence may highlight the issue and bring the issues to the forefront of the public's consciousness, but in reality violence is not the long-term answer.
It will also bring about issues that may only lead to exacerbating the situation further, hence it's a balancing act in the short, medium and long term.
That's not dismissing grievances or the situation, but an observation. In reality, I've thought about this much and I feel that racism will never truly be removed.
This particular issue is due to white privilege and the treatment of blacks in America, but it's the tip of the iceberg that is discrimination across the globe.
That's not me minimising the issue or trying to hide from it, but my frank impression of the issue of bigotry as a whole: race, colour, creed, nations, cities etc.
Humans, regretfully, tend to fall into groups (pack mentality) based on their similarities and their differences with a magnetism for similar interests or whatever.
Due to this, there'll always be a conscious or subconscious view of we're different; where for most people that's as far it goes (accepting differences)...
...for some it'll sadly move onto a form of bigotry. What the heck should pigment in our skin designed to protect us from the sun have to do with anything?
Why should religion or nationality? But it does. K'in ell, people talk about gingers and blondes etc., and some people even use that to be derogatory.
It's no different from the situation of football fans: we're all fellow blues (our similarity) and we probably have a tendency to sway away from Liverpool fans.
You only need to look at the Newcastle thread, which I myself have been a member of. All fun? In reality, they're nothing more than another set of football fans.
We talk down about them and make fun of them, but some others have this vile hatred for them that seethes in their veins. We have our fans who chant hatred.
How is that not as bad racism, sexism or xenophobia? This whole situation has really made me think about how deeply engrained this is within society.
People will talk about the historic part of racism (white privilege), how widespread or embedded it is in terms of impact, but it's still from the same root cause...
... us vs. them; similarities vs. differences. What I'm saying is that is that I simply can't see this being a quick fix if it's ever fixed at all - I sincerely hope it is.
Therefore, in reality we need to try and educate and subdue this innate, internal things that we do on a daily basis, but clearly to different extents.
We're guilty of it and nobody should say otherwise, but so are other people. Everyone is! That's not trying to shift the blame or absolve responsibility.
However, I just can't help but think it's currently engrained in humanity and only education, real education and the growth of knowledge, will fix our bigotry.
Education about similarities and accepting differences. Accepting that racism, sexism or whatever else is a lack of understanding and accepting of cultures.
I look at the rioting, racism and hatred in the USA and I see my own faults, and I personally despise racism. "Only love can conquer hate," as Marvin said.
