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Sent to you by moya via Google Reader:
I watched the verdict last night. Not on any TV news station because NONE of the major networks had any coverage of the rage and pain of the people in Oakland and LA last night. Tweeting with folks across time zones and continents, we tried to hold Oscar Grant's memory.
As my Twitter Timeline filled with anguish, police positions, disbelief, it also became populated by folks who seemed to have a similar level of rage (or excitement) for LeBron's decision to Join the Miami Heat.
I have to say that sports are not my thing and I already don't hold professional athletes in much esteem but the reality that folks were more or even equally incenced by LeBron's decision was beyond what I could process in an evening. An ESPN hour long interview, The Decision, sponsored by Bing "the decision engine" (gag), was all that major networks wanted to talk about. The contradictions of this country are astounding. LeBron's lust for victory is more compelling than the realities of our criminal (in)justice system. Did I mention that NO major TV news network covered the trial last night (I have a deep and abiding hatred for CNN; we have history)?
I suppose I was also surprised by folks tweeting as though it was just another day in America, like this grave injustice didn't occur, like this kind of thing happens all the time… oh wait. It does. And the fact that it does makes people more likely to check out than check in. More likely to say 'F*ck it I want the new Nike's' than to question the system that sells you rubber and cloth with an 1000% mark up. As Summer M. asked "can we blame a cat for being nihilistic? if he screams "f[*]ck bitches, get money"? what decent alternative do we have to offer? our tweets?"
I don't know that I have an answer…
Side Note: Johannes Meshserle does not sound like the name of a good ol' American boy born and raised by parents born and raised in the US of A. Though I have no evidence of this my hunch is that the Meshserle clan don't have an extended history in this country. Seems like an immigrant white boy, or a white boy that's the son of immigrants, makes for a better first time "involuntary manslaughter" police perp than someone whose colonial and prison industrial complex roots are deeper. That and multiple "caught on tape" videos of Meshserle's deed that can't be erased from public memory…
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