New Orleans Saints Benjamin Watson comments on Ferguson, MO

[Wing_it]

It's said the first thing needed in order to solve a problem is to define what the real problem is, I believe Watson nailed it dead center with his Facebook post:

At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts:


I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.


I'M FRUSTRATED, because pop culture, music and movies glorify these types of police citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get young men killed in real life, away from safety movie sets and music studios.


I'M FEARFUL because in the back of my mind I know that although I'm a law abiding citizen I could still be looked upon as a "threat" to those who don't know me. So I will continue to have to go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt.


I'M EMBARRASSED because the looting, violent protests, and law breaking only confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment.


I'M SAD, because another young life was lost from his family, the racial divide has widened, a community is in shambles, accusations, insensitivity hurt and hatred are boiling over, and we may never know the truth about what happened that day.


I'M SYMPATHETIC, because I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe Darren Wilson acted within his rights and duty as an officer of the law and killed Michael Brown in self defense like any of us would in the circumstance. Now he has to fear the backlash against himself and his loved ones when he was only doing his job. What a horrible thing to endure. OR maybe he provoked Michael and ignited the series of events that led to him eventually murdering the young man to prove a point.


I'M OFFENDED, because of the insulting comments I've seen that are not only insensitive but dismissive to the painful experiences of others.


I'M CONFUSED, because I don't know why it's so hard to obey a policeman. You will not win!!! And I don't know why some policeman abuse their power. Power is a responsibility, not a weapon to brandish and lord over the populace.


I'M INTROSPECTIVE, because sometimes I want to take "our" side without looking at the facts in situations like these. Sometimes I feel like it's us against them. Sometimes I'm just as prejudiced as people I point fingers at. And that's not right. How can I look at white skin and make assumptions but not want assumptions made about me? That's not right.


I'M HOPELESS, because I've lived long enough to expect things like this to continue to happen. I'm not surprised and at some point my little children are going to inherit the weight of being a minority and all that it entails.


I'M HOPEFUL, because I know that while we still have race issues in America, we enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships with teammates, friends and mentors. And it's a beautiful thing.


I'M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn. BUT I'M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through the his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that's capable of looking past the outward and seeing what's truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It's the Gospel. So, finally, I'M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope.

[Jack]

He got it right in his last paragraph.

I'm a white guy who worked in a minority community alongside guys of many different skin colors. The only ones that had an attitude were those who came into the job thinking that somehow us white guys would have a bad, demeaning attitude toward them. Usually after a short time the attitudes disappeared because it didn't make any difference to the rest of us as to what your background was. All we expected was a good work attitude.
I find it sadly ironic and tragic that our government on the one hand claims to be against discrimination, but on the other hand is overly demanding to know if we are white, black, brown or yellow. Just take a look at any government census or application form. When will all of us legal citizens be just plain Americans and not Afro-American, Chinese American, Hispanic American, etc?

[Kiwi]

"When will all of us legal citizens be just plain Americans and not Afro-American, Chinese American, Hispanic American, etc?"

Yep. We have that type of question on some of our forms here in New Zealand, and other. I tick other and write New Zealander.

[HBarlow]

I read Watson's comments and do not agree with him. Some of his comments were objective but overall I resent his opinion.

His first comment was that he was angry about the tales of injustice he has heard since childhood that he sees as continuing.

What injustice occurred here? A young black thug robbed a convenience store, bullied the owner shoving him across his own store, then calmly walked down the middle of the street carrying stolen items. When directed to move out of the street by a uniformed police officer in a patrol car who initially was unaware of the robbery he responded rudely and refused to comply.

He then escalated the meeting by assaulting the officer and trying to take the officer's service weapon away from him. The officer did exactly what he has been trained to do and what any of us would probably do if we had been in the officers's place.

The attention of much of the world was focused on the officer and the Ferguson, MO police department. Rather than simply suspend the officer and conduct a standard officer involved shooting investigation risking accusations of a police cover up the district attorney (no doubt with guidance from the MO governor and attorney general) referred the matter to a grand jury.

Grand jury investigations are the method used by our legal system to allow ordinary members of the public to decide whether a person should be charged with a serious felony crime.

The grand jury no-billed the officer after spending weeks hearing the evidence. These were citizens just like us including several black citizens.

How can a hot shot football player earning the adulation of millions of people and earning millions of dollars for playing a game speak of discrimination?

The turd that occupies the White House is black. The racist criminal thug who is United States Attorney General is black. Many members of the cabinet are black. Many members of congress are black. A supreme court justice is black. Thousands of blacks are prominent and wealthy in government, sports, business, law enforcement, the judiciary, entertainment, the military, banking, finance, etc.

Most of us have worked and associated with many black people during our lives. Personally I like and admire black people who are good citizens and successful in America just as I do everyone else. I do not discriminate against them in any way. I also hold black, white, and brown street thugs and felons in contempt and feel they should not be tolerated regardless of their skin color or whining about real or imagined mistreatment of their ancestors. I don't respect thugs or felons and don't willingly associate with them.

I read the news. I am aware of who is constantly in the news for violent criminal acts. I know which Americans are burdens on the social services networks. I'm aware who occupies our police forces, jails, courts, and prisons.

I'm also aware of who receives "affirmative action" special handling and special privilege in hiring, admission to higher education, etc.

In my opinion racism is mostly bs in America in 2014. My negative attitudes toward some groups is earned by their character and behavior.

[Jack]

H. Barlow I agree with your comments and went back and edited my comment about Watson's comments.

[Wing_it]

I read Watson's comments and do not agree with him. Some of his comments were objective but overall I resent his opinion.

His first comment was that he was angry about the tales of injustice he has heard since childhood that he sees as continuing.

What injustice occurred here? A young black thug robbed a convenience store, bullied the owner shoving him across his own store, then calmly walked down the middle of the street carrying stolen items. When directed to move out of the street by a uniformed police officer in a patrol car who initially was unaware of the robbery he responded rudely and refused to comply.

He then escalated the meeting by assaulting the officer and trying to take the officer's service weapon away from him. The officer did exactly what he has been trained to do and what any of us would probably do if we had been in the officers's place.

The attention of much of the world was focused on the officer and the Ferguson, MO police department. Rather than simply suspend the officer and conduct a standard officer involved shooting investigation risking accusations of a police cover up the district attorney (no doubt with guidance from the MO governor and attorney general) referred the matter to a grand jury.

Grand jury investigations are the method used by our legal system to allow ordinary members of the public to decide whether a person should be charged with a serious felony crime.

The grand jury no-billed the officer after spending weeks hearing the evidence. These were citizens just like us including several black citizens.

How can a hot shot football player earning the adulation of millions of people and earning millions of dollars for playing a game speak of discrimination?

The turd that occupies the White House is black. The racist criminal thug who is United States Attorney General is black. Many members of the cabinet are black. Many members of congress are black. A supreme court justice is black. Thousands of blacks are prominent and wealthy in government, sports, business, law enforcement, the judiciary, entertainment, the military, banking, finance, etc.

Most of us have worked and associated with many black people during our lives. Personally I like and admire black people who are good citizens and successful in America just as I do everyone else. I do not discriminate against them in any way. I also hold black, white, and brown street thugs and felons in contempt and feel they should not be tolerated regardless of their skin color or whining about real or imagined mistreatment of their ancestors. I don't respect thugs or felons and don't willingly associate with them.

I read the news. I am aware of who is constantly in the news for violent criminal acts. I know which Americans are burdens on the social services networks. I'm aware who occupies our police forces, jails, courts, and prisons.

I'm also aware of who receives "affirmative action" special handling and special privilege in hiring, admission to higher education, etc.

In my opinion racism is mostly bs in America in 2014. My negative attitudes toward some groups is earned by their character and behavior.

It is a truth that a person's perspective can greatly influence one's point of view of things, perhaps its just me but to acknowledge a person's opinion is made with objectivity and then not only disagree but resent it overall at first seemed perplexing but then later less so. My perspective, as well as others who have commented on various places on the net, seem to have taken Watson's comments and list of emotions, though initiated by the events in Ferguson, to apply to racial relations in general and not just specifically to the Michael Brown incident while your focus seems narrowed, at least by your comments.

You seem to resent Watson's first comment because he views Michael Brown's death as an injustice. Yet Watson's comment isn't limited to Ferguson at all, he states "stories of injustice over generations" implying a repeating of injustices over time. Is his statement without merit? A simple Google or youtube search of "abuse of police authority" will prove his statement is objective and has much merit.

Watson then lists many emotions, emotions common to all of us. Perhaps you resent that with each of these emotions Watson acknowledges that there are two sides to every story and different people will have different perceptions of the same event based on their personal prejudices. Maybe you resent the fact that Watson acknowledges pop culture's negative effect on young black men today leading to many of them being killed or is it that you resent that Watson is embarrassed that the looting and violent protest and law breaking of the few of his own ethnicity reflect and reinforce negative perceptions for all black people and will continue to do so insuring his children will too inherit this same negative perception.

Maybe your resentment is to the fact that Watson is sympathetic not only to a mother's loss, regardless of the reason, of her son but also for the backlash that Darrel Wilson and his family have incurred simply because he was doing his job as best as he saw fit in those few split seconds, or perhaps your resentment is that Watson acknowledges it is a simple thing to just obey a policeman yet concedes that many don't, always leading to negative consequences.

Or you may simply resent Watson's position of the ultimate problem in America, that it is not a Skin problem but a Sin problem and that Jesus Christ, through a renewed mind and heart, gives mankind hope and can change the face of racial relations in America. Contrary to your statement that racism is mostly bs in America, racism is surely alive as is sin. Your own last three statements confirm that you acknowledge that fact. And the fact that sin abounds as well is as simple as this, if no one transgressed the true spirit of any of the ten commandments there really wouldn't be a need for police forces, jails, courts and prisons.

You seem to even resent Watson himself asking how a person of wealth and adulation can speak of discrimination. My question to you is: How can you, an older white guy, know what Watson has or hasn't experienced in the way of discrimination during his 33 years as a black child, teenager and adult Christian man? Adulation and wealth have nothing to do with one not experiencing discrimination, just ask Phil Robertson.

Numerous times in the past you have stated that words have meaning and considering the meaning of resentment, that itself, to me, goes a long way and explains a lot. But hey, that's just another older white guy's opinion, you are, of course, free to resent it as well.

Respectfully.....Wing_it