Dunno, I think the likelihood of... unintentional violence escalating is probably higher...
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Kotaku: Pokémon Go Could Be A Death Sentence For A Black Man
- Thread starter Saucycarpdog
- Start date
Dunno, I think the likelihood of... unintentional violence escalating is probably higher...
If I understand the gym system correctly... Imagine a real-life Team Rocket controlling gym locations
Like you try to come close enough to take the gym, and they try to kill you!
I think we should respect each other opinion and don't call them being dismissive when they just don't want to live in fear. You're right to be cautious and advice others. Specialy if you read the guy who posted the testemony in first page.
Good encounters can be made just by saying "hello" with this game.
So let's to look at the bright side even if it's just temporary. I welcome good heartwarming stories that I read on Reddit thanks to Pokemon go after the the bad things that happened lately and still happening.
Kotaku clickbait, I'm sorry but I don't see it otherwise, even if what they're saying has some truth it in. I don't like clickbait in general.
Jesus.
An attention-grabbing headline =/= clickbait. Shocking headlines have existed since the invention of the fucking printing press. That doesn't mean the article isn't worth reading. Quit dismissing shit because you're scared.
bigNfanboy
Banned
I had a hard time reading "Its inexcusable, unjustifiable..." for just one the inexcusable and unjustifiable cases.
I think that the Kotaku writer deliberately ignores the fucked up situation of five officers being killed just to make a point. He indirectly tries to justify the officer's deaths, as if being part of the "system that disproportionately targets Black Men" makes all of the officers guilty for it.
He describes a fucked up situation for sure, but... Feed the readers with this hate speech is not helping we to get a solution for this issue.
I think that the Kotaku writer deliberately ignores the fucked up situation of five officers being killed just to make a point. He indirectly tries to justify the officer's deaths, as if being part of the "system that disproportionately targets Black Men" makes all of the officers guilty for it.
He describes a fucked up situation for sure, but... Feed the readers with this hate speech is not helping we to get a solution for this issue.
Focusing on the shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana doesn't mean you're OK with the shootings in Dallas
jokingbird
Member
Eh ... I see more 20 - 40 year olds playing this then anyone else. Not sure how you would even use this to locate kids. It doesn't show you the location of people, just public spots. Which is like saying you are afraid pedophiles would use google maps...
Definitely something to take into consideration.
And not to derail, but it's not all doom and gloom!
There was a white guy there to defuse the situation though. Just sayin.
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
You can criticize police brutality without being okay with what happened in Dallas, the fact that you consider concern for unarmed black men "hate speech" is worrying.
staticneuron
Member
Well
Black people make up 13% of the US population. Around 43 million.
What is that? 8 in 1 million for 2015? 4.3 in 1 million in 2016?
So what about being killed by lightning?
I am not the greatest mathematician, using an old calculator and some numbers here. But it seem like for black folks, the odds of being shot by cops are higher than being hit and/or killed by lightning.
I am ok with opinions but the delivery is what it makes it seem dismissive. The comments about "assuming everyone is out to get me" makes it seem as if people are simply being paranoid and this is not a legitimate concern.
Indeed. What happened in Dallas was horrific. That doesn't mean that the deaths caused by other police were justified and it does not make violence normal.
Yeah, I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you are scared then you have no business being a cop. Period.
I try to explain this to as many people as possible. Even policemen. The vast majority agree, even the few good policemen I know.
You go into the job knowing that you are putting your life on the line for the citizens of your community. Make your peace with that and do your job bravely. If for whatever reason you become afraid down the line and can't handle it level headedly then get out. The vast majority of Police shootings of innocent civilians occur because either,
A, The cop is a corrupt racist sociopath.
B, The cop is afraid.
I think these two reasons feed on each other but I do think that the majority is that police officers are afraid. I also think a lot of it has to do with lack of self confidence and physical fitness. Too many people join in the beginning because of their ego and domineering attitudes only to find that they don't actually have the balls to stay calm and level headed during civilian encounters but it's fun to boss people around.
I have had many close encounters with scared policemen where I really think the outcome would have been different if I had not been white.
I was working one day tiling a Gas America and I traditionally carry this knife,
while I'm on the job both as a tool and for protection as I have suffered through way to many robberies and threats of harm to my person or others but I don't really feel like going through the trouble of carrying a gun. Now, this knife is the complete opposite of concealed lol as it looks huge in it's sheath on my hip, which is the point.
Anyhow, it was getting late so I went outside and called my wife to tell her goodnight while walking back and forth beside the gas station.
This officer pulled up whom later I found out was just there to get a drink and saw me in my wife beater and something strapped to my hip. I just kept talking to my wife like normal. He got out of the car and shone his light at my face and asked me what I was doing. I couldn't see a thing lol. I was like, "You talking to me? I'm just talking to my wife telling her goodnight before I go back inside and finish up the tile. My father and I are re tiling the gas station." He asks me to put the phone away and to walk towards him and because I know how he may react I freeze and make sure to make no sudden movements and tell him, "Sir I just want to let you know that I have a knife on my side that I use for work and protection in case you didn't see it." I had turned so that he could clearly see it with his flashlight and even pointed it out. lol. He reiterates what he said before and so I tell my wife what is happening really quick and not to freak out and that I would call her back. I hung up, kept the phone in my hands and my hands held out to my sides. I slowly walk towards him and as soon as I get maybe 7 feet from him he suddenly pulls his gun on me, points it at my face and starts shouting, "Don't come any closer! Raise your hands above your head!" a few times and then radios in for back up saying that I am armed with a "F'ing gigantic knife" in a panicked voice all while his flashlight and gun are still pointed at my friggin head. I immediately sigh, freeze and slowly raise my hands above my head assuming the position ahead of time. I know the role lol. Almost immediately the gas station was literally swarming with police cruisers... I counted at least 7... for me...
So the officers asked me my story, never asked me to give up my weapon or anything, and some other officers went inside and got my dad and he corroborated the whole thing.
The officer that first stopped me then came up to me and said you know having a knife that size on you is illegal right? I looked at him in the face, I was pretty miffed he drew his gun on me, and quoted the code that stated that it was perfectly legal. The senior officer on the scene was standing right next to him and just started laughing at the other officer. He said, "Welp, he got you there," and just walked away shaking his head.
Heck, they even asked the gas station manager if she wanted me to take the knife off when I was inside and she explicitly said that she wanted me to keep wearing it, that since I had been there "snatch and grabs" had been practically non existent and it made the workers feel better.
All that said. I really think that it is sad that if I had not been a white guy in the same situation things could have gone extremely differently. It breaks my heart that a man of different race would have to fear for his life more than others while trying to carry protection/a tool in the same manner I did, doing the same thing I was and exorcising the same "freedoms" I was. I mean it was almost lights out for me as it was being white for goodness sakes. SMH.
Great post.
I have not totally dissimilar "white privilege" story. When I was 15 or so, a couple friends and I decided to go on a walk at around 1am, and we ended up hanging out at a park. At some point, a police car rolls up at a curb around 40 feet from us, and parks. A cop exits the vehicle, stands around for a bit with a flashlight, and sometimes points it in our general direction. I can't tell if he knows we're there, or is perhaps even signaling something at us, and I get the bright idea to go over to him to make sure he's aware and alright with our presence.
It turns out he had no idea we were around, and I took him by surprise. Understandably, he immediately treats me with suspicion. Being a rebellious, bratty kid, I took this as an opportunity to decry the barriers between us as cop and citizen. It culminated with me naively/stupidly reaching into my pocket to pull out evidence of our common humanity, and in response, he pulled his gun out on me. I didn't have a chance to show him the heart shaped belt buckle I was carrying around.
It's a memory I've always looked back on with a tinge of shame, but mostly humor. That's changed over the past couple years, though. Right now, especially, looking back on that moment is mostly heartbreaking. If I were black, my behavior would have been remarkably foolish and dangerous. I wouldn't have had nearly as much room to be a stupid kid messing with the lines around self-expression. Chances are I would have been hurt. And were I hurt, chances are a much bigger chunk of the public would have taken the cop's side, emphasizing his humanity and not mine.
It's becoming clear the safest way to interact with a cop is to literally treat it like a turn-based strategy game:
COP: "Show me your license and registration."
ME: "OK. I will show you my license and registration. To get my license and registration, I need to reach over into my glove compartment. Is it OK to reach over into my glove compartment?"
COP: "Yes, get it."
ME: "OK, I am reaching over to the glove compartment to get the license and registration."
And then move very slowly. It's unfortunate anyone has to act this way, but it's what I'd recommend to anyone these days. Do one thing at a time, clearly ask for directions and clearly convey you're following directions, and then slowly go about them. Rinse, repeat.
Of course, people have done this and still been shot to death. But I guess it gives you the best odds...
COP: "Show me your license and registration."
ME: "OK. I will show you my license and registration. To get my license and registration, I need to reach over into my glove compartment. Is it OK to reach over into my glove compartment?"
COP: "Yes, get it."
ME: "OK, I am reaching over to the glove compartment to get the license and registration."
And then move very slowly. It's unfortunate anyone has to act this way, but it's what I'd recommend to anyone these days. Do one thing at a time, clearly ask for directions and clearly convey you're following directions, and then slowly go about them. Rinse, repeat.
Of course, people have done this and still been shot to death. But I guess it gives you the best odds...
I don't get in the slightest why people can be racist. It's just stupid. I can mostly somehow grasp why people think in a certain way but racism was always something I don't understand. This article just made me realize how fucked up the situation is in this world. And the fact that this will probably never change is making me sad. Empathy should be teached in every school in this world.
Ploid 3.0
Member
It's not only about being shot, but having lives ruined by being put into the system for no reason, or little reason. Once you're in things get tougher. That and possibly getting beat up by police and fined for getting blood on their suit. Any type of harassment, the fear, sucks the joy out of you at times.
Also lightning probably don't go out looking for you. Human strike quotas. It does in FFX though (shakes fist).
What the fuck? Where's the fun in that? What is wrong with people.
jim-jam bongs
Member
All I can say is that it would be awesome if I were even slightly sceptical of the likelihood of what's described in that article happen, but I guess it's not an awesome week.
Unlikely.
Unlikely.
Bye.
Racism is horrible, absolutely. Ideally, all anyone would care about in this world is the kindness they show others.
As for why racism happens, though... It's a little more complicated than that.
I'm from the Detroit area here. I work with cops. I cover them as one of my beats. The blacker inner city tends to be poorer than the whiter suburbs. So crime is higher there, due to the economic disparity. People commit crimes out of desperation. It bleeds out of the city into the suburbs. I've had so many mugshots cross my desk where the crime was committed in a suburb, and the perp is from Detroit... and black.
The police deal with a lot of black criminals. Deal with enough of anything, and it'll start to skew your perspective. If 9 out of 10 times, you encounter a black person in a gated community and they are in fact committing a crime, can you blame the cop for being overly suspicious of the innocent 10th person? Especially when you're a target yourself, wearing a uniform in a climate increasingly distrustful of the cops. That's the dark irony of this situation: It's cyclical, the cop shootings fueling black angst and the black angst fueling paranoia felt by the police themselves.
Again, to be clear, I'm not saying the crime is tied to the race. It's tied to a lack of economic opportunity and other issues in a city that happens to have a large African-American population.
One possible solution might be a "black immersion" program for police. Put police in black environments with normal people. Have them attend school events and mingle with good families and kids, etc. Just so they have some opportunities to interact with the vast majority of black people, who are perfectly good, rather than the minority they see committing crimes in their 9 to 5.
Just an idea off the top of my head, though.
Modest Mauser
Member
Ooooh thank you
I'm sick of people calling an article clickbait because the title is created to spark interest. That's what good title does. Clickbait is a different beast entirely.
Theanine3D
Member
I mean... I remember there being fights every day at my elementary school over Pokemon cards. It got bad enough that the school eventually banned the cards altogether.
I can see that happening with Go, but with teens and grown adults, who can cause much more damage.
Some people take Pokemon way too fucking seriously.
Randomizer
Member
That was my first thought when I first saw the game and heard about it's concept.
Man, that's dark. It's like a grown-up version of what Finale Fireworker described in his thread about his Breaking Bad-esque childhood involving Pokemon games and cards.
texhnolyze
Banned
I've been wondering, why don't the US ban guns already?
No one except the army is allowed to bring guns here. Even the police is not allowed to bring one, except for certain higher crime divisions. And it's been very peaceful most of the time.
The US sounds like a very scary place to live in.
No one except the army is allowed to bring guns here. Even the police is not allowed to bring one, except for certain higher crime divisions. And it's been very peaceful most of the time.
The US sounds like a very scary place to live in.
Son of a Witch
Member
Serious question: What's with Americans and calling the cops just because someone is wandering in your neighbourhood?
I read stories of people calling the cops because there's someone "suspicious". If I called the cops and told them that without any reasoning behind it, they'd surely think I'm crazy.
I read stories of people calling the cops because there's someone "suspicious". If I called the cops and told them that without any reasoning behind it, they'd surely think I'm crazy.
Indeed. People are generally reacting/acting related to the circumstances they live in. But this is something that should be totally clear to everybody on this world. You shouldn't be a police officer if you start becoming racist just because 9 out of 10 people that were committing crimes in a certain area were black. If it would happen that those 9 out of 10 people would have a blue eye color they wouldn't probably immediately suspect all blue eyed people. That's why I said people need more empathy to not let the appearance fool them. As a police officer you should ideally treat every person the same.
NoHeDidn't
Member
I don't know if you're black but "just follow their instructions etc" doesn't work anymore cops get aggressive without reason especially towards blacks.
I mean the last guy killed was told to get his I.D out and was shot 4 times point blank for "just following their instructions" and reaching for his I.D.I wish people would get this notion of following a cops orders keeps you safe cause that ìs no longer the case nor should it be cause we have rights as well.The quicker people realize cops are outta control without fear of prosecution the quicker we will demand changes.
Because the old timers that founded this country naively wrote that every american has the right to keep and bare arms.Now americans don't have the common sense to realize what was viable during the times of the musket rifle is no longer viable or safe in the times of 100 round clips that can kill hundreds in minutes.
That and some states had the genius idea of allowing people to openly carry firearms but honestly the real reason america is gun ho is the NRA owns politics and all that matters are gun sales.
Then the officer might think you're being snarky with them and will shoot you and sprinkle coke on your shirt and plant a gun on you afterwards.
Depends on your neighborhood and how you sell the notion of someone being suspicious.
Silent Chief
Member
It took a bit of talking to convince the cop we weren't doing a drug deal.
No, sir. I said "dugtrio"
No, sir. I said "dugtrio"
Same. For me, 'clickbait' has entered the class of words that make someone seem juvenile for using them. It's so rare to see it used in a descriptive way.
Council Pop
Member
Except that countless black people get harassed, attacked and murdered every single day, whereas child abductions are incredibly rare. So a very unlikely pedophile threat isn't really scarier than actual black people being killed if I'm honest.
Empathy tells us that if you have to put your life on the line dealing with dangerous crimes that involve suspects fitting a similar profile, again and again and again, you'd start to have some irrational fears, as well. Even the most levelheaded and reasonable person is susceptible to this.
True enough. Everybody should be careful when using this game. The good thing is the game does have systems in place to help avoid these kinds of issues. Most of the best action takes place in heavily populated areas where a lot of people will be there playing the game with you, especially if you use lure modules. It's probably best to just walk around town normally (and during the day) rather than wandering back and forth in front of somebody's house. No matter how much you might want that one pokemon.
Thanks for the insightful post, and I can definitely appreciate your perspective. Personally I dont think anything will truly stop the cycle besides taking away the ability to kill at the push of a button from both sides, but I guess thats just not an option in this country :/
got you. But still you shouldn't get those fears because of the skin color but the general appearance of the person. (way of talking, way of moving, is the person drunk or drugged etc) This is a way more reliable indicator. Sorry. English isn't my first language so I can't really make my point the way I want to. I'm missing some words.
KratosEnergyDrink
Member
I had an uncomfortable situation a few years ago: Played Ingress with a friend at night wandering circles in a street. Suddenly three men appeared and circled us. The situation cleared fast, when we explained the game. The people lived in the street and there had been two cars stolen in the weeks before and we looked suspicious with our mobiles sneaking around the cars.
I was not in fear, because the people looked "normal" and in germany almost no one has guns. But thinking about it, playing such game in the US where everyone and their dog could have a gun, would be a whole other experience, even for a white guy.
I was not in fear, because the people looked "normal" and in germany almost no one has guns. But thinking about it, playing such game in the US where everyone and their dog could have a gun, would be a whole other experience, even for a white guy.
I get what you're saying (and your English is very good)! I'm just saying that I think all aesthetics slant our perspective when it's connected to certain traumas, and it's not a conscious choice, but rather a subconscious reflex.got you. But still you shouldn't get those fears because of the skin color but the general appearance of the person. (way of talking, way of moving, is the person drunk or drugged etc) This is a way more reliable indicator. Sorry. English isn't my first language so I can't really make my point the way I want to. I'm missing some words.
I'm an American who hates guns, so I always feel some measure of validation when I hear how peaceful other countries are without them
There's another exercise in empathy: When every American can have a high-powered weapon, would you want to be a police officer? There's a reason my friends on the force carry shotguns and assault rifles in their trunk.
Escalation, they call it.
bigNfanboy
Banned
Worrying? How so?
DeuceGamer
Member
With all the stories I felt like sharing something from my concealed carry classes. During our class we were instructed in how to deal with cops and a traffic stop. He instructed us to remain still and put our hands on the dash, top of steering wheel, or even out the window. Once the officer arrived at the window we were instructed to alert the officer that we were a legal concealed carry permit holder who was carrying and exactly where our weapon was while remaining still. Specifically we were told to never reach for our permit or weapon until being instructed. Even then he instructed us to repeat what we were doing when reaching for a permit or anything even if instructed. Kinda eye opening.
Edit: it just shows how cops can be nervous and even more so depending on ones look (the person race or even clothes).
Edit: it just shows how cops can be nervous and even more so depending on ones look (the person race or even clothes).
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
Like I said before, asking for police brutality against minorities to stop is not the same as advocating violence against Police. The protest rally that Dallas shooting happened in itself was a peaceful collaboration between protesters and police. I don't want BLM and the discussion of institutional racism to be painted as hateful rhetoric when it's not. It could set any progress on the issue back by years.
Cops stopping you because you parked somewhere kinda sounds like a police state thing lol
They probably thought it was a vice-related crime, i.e. a drug deal.
One time a cop car pulled up to me when I was just with a girl talking in a car at night. Turns out you're not supposed to be in the park after a certain hour. Otherwise they assume it must be prostitution or other illicit activities.
Son of a Witch
Member
But very often I read about a black dude jogging, or just walking home, that got the cops called on him. People here are talking about cops coming just because they are parked somewhere dark. That sounds nuts to me.
I live in the nicest neighbourhood in my town. There's no way a cop would come unless it was someone doing something illegal or causing a scene (someone drunk or mentally ill, for example).
I don't expect the police to even say hi to me unless I'm breaking the law or in need of some help.
Yeah I get it from the policing side of things but it's sad that just being somewhere normal like a park can be suspicious because of it.