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Kotaku: Pokémon Go Could Be A Death Sentence For A Black Man

Gator86

Member
Great article and 100% true. I thought about this when the game came out. I only felt comfortable trolling around for Pokémon today because I brought my dog.
 

Nickle

Cool Facts: Game of War has been a hit since July 2013
I thought it was kind of silly at first, but he's probably right. You look suspicious as hell driving around at night with your phone out, and the police don't have a great record with black people.

On an unrelated note, me and my friend were driving around a neighborhood at 2am to take over a gym with a Tauros on it. He noticed someone looking at us with a flashlight from a house, so we left. After driving down the road, he noticed that the Tauros had retaken the gym. The dude had watched us and retook the gym within 3 minutes of us leaving, at 2 am.
 

Zafir

Member
Isn't walking around with your phone out pretty common though? You're either texting or browsing the web or using GPS.

Stopping, turning or going round in circles randomly to hold your phone up at windows/buildings etc while trying to capture pokemon probably isn't. :p
 

jaypah

Member
Considering I have been slammed on the ground, roughed up, disrespected and placed on hot car hoods for walking in my own neighborhood without having a phone out I don't think I'm going to play this much. I have it installed but I'm not going to get too deep into it and walk around and stuff. Also to those who don't believe that black folks have it rough with police I envy you. It must be nice to leave your house and not have to wonder if you'll be harrassed or hurt. And I say that without a hint of sarcasm. That must really be pleasant and stress-free.
 

Asgaro

Member
dm4ab5tik18x.png


https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/4rvl1f/taking_911_calls_at_0300_when_suddenly/
 
D

Deleted member 10571

Unconfirmed Member
As a European, this is depressing to read :/ Stay safe, Pokeguys over there.
 

Aroll

Member
It's also statistically more likely you'll be hit by lightning than shot at by a cop, but it is what it is. I agree that things lately have been bad, but consider how big the population of the United States is and how few incidents occurred in comparison. It's not that statistically likely you'll be shot at for being on your phone in public even if you carry. No matter your color of skin. It doesn't happen nearly as frequently as the media and people have you believe, and while it does occur, it's not actually a common occurance.
 
Bad news: Race plays a part in every facet of your life. Even videogames.

It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.
 
Come on man look at the actual numbers of races killed by police officers per capita, and Native Americans are first, then Whites....i wish people would at least look at the numbers, before believing everything you read
 

shangolin

Banned
As far as we know, this is exactly what happened to Philando Castile. Cop asked him to produce his ID and immediately killed him when he complied.

While I agree with the general sentiment of the article, let's not start making bad analogies. Philandos hands were out of the cop's view, and he also informed the cop he had a (legal) gun. This is different from holding a phone in your hands while in plain view. The horribly trained cop was in a much different situation than a cop who sees someone holding a phone while walking around, so to expect the same exact kind of crises to happen with such different circumstances isn't rational
 

Darth_Caedus

No longer canonical
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.
+1
 

jaypah

Member
Come on man look at the actual numbers of races killed by police officers per capita, and Native Americans are first, then Whites....i wish people would at least look at the numbers, before believing everything you read

Personally I look at the amount of times that I've been harrassed by police and then weigh that against my desire to catch em all.
 
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.

You didn't have to come into this topic, you know. And as much as you'd like to deny it, people are different. From gender to sexual orientation to religion to culture and to race and too many times are these differences not celebrated as unique and worthwhile qualities and instead reviled and used to persecute, harm, malign and exclude people. My blackness will never not be a central part of my life for good and for ill.
 

JayEH

Junior Member
It's true but I would think anyone walking around in a circle in the same place would be suspicious. Like said in the article if someone passed by my window 3 or 4 times I would think that would cause some alarm regardless of race.
 

Order

Member
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.
Congrats on not seeing race. Too bad the rest of us can't close our eyes and ignore the discrimination and hate minorities get like you can.
 

Orayn

Member
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.


"I don't see race. By making this statement and purposefully ignoring all the actual problems in the real world relating to race, I believe I'm somehow making things better."
 
If stuff like this keeps on happening, I think higher requirements to be a police officer needs to be put into place. Obviously that won't sort out the killings of innocent people but it's a start.

It's a shame things like this happens to black people, but it's clear that people are still basic in their critical thinking after all these years. Also wasting police resources isn't cool. It costs money for the PD to sent out a policeman to come and check out your claim of "a foul act". Unless you know that the person is doing something wrong, don't waste the police's time.
 

joe2187

Banned
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.

This is part of the problem.
 

shangolin

Banned
Come on man look at the actual numbers of races killed by police officers per capita, and Native Americans are first, then Whites....i wish people would at least look at the numbers, before believing everything you read

I believe the issue is unjustified use of force that leads to injury or death, not simply "killed by police."

Edit: Also, you're flat-out wrong. Per capita, Native Americans are first, Blacks are second, Latinos are third, Whites are fourth. Check this site.

And in any case, a numbers game is irrelevant since it takes into account both justified and unjustified killings.
 

DrFunk

not licensed in your state
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.

Man that warm bubble you live in must be nice
 

JayEH

Junior Member
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.

lol.
 

Gator86

Member
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.

You're ignorant. Not trying to insult you, but you are. Pretending race doesn't play a huge role in many people's lives isn't noble or enlightened - it's ignorance. I could cite hundreds of articles from psychologists, sociologists, and health scientists, but I won't because you wouldn't believe them anyway. People who see race are the real racists, am I right?

Actually, I lied. Here's a solid article about it: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/color-blindness-is-counterproductive/405037/

Maybe read it?
 
Come on man look at the actual numbers of races killed by police officers per capita, and Native Americans are first, then Whites....i wish people would at least look at the numbers, before believing everything you read

The number of blacks killed by police officers may be smaller but it is grossly disproportionate as they make up a much smaller percentage of the overall population. Look closer at your own numbers; you are far more likely to be killed by a police officer as a black person, particularly a black male, than as a white person, and that is an indisputable fact.

Here's an article to get you started: http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/04/the-real-story-of-race-and-police-killings/
 

Orayn

Member
A person who has been lit on fire runs up to robertlebrone, screaming for help.

robertlebrone informs this person that it's wrong to see fire, and that a lot of problems in the world today are caused by people insisting that there are differences between on-fire and not-on-fire people.
 
Congrats on not seeing race. Too bad the rest of us can't close our eyes and ignore the discrimination and hate minorities get like you can.

This.

I'm light-skinned, but I've been in stores with darker-skinned friends, and I've always noticed how the store clerks or employees follow us around the store, always keeping a close watch on us from a short distance, probably because they think my darker-skinned friends are going to steal something. I never notice this happening when I'm in a store by myself. And this is just one example out of many.

People who "don't see race" must live incredibly sheltered lives.
 
You didn't have to come into this topic, you know. And as much as you'd like to deny it, people are different. From gender to sexual orientation to religion to culture and to race and too many times are these differences not celebrated as unique and worthwhile qualities and instead reviled and used to persecute, malign and exclude people. My blackness will never not be a central part of my life for good and for ill.

So this topic is supposed to be the woe is me I can't play Pokémon Go because I'm black circle jerk? Come on now. This is a topic for discussion and I am more than allow to come in here and give my opinion. I'm black too and if I played this game I would go out and play the hell out of it. But I don't go around assuming everyone is out to get me because of a handful of unfortunate incidents. That's insane.
 

Mifec

Member
Sad, stay safe people.
People like you are the reason why everyone assumes that users with anime avatars are human garbage.

Excuse me I only assume that of users who like bad anime

I'm sorry I had to get my shitpost of the day in
 
People being branded as suspicious (and in some cases, potentially killed by police because suspicions) and possible pedophiles/ephebophiles just because they're playing Pokemon. It says a lot about how policing is done these days. I'm starting to wonder whether Pokemon Go was even a good idea considering the nature of policing in today's time.
 
So this topic is supposed to be the woe is me I can't play Pokémon Go because I'm black circle jerk? Come on now. This is a topic for discussion and I am more than allow to come in here and give my opinion. I'm black too and if I played this game I would go out and play the hell out of it. But I don't go around assuming everyone is out to get me because of a handful of unfortunate incidents. That's insane.

a handful lmao
 

Broken Joystick

At least you can talk. Who are you?
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.

edit: know what, nvm
 
So this topic is supposed to be the woe is me I can't play Pokémon Go because I'm black circle jerk? Come on now. This is a topic for discussion and I am more than allow to come in here and give my opinion. I'm black too and if I played this game I would go out and play the hell out of it. But I don't go around assuming everyone is out to get me because of a handful of unfortunate incidents. That's insane.

Again, nice bubble you've got there. Maybe you can share it with the rest of the world.
 

CloakBass

Member
It doesn't in mine. Videogames are videogames. People are people. We are having all these problems now because people want to see themselves as different from one another and assume the worst about anyone that's not them. Never have done that and never will do that.


What shameful responses. I guess if something doesn't happen to me directly I shouldn't acknowledge that it exists.

Come on man look at the actual numbers of races killed by police officers per capita, and Native Americans are first, then Whites....i wish people would at least look at the numbers, before believing everything you read

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disproportionate
 
You're ignorant. Not trying to insult you, but you are. Pretending race doesn't play a huge role in many people's lives isn't noble or enlightened - it's ignorance. I could cite hundreds of articles from psychologists, sociologists, and health scientists, but I won't because you wouldn't believe them anyway. People who see race are the real racists, am I right?

Actually, I lied. Here's a solid article about it: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/color-blindness-is-counterproductive/405037/

Maybe read it?

I'm clearly said "mine" as in me, I, myself. Obviously everyone else gets caught up in this stuff seeing as how we have this Kotaku article and this thread. Maybe go back and read that?
 

Asgaro

Member
People should state the country they live in, when making assumptions.

This would clear up a LOT since America =/= the world.
 

MastAndo

Gold Member
Come on man look at the actual numbers of races killed by police officers per capita, and Native Americans are first, then Whites....i wish people would at least look at the numbers, before believing everything you read
If you're talking per capita this year, it's Native American then Black. If you're talking total, it's Whites by a large margin. I believe you're mixing up two facts here.
 
So this topic is supposed to be the woe is me I can't play Pokémon Go because I'm black circle jerk? Come on now. This is a topic for discussion and I am more than allow to come in here and give my opinion. I'm black too and if I played this game I would go out and play the hell out of it. But I don't go around assuming everyone is out to get me because of a handful of unfortunate incidents. That's insane.

You don't have to do anything but these kinds of discussions are meant to shed light on the realities of being a minority to people who otherwise don't get a picture of what that is like. I just returned from going for a walk to play Go. I'm a rail thin guy who looks like Urkel but there's nothing wrong with recognizing that my 6'3'' cousin lives in a world where if he does the same thing a cop or overzealous bigot can decide to mark him as someone to harass that day. It's no different than when women discuss where they can and cannot go or what they have to watch out for because of the realities of sexual assault.
 
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