A Little Thought on Crime and Race: Reflection on "13th" on Netflix
I watched a documentary entitled "13th" on Netflix this afternoon. It made me ponder a lot of things. I don't always agree with all the angles in this film, but I really learned a lot from it and even when I could not completely agree with its interpretation, it still made me ponder something I never considered before.
Some people might argue that a war on drug should not be equal to a war on the African Americans, and if African Americans were arrested and imprisoned in the war on drug, it is because they get involved in drug, and it is really bad.
I can never support or justify selling, carrying, and taking drug. But, how did so many African Americans get into drug business? In answering this question, many people might show some racial stereotype towards African Americans. However, do the African Americans get the financial benefits of the drug business? Who are those who actually get profit from drug business? Why are the poor African Americans the ones get caught and imprisoned, but not the ultimate boss in this evil business?
Another issue is the criminal justice system. In my first sight, the unfairness to the suspects in this process, the torture, beating, violence, and being forced to claim guilty because of lack of legal support and knowledge, might be more like a class issue than a racial issue. However, considering how "some" police officers tend to identify the suspects through profiling, racial bias again plays a crucial role in this process and makes African Americans have better chances to become the innocent suspects and the major (not the only) victims in this unfair criminal justice system. So, although it doesn't have to be about race, in reality, it is still linked to racial stereotype.
"All lives matter," "Law and order," "war on drug" are all slogans that make sense in a broader and universalized context. However, considering the intention behind the usage of these slogans, especially when, what, and who were these slogans used to fight against, people should be more careful in using these slogans, and remember, all lives won't matter until black lives matter; we cannot achieve law and order until the society could be more fair; and African Americans' disadvantageous status in the society played some roles in their participation in drug business. Of course, they don't have to make those bad life decisions, but it is easier for us to say so. Even though our circumstances could not force or determine our bad decisions, they does influence our decisions to a certain extent.
Some people might argue that a war on drug should not be equal to a war on the African Americans, and if African Americans were arrested and imprisoned in the war on drug, it is because they get involved in drug, and it is really bad.
I can never support or justify selling, carrying, and taking drug. But, how did so many African Americans get into drug business? In answering this question, many people might show some racial stereotype towards African Americans. However, do the African Americans get the financial benefits of the drug business? Who are those who actually get profit from drug business? Why are the poor African Americans the ones get caught and imprisoned, but not the ultimate boss in this evil business?
Another issue is the criminal justice system. In my first sight, the unfairness to the suspects in this process, the torture, beating, violence, and being forced to claim guilty because of lack of legal support and knowledge, might be more like a class issue than a racial issue. However, considering how "some" police officers tend to identify the suspects through profiling, racial bias again plays a crucial role in this process and makes African Americans have better chances to become the innocent suspects and the major (not the only) victims in this unfair criminal justice system. So, although it doesn't have to be about race, in reality, it is still linked to racial stereotype.
"All lives matter," "Law and order," "war on drug" are all slogans that make sense in a broader and universalized context. However, considering the intention behind the usage of these slogans, especially when, what, and who were these slogans used to fight against, people should be more careful in using these slogans, and remember, all lives won't matter until black lives matter; we cannot achieve law and order until the society could be more fair; and African Americans' disadvantageous status in the society played some roles in their participation in drug business. Of course, they don't have to make those bad life decisions, but it is easier for us to say so. Even though our circumstances could not force or determine our bad decisions, they does influence our decisions to a certain extent.
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