Was Micah Johnson (the Dallas cop killer) racist?

[radcen]

He was the one making it racist, was he not?

That's a chicken-and-egg question.

Who "made it racist" first?

"It" being the dynamic between police and blacks, real or perceived. Shoot (no pun intended), the media might even play a part via their irresponsible sensationalism.

And if we tried to literally trace it back to who started it, we could probably leap-frog incident over incident and still never find a definitive answer. I don't think anyone would be able to say, "This. This incident right here started it all."

 

[radcen]

He's dead.
That's the ultimate price to pay for being "misguided," "stupid," etc.
To me, it's immaterial if he's racist.

What I'm more interested in is that he believes some of the really nasty rhetoric and where it's coming from.

I don't think it's immaterial. I think the *why* is important. Well, if we ever hope to solve the issue, which is what we claim. I also think the *why* is included in your last sentence. It's all tied together, and dismissing it by labeling him without addressing the *why* is actually doing OURSELVES a disservice, because it's just going to happen again... and again... and again...

Seriously, how many times do we have to put up with this crap before we tire of it and actually DO something?

 

[X Factor]

He's dead.
That's the ultimate price to pay for being "misguided," "stupid," etc.
To me, it's immaterial if he's racist.

What I'm more interested in is that he believes some of the really nasty rhetoric and where it's coming from.

Sorry, Harry, it's just a pet peeve of mine when folks call something like this "stupid" or "crazy" and to call him "misguided" seems pretty mild to me. It's usually used in conjunction with them being overall a good or decent person. Good and decent people don't don't do this. He got exactly what he deserved.

 

[apdst]

I voted "I don't know."

He blamed white cops for his lot in life, and he took action against that. In other words, he targeted his actions solely against his perceived aggressors.

Were Russians who fought against Germany in WW2 racists because they took up arms against their aggressors? Slightly different, but not that much. It's only wholly different if you choose to wear blinders and only look at the action absent any motivation.

Dylan Roof blamed black folks for his lot in life. Was not a racist?

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

I don't think it's immaterial. I think the *why* is important. Well, if we ever hope to solve the issue, which is what we claim. I also think the *why* is included in your last sentence. It's all tied together, and dismissing it by labeling him without addressing the *why* is actually doing OURSELVES a disservice, because it's just going to happen again... and again... and again...

Seriously, how many times do we have to put up with this crap before we tire of it and actually DO something?

I agree, but it won't be addressed.
Left think it's inherently racist cops and right think it's their culture/behaviors, when it's a bit of both.

The rest of the people not aligned to either get shat on.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

Sorry, Harry, it's just a pet peeve of mine when folks call something like this "stupid" or "crazy" and to call him "misguided" seems pretty mild to me. It's usually used in conjunction with them being overall a good or decent person. Good and decent people don't don't do this. He got exactly what he deserved.

I disagree, otherwise perceived good and decent people have done horrible things.
I don't think most people are inherently good or evil, but some of both.

 

[radcen]

I agree, but it won't be addressed.
Left think it's inherently racist cops and right think it's their culture/behaviors, when it's a bit of both.

The rest of the people not aligned to either get shat on.

Absolutely. I can't add anything.

 

[X Factor]

I disagree, otherwise perceived good and decent people have done horrible things.
I don't think most people are inherently good or evil, but some of both.

What is your take on what he did? Do you condemn him for it at all?

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

What is your take on what he did? Do you condemn him for it at all?

It was bad, you shouldn't kill people, except for self defense.
That should be obvious.

 

[DA60]

What difference does it make?

He was nuts and he was a mass murderer and now he is dead.

 

[X Factor]

It was bad, you shouldn't kill people, except for self defense.
That should be obvious.

"Bad" and "misguided" just do not cover it in my world, but then it's no secret I'm pretty pro law enforcement.

 

[X Factor]

What difference does it make?

He was nuts and he was a mass murderer and now he is dead.

Did it make a difference in South Carolina?

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

"Bad" and "misguided" just do not cover it in my world, but then it's no secret I'm pretty pro law enforcement.

Killing cops or anyone else, not hurting him, he was certainly misguided.
I'm interested in what influenced his misguidance.

There's a combination effect in play from TV, BLM, inherent bias, possible previous issues with asshole cops, etc.

 

[cabse5]

Did he say that Black people are inherently superior to Whites?
See usually I have to defend White people when the accusation comes up, like Don Trump.

If he wanted to kill whites, ipso facto, he thought he was superior to whites.

 

[radcen]

Killing cops or anyone else, not hurting him, he was certainly misguided.
I'm interested in what influenced his misguidance.

There's a combination effect in play from TV, BLM, inherent bias, possible previous issues with asshole cops, etc.

You and I are essentially on the same page, but I have to say that "misguided" is too tame even for me.

 

[cabse5]

Look, Johnson had mental problems. Maybe his voices told him to kill white cops.

The problem is there are a multitude of other voices that concur... So, those other voices must also be blamed.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

You and I are essentially on the same page, but I have to say that "misguided" is too tame even for me.

I'm just saying, does it make what he did worse by saying it was, awful, mean, really bad, etc?
The majority of people in the western sphere have been raised from birth to know not to murder people.

It should be assumed, unless otherwise stated, that what he did was bad.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

If he wanted to kill whites, ipso facto, he thought he was superior to whites.

Not necessarily.
Maybe he thought Whites were actually being racist.
People's believes and motives need not be logical (to us), for them to justify the things they do.

 

[cabse5]

Not necessarily.
Maybe he thought Whites were actually being racist.
People's believes and motives need not be logical (to us), for them to justify the things they do.

If someone thinks another is 'evil'/racist (racist is the worst thing a minority can call a majority), the 'racist caller' thinks they are superior.

This is another situation where someone like Micah Johnson was the personal judge, jury and executioner of their sentence for their interpretation of someone else's hate crimes.

 

[radcen]

I'm just saying, does it make what he did worse by saying it was, awful, mean, really bad, etc?
The majority of people in the western sphere have been raised from birth to know not to murder people.

It should be assumed, unless otherwise stated, that what he did was bad.

...and I agree with that, as you state it here. The rhetoric doesn't really change anything. I don't think it even makes us feel better, though I do think that's what people are hoping for. Just to feel better, to be absolved from any responsibility or expectation of effort on their part. They want to gloss over it by blaming somebody else so they can continue whatever it is they like doing with a clear conscience.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

If someone thinks another is 'evil'/racist (racist is the worst thing a minority can call a majority), the 'racist caller' thinks they are superior.

Really, this is a subject of nuance in the word.
Racism is a belief, very strictly defined.

"a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race"

Racism is not necessarily evil by the definition, it's often just wrong.
Example, "Those poor White people, their brains just aren't advanced enough to know right from wrong."
Someone could believe that, in a way that they take pity on the "White race" in that example.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

...and I agree with that, as you state it here. The rhetoric doesn't really change anything. I don't think it even makes us feel better, though I do think that's what people are hoping for. Just to feel better, to be absolved from any responsibility or expectation of effort on their part. They want to gloss over it by blaming somebody else so they can continue whatever it is they like doing with a clear conscience.

I think the most important part is, where he got those ideas and why he thought they were true.
At the end of the day, I pity him, he ended his life and the lives of 5 others, on a lie.

What a waste of human potential.

 

[tres borrachos]

Failure to view the subjects of his anger in the proper context of his rage can certainly lead one to believe as you (and others) do. Ask yourself, what was Micah Johnson's motivation? Why did he kill and who?

Did he target all white people during his rampage or did he target specific people?

Clearly, Micah Johnson was upset over the recent deaths of two black men in different parts of the country at the hands of white police officers. If it could be shown that Micah Johnson exhibited anger at all white people prior to the Dallas shootings, I'd be more inclined to believe he was a racist. But despite what he's been quoted to have said to police, he restricted his victims to white local law enforcement (or those who appeared to wear the uniform of local law enforcement) and left every other white person alone.

Viewed in this context, I can't honestly call him a racist, not without knowing his views and/or conduct towards white people prior to this tragic killing spree.

So then don't call him a racist. I will call him a racist. Once the black police negotiator said he specifically said he was targeting white officers, he himself made it a racist issue. Just like Dylann Roof did when he targeted black churchgoers.

 

[Objective Voice]

IF I said I want to kill black people and black cops am I racist? Are you honest?

Only if you followed through with that threat and killed black people indiscriminately. But if your only target of opportunity were black cops among a field of black people in civilian attire but you only killed black cops and didn't shot to kill every black person you saw, then I'd say you had a motive behind your killings and race wasn't necessarily your motivating factor.

 

[earthworm]

With the minority (8%) am I .
This , semi-insane man(at least) was a hater , IMO .
Far too many cops are racists , many do not even know it ...and this is an impossible condition to root out ..we will have to live with this until all the racists die off AND the black is fully integrated ..