Sports
There is nothing like taking away the bottle from those who indulge in indifference to bring attention to what really matters.
Indifference is a kind of drug.
Indifference numbs our sense of responsibility.
It numbs our compassion.
It numbs our hope.
It blinds us to brutality.
It makes us deaf to the sounds of injustice.
It cripples our will to stand for what is right.
Sports is the novocaine injected into the jaw to keep you from feeling the pain in society.
Have you ever heard of sports called the Great Distraction?
A pastime?
What are we being distracted from?
What are we passing over?
The answer has always been to keep us happily gelded and not question why things are the way they are.
You give a child a toy and tell them to go play so you can do the thing you want to do.
You do this because you don't want to make the effort to engage with the child.
Boring!
You don't want to take responsibility because it's inconvenient.
You have better things to do.
You. You. You. You.
Distraction.
Sports play their part in our society.
In and of itself, it is not evil or good.
Except for that worldwide territorial organized crime online gambling thing...
The Fix is in...
It is a thing that can be enjoyed.
But ask yourself why this President and his supporters were so gung-ho to get sports back?
Distraction.
Today, right now, the NBA leads the way to stop the distractions.
They have the power of their members, as does the rest of sports, to focus the attention of a nation.
They have the power to break the stalemate of indifference.
They can address our broken police force.
They can be more than a distraction.
Distractions...
COVID came along and removed some of our distractions.
George Floyd's brutal death and the indifference of the officers who killed him burned into the hearts and minds of all those who saw the video.
Enough is enough.
Time and time again, the integrity of our police force has been demonstrated to be broken.
Broke.
When a thing has been repaired over and over again and still doesn't work?
Is it time to get a new thing?
Am I right?
Rethink what is possible.
Responsibly, our old, broken police forces should be set aside.
And in its place, a new force created.
A new force reimagined.
What it should be.
A clean slate.
Some things that broke can't be fixed; you have to get new ones.
This time, genuinely based on justice for all.
Our current police force will no longer be the de facto guardians of white supremacy.
To truly protect and serve all.
No longer should they see themselves as the Marshall in a lawless territory to be judge, jury, and executioners.
But to serve and protect a diverse modern society.
Some things that broke can't be fixed.
You have to get new.
Peace
Daniel J Frey aka Toby