Op-Ed: Finding Officer Chauvin Guilty Proves Systemic Racism in America. Huh?
by Aliza BasMenachem
It’s the day after the Floyd/Chauvin verdict. Iyar 9, 5781 – April 21, 2021. Chayenu’s English translation for today’s HaYom Yom is: “Our Master the Baal Shem tov, taught: “Whatever a person sees of hears is a directive for his service of G-d. This is what Divine service consists of – understanding and deducing a way to serve G-d from everything [one sees or hears].”
Like many people, I could not help but pay attention to yesterday’s verdict. And I struggled to find a meaningful lesson for myself. I came to the conclusion that my best response to the situation, is to increase in Simcha. Because Simcha breaks down barriers. My train of thought leading to my conclusion starts with the absurdity of the reactions to the verdict.
From the reports I listened to about the actual trial, I did not hear discussion about racism. Let alone proof of racism. And yet, starting from the top down, Democrat politicians immediately used the verdict to promote their agenda of labeling America as being systematically racist. Without a shred of evidence to back the claim. However, the verdict and follow up racial accusations pleased the street mobs. Democrats will be counting on their votes.
Two weeks ago, April 7, 2021, internet host, Steven Crowder lay on the concrete outside his studio while two of his staff, dressed as police, held him down. They re-enacted the Floyd/Chauvin knee on neck position as best they could, according to photographs. The staff on Crowder’s neck and shoulder, and on his legs, had a similar weight ratio to Crowder’s weight, as the officers holding Floyd down had to Floyd’s weight. They took position and stayed there for the same amount of time the officers had been on Floyd.
Only Crowder didn’t die. He was uncomfortable for sure. But he was speaking into a microphone the entire time. Granted, he sounded stressed. But not short of breath. Maybe he is still alive because he is white, and therefore privileged. Or maybe he is alive because he had no deadly drugs in his body.
The real problem is the drugs. And teachers’ unions. The strangle hold, knee on the neck, that teachers’ unions have on public schools, keep inner city children from a good education and a chance for upward mobility. But I am jumping ahead. Enough to say the real problems are societal. The George Floyd tragedy could have brought out the need to educate and inspire struggling communities. Labelling them victims of systemic racism and throwing the blame on this unproveable idea that does not exist in reality, is not helping, it is hurting.
Divide and conquer. That is the goal of the ‘systemic racist’ agenda. The oppressed and the oppressor. The prime tool to build a Marxist platform.
Marxism has infiltrated American media, academia and entertainment. The final holdout has been the police and the military. Both are necessary in a Marxist takeover. President Trump boosted the moral of police and military. In a short time, the new administration is undercutting that boosted moral and replacing it with demoralization. The military is being demoralized following the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The guilty verdict on Officer Chauvin is a demoralizing strike to American police officers.
There is a cliché that says: ‘never let a serious crisis go to waste.’ The Floyd case is a grand example of publicizing and weaponizing a crisis. I blame the media for much of the suffering caused in the wake of Floyd’s death. Instead of influencing a reaction of making sure this scenario won’t happen again, through societal improvements, the media chose to glorify rioters and looters, for what they called ‘peaceful protests’, while causing death, destruction and depravation. It was those media inspired riots, along with politicians openly supporting a guilty verdict, that gave the jury no choice but to decide guilty. Guilty of murder, really? When Chauvin was using a technique he and other police had been using for years with no fatal results. And Steven Crowder demonstrated for all to see, before getting up and walking away.
Police officers encounter unknown scenarios when they are on the job. They face potential violence from the events in their line of duty. They are human and can make mistakes. This high-profile guilty verdict adds another great risk to police officers and their families. Calls to defund the police, along with this suspicious verdict, are dangerous to the public, by weakening the police through demoralization in vulnerable areas. Not all of Americans will be affected… unless, the demoralization of local police reaches the point that federal law enforcement takes over, along with gun confiscation.
This morning I was unfortunate enough to encounter an article by Aaron Bandler entitled “Jewish Groups Praise Chauvin Conviction.” I do not want to publicize the groups the article highlights. But you can search for the article if you are so inclined. The reason I bring it up is to illustrate that – again – numbers of Jews are embracing chaos. Their own style of absurd reactions to the verdict. This time around it is the righteous joy of joining the empathy for, and praise of, a criminal, while condemning America because it is falsely labelled systemically racist.
Soon it will be Lag B’Omer, and then we have Shavuos. Two holidays when Our Rebbe showed us how to bring Yiddishkeit to as many Jews as possible. And they need us now! Lag B’Omer parades. Bringing everyone to Shul on Shavuos to hear the Ten Commandments. If we can’t reach out to our fellow Jews by ourselves, we can sponsor others who can do it. Especially for Shavuos… with all the delicious new flavors of cashew or coconut based ice creams.
Simcha Poretz Geder. Joy breaks all barriers. I think its important to be aware of what is happening in the political world. But as Jews, we need to keep it in perspective. We have the ever-welcome relief of Shabbos, and soon we have Lag B’Omer and Shavuos. We have plenty to be happy about!
