By: John Kay, West Campus Reporter
Analysis
The Republican National Convention this week in Cleveland has given individuals a chance to voice out their concerns. Black Lives Matter protesters and Donald Trump supporters congregated in the streets and parks of Cleveland to, for the most part, peacefully disagree and discuss the critical issues.
But the RNC coming to town has also raised a vital question; when the American people are fashioned to believe the extremes of both stances on social issues, how can any genuine change come about?
America has not been lacking in categories of civil unrest, racial tension, and political panic. Most agree that America is in dire need for change, both on the political front and as a society. Most have heard of the questionable police shootings of black men, and have witnessed the disheartening slaughter of innocent police officers of all races.
The media does not seem to solely inform America of these unfortunate events, but we often get the extremes of both sides, thus igniting the fire instead of offering a well-defined plan for the future.
The media’s listeners are presumed to either believe that the Black Lives Matter group is not derived from people with real experiences of racism, or that the Movement is completely blameless.
A protester by the name of Tom Mitchell believes that, “MSNBC and Fox do not report the news; they paint the news.” He continues to say, “Unfortunately, the far left and right have undo influence in terms of maybe pushing us one way or another with the false truths, or whatever the case may be.”
One supporter of Bikers for Trump who goes by the name Pocket, said this about the media’s influence, “They’re afraid of Trump, they’re afraid of America returning to it’s roots. To me it’s all about America, they need to get jobs, they need to give us a plan to help make America better.”
There seems to be a longing for the truth about the recent events around the country. The stereotypes, that are often formed by the media appeared to fragment as I interviewed people from the different groups.
Farris Hill, a Black Lives Matter protester, had some not so stereotypical (according to some media) things to say about how we can resolve racial tensions, “You got to put everybody together, and that’s not just our fault, and that’s not just white peoples fault, you got to put everybody together like we are doing now. You might not change their minds, but at least you all talked about it without there having to be violence, which is a good thing.”
As a society, a county, and as members of the human race we must find ways to resolve the issues that face us with dignity, understanding, and compassion without allowing the extreme viewpoints from different sides to effect how we interact and fix the underlying issues.
Then and only then can America move on from the past while holding on to what makes America a beacon of hope.
