...or white people, brown people, asian people... you get the gist of it. I bring this up in light of the Zimmerman ruling because as we have already seen, some blacks are pretty upset about it and are taking it out on people indiscriminately. Although there seems to be a preference if you ask old Samir Shabazz - the same guy who advocates the killing of white people and their babies. Normally I would say just be nice and live and let live, but apparently that isn't going to work in some places where people are ill informed at best and misinformed at worst. Now I don't really have this problem - I live in lily whiteville in Idaho. But for those of us who live in cities where diversity has been thrust upon you, what are good tactics to de-escalate conflict? Obviously not being near them works, but when you have no method of escaping what are you left to do? I like barbeque pre-emptive mediation and getting to know people the best because is dissolves barriers and racial tensions over steak - always a good idea, but realistically if you live in a high population area you can't throw enough barbeques and get to know enough people. Not to mention the cost would bankrupt you. So what does that leave a person to do, a white person specifically? What verbal tactics work will with blacks to de-escalate or avoid a confrontation so no violence is brought to bear? Because I have this hunch that if I tell three black guys walking up to me "calm down I'm not your problem, I don't want any trouble" during a protest as I'm on my way to my car - they won't calm down. Thoughts?
De-escalating an african-american is similar to de-escalating an extreme left wing or extreme right wing individual: agree with them. All three groups ignore facts, statistics, reasoning, justification, or discussion. You are the enemy because you do not agree with them (and maybe because you're the evil white man). This does not represent the whole but rather the majority of the group. The violence part is mainly avoided by not living in areas where the population is at majority like levels - or being armed if you are.
So open carry is the proposed solution? I don't oppose it, in fact I wish more people would open carry regardless of race.
First follow your legal options and don't escalate. One way if confronted would be to stay silent and just start walking away. Also if you have a cell phone take it out and just dial 911 and just say "I'm on the phone with 911" to the aggressor. Saying things like "I don't want trouble" feeds the aggression. It shows submissiveness and that is what they are looking for. Now, they will finish you off to get you to show full submission. A mild show of confidence is necessary to throw the aggressor off. It's a fine line but I hate the whole "I don't want any trouble" approach. Better to just stay silent.
Avoid them at all costs. If you can't do that, don't make eye contact and be prepared for attack at any moment. Pretty good rule in general actually. Be situationally aware at all times and don't end up a statistic because you're afraid to look racist. Mind your own business but be smart, and carry yourself with confidence if you walk the streets. Like hyenas, human predators look for an easy mark.
