ù Quoting Carol Shenkenberger from a message to Ryan Bagueros  ù 
CS> issue so that only  the rightness of the action is the issue.  Dont 
CS> _assume_ because the cop may  have been white, and the person shot 
CS> may have been black, thatracism is part  of the shooting.  That 
CS> vision of it perpetuates racism.
But it is wrong to assume that it is not racism. Racism is psychological and 
subtle. If a white cop shoots a black youth, how much of it is in the cop's 
head? How much of it is seeing a young black man and seeing a swaggering rap 
star? Americans have a very negative imagine implanted in their head about 
black males - and that factor is crucial in times of stress or when you have 
to
act on a gut instinct. Acting on impulse means acting without rationality a 
lot
of the times - and that means relying on a knee-jerk, racist idea. Even if 
the 
cop is not "racist" - has black friends, etc. - perhaps the shooting was 
racially motivated.
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