Common Sense is How Some Black People Become Old Black People

As we see story-after-story of young black people dying after violent altercations with law enforcement and the trendy sentiment that we’re being systematically exterminated, one question comes to mind: if that’s the case, why are there so many older black people still alive in the United States?

Simple. Most of us have common sense.

We grew up during a time when we had a parent or parents who drummed into our heads that NOTHING good came from being on the street at night. Most of us remember being told and adhering to being on our way home when the street lights came on. We were home and thereby, didn’t get into any trouble.

But in the event we did encounter the police, rules were passed down by our elders that made sense.

Do not run away from the police. That obviously implies some kind of guilt.

Politely cooperate and under no circumstances mouth off to an officer.

Those two simple rules almost always guaranteed a safe return home that evening, with possibly just a warning from the officer, if that.

Do not try to physically assault and/or injure a police officer.

Do not try to take a police officer’s gun, taser, etc. away from him or her.

Mouthing off to a police officer is bad enough. Assaulting a police officer and actually attempting to go for his or her taser or gun…? Not saying you’d deserve to die for doing that, but it’s an invitation for that cause-and-effect discussion at the least.

How many of those now in the headlines, embraced by #BlackLivesMatter and those who support their cause, have achieved martyr status unnecessarily? Had they observed common sense and not escalated a situation, chances are good they’d still be with us today.

But when we have parents who allow their children to be out late at night (doing God knows what) and they invite a negative police interaction, it’s “systemic racism”.

Many black people continue to live long lives, having little (if any) contact with the police. We consider them the welcome thin blue line protecting us from thugs of all colors. We’ve lived this long because we respect society, other people, and the police.

Common sense.

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