How is everyone in the current situation? General Chat

Your comment seems extremely tone deaf to me. I think you miss the point completely. This isn’t something to make jokes about

If these hospitals were.endowed and also named after major slave traders who made their money off of selling other human beings then it is time to change their names. History can’t be changed, but those people shouldn’t be honored with their names on the hospital’s. I’d imagine St. Thomas’ isn’t named after one, but if a wing or something is named after him, it’s time to change it.

My guess is that what you view as acceptance, understanding and tolerance isn’t viewed as such by everyone, otherwise there wouldn’t be so much anger being expressed. The anger is pushing back against the years of intolerance, racism, social inequalities, etc.
If you have never experienced any type of racism or bigotry yourself, you might not see it for what it is. It’s called white privilege.

And just because your country may have led the way in abolishing slavery, doesn’t change that slavery happened in the UK. Also don’t forget all the countries that the UK “colonized”. Which is another word for took them from the indigenous peoples that lived there... My country is guilty of that too. As is Canada and so many other countries.

In my opinion Orthodox Judaism is rather rigid. It also belittles women. Of course this is just my opinion. My fathers parents were orthodox. When we visited them we had to follow their rules, different plates for meat and dairy , etc. But when we’d go out to eat, they would have shellfish, which are considered bottom feeders, and are not kosher. So they would bend the rules where they saw fit to do so. On a side note, my grandfather was buried on my birthday, because in Orthodox Judaism you must bury someone within 48 hours of their death. I was a teenager at the time, and for many many years this bothered me, and put a cloud on this day for me. You personally have said that you are on your computer between Friday night and Saturday night, which I’d imagine is a violation of some orthodox code or something or another... Everyone bends some rules as they see fit..

My father had a friend in college who became a rabbi, a reform rabbi. He and my father were life long friends. He traveled to our town, maybe 4-5 hours to perform my sisters bat mitzvah, and my and my brothers bar mitzvahs, as well as my sisters wedding many years later. His son is married to a rabbi, a woman! So in Reform Judaism, both sexes are equal. Not so with orthodox and Hasidic Jews, where woman are subjected. Same with Catholicism, and some other Christian faiths. These are old and antiquated ideas and beliefs, in my opinion.

In New York City there was a large early outbreak of coronavirus amongst the Hasidic Jewish community. They defied the social distancing orders in New York for the funerals, further spreading the disease.

As to the last bit in your post, too say all lives matter is completely missing the point. Of course all lives matter, but that’s not what the protests are about. And if George Floyd had been white, and the cop was black, and he’d been killed in the same manner, a whole different kind of $hit storm would have happened.

George Floyd was just the most recent. There was also Breanna Taylor, and Amhaud Arbury recently, and they are just a few in a long line. Black people are killed by police at a much higher rate than white people, those are the facts.

I did miss your posts who owns who. I am happy to see that someone else sees the point behind all the protests. What saddened me is that there are people who focus on destruction of property rather than the loss of HUMAN LIFE that was involved here.

This statement is interesting. You don't seem to understand the reasons behind the actual protests - all you see is vandalism. All you CAN see is vandalism.

Your country is widely admired for its acceptance, understanding, and tolerance? Really? Who told you that? I disagree WHOLEHEARTEDLY. Since you clearly aren't aware, many regard your country and it's people as violent homophobic usurpers who caused trouble for so many ethnic groups over the ages.

As for Churchill - he isn't someone we admire. I could go into detail but I feel like it's pointless. Let's just put it this way - your heroes are not our heroes.

Remember that these are your opinions, and they aren't completely factual. The people who vandalized the Queen Victoria statue with SLAVE OWNER obviously don't feel the same way you do. They have their REASONS.

Can we please get back to the original subject of this thread, which is about the world pandemic COVID-19 coronavirus and how it is affecting us, and leave politics behind us?

As said, we all perceive things differently based on our own experience.

Two of my friends at school both went on to university which was a very big achievement in those days. One came over with her parents from Nigeria the other from Egypt. They were not oppressed in school despite the different times. Both were friendly and we spent many happy hours in each others homes.

The reason we all got on so well is that we gave and received the respect we each earned. I'm afraid the protesters both ethnic and white aren't earning respect with their violence and vandalism to say nothing of putting us all in danger in the middle of a pandemic

This is another huge part of the problem. Malka was the one who started the issue by voicing her opinions on something she cannot understand and knows nothing about.

When one of us stands in to disagree strongly - she wants to shut down the conversation. I am having none of it. WE are having none of it. We are tired of being silenced and asked to stand down. None of you can understand anything that is behind this movement.

You dissenters should probably have kept your opinions to yourselves. They're ignorant, offensive, and honestly some of them are borderline. But now that they are out here, I am entitled to mine as well.

Chris - again you don't UNDERSTAND. Trust me, theres a high chance they had issues due to their race. They may NOT have - but those are just two people. And if they did, there is a good chance that because of who you are, they didn't tell YOU that information. Black people often struggle to talk to their white friends about racism and discrimination, because it is touchy and it can't be understood from any other point of view. But you probably wouldn't know that.

Nobody is putting YOU in danger. You haven't been asked to go and protest. You haven't been asked to support the movement. It isn't merely a different perception that is the issue here - it is a total ignorance to the entire basis behind the movement and a failure to understand WHY people are behaving the way they do all the while forming strong opinions.

You don't have to support us, you don't have to like us - but we will FORCE you to notice us this time. Enough is enough.

Very disconcerting that when opposing voices come out you want to squash the conversation, but before that you were all about voicing your complaints about the protests and ensuing issues that have come along with it, over and over again. Double standard much... I think so. Well there is a saying “if you can’t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen”.

Further more, the protests and civil unrest are part of the current situation. Just because something makes you uncomfortable doesn’t mean it should stop. In fact I would suggest you give an honest examination of why it makes you uncomfortable.

I am uncomfortable about all the protests because I am afraid that all the thousands of people protesting worldwide will cause a second flare-up of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic when the first flare-up has yet to be contained.

I started this thread because I was concerned about the virus and how it might be affecting us. I obviously did not, at that time, anticipate that the killing of a black man by a white police officer, would lead to protests, looting, the demand for statues to be pulled down, and the terrifying prospect of the virus spreading even more. All in the middle of a global pandemic.

And I am frightened for the world.

It is as simple as that.

I have seen you focus a lot on the looting and statues, as well as the spread of the virus.

Aren’t you frightened for the world about the systemic mistreatment of peoples of color (and religion too... you must be able to relate too that, it’s the whole reason that the British, once again being far from their borders, acquiesced, and seeded Israel to become a jewish country after the holocaust and ww2, which started as a promise for a jewish state in 1917 to get jewish support for Britain’s efforts in ww1). How many people have died due to systemic racism, and police brutality, dictators killing peoples they don’t like...

The same way Malka is ignoring me here and Chris is speaking of her country as if the way she sees it is the way EVERYONE sees it are really themselves part of why people are doing what they do. Ignoring us won't make the riots and protests stop. It won't silence us this time. Feigning tolerance and peace won't convince us this time. We will stand up for what we believe is right and this time nothing will stand in the way. What you see happening now has been a LONG TIME COMING.

Coronavirus doesn't scare many of the black people here NEARLY as much as the thought of police brutality does. Many are scared a white cop will KILL THEM for a nonviolent crime. They're scared police will illegally break into their homes and SHOOT AND KILL THEM IN THEIR OWN HOME.

That is obvious because they are gathering in large numbers to protest. There are many other examples of systemic racism going on here in America that non American people posting these opinions can NEVER EVER understand.

I get that very old people are scared of the virus. Stay in your house. Again we aren't asking you to do anything. But when you don't understand an issue, it is really best to keep your opinions of the issue to yourself... And if you don't, then deal with opposing opinions.

As a White Muslim, nothing I hear upsets me. As the ignorance of humans is more offensive than any language they chose to use against me!

Can't see how this is relevant. The issue is black people are subjected to harsher treatment in America than white people. You are white. A cop, job recruiter, store employee etc won't look at you and see anything except a white man. And they will generally treat you as a white man. It is unlikely you walk around in traditional Muslim garb as you are white. Your religion is likely not something that can be used against you just by your APPEARANCE. That's the entire issue...

Its official : from 1st of August I will be FREE

Congratulations [says me jealously] - I am stuck in for the duration and longing for some human interaction.

Well that’s the plan so far, but things could change if we get a second spike.

Stay away from the surfers! I found that shopping felt really strange at first, but the stricter the store the better I think.

I shall only be doing food shopping though am dreading having to queue.
Oh has been doing the shopping he reckons its best to go after 2 o’clock as it's not so bad then.