I did not say either interpretation of "systemic" was wrong, just that they were not identical. Both interpretations can be used to have meaningful discussions but only if it is clear which definition is being used first.
And thanks for proving my point that some people view any attempt to analyze the situation as an attempt to diminish the grievances.
I said nothing about 'diminishing grievances.' I was responding to a) calling the protestors an anti-intellectual violent mob, and b) an apparent ignorance of the basic terms of the discussion. Again, go educate yourself.
Why did you assume that my comments about the violent mob was in reference to peaceful protestors? I was clearly talking about the looters and vandals that have used the legitimate protests to shield their activities. Is it that hard to discern the meaning of "violent mob"?
Your willingness to jump yet again to the conclusion that I was attempting to dismiss legitimate grievances is frustrating and again an example of the behavior I was trying to call out.
Examine your defensiveness. Where's it coming from? Why are you angrily splitting hairs over phrasing and putting words in my mouth, instead of engaging with my core point: that you should actually put in a bit of effort and go learn about this stuff?
When I pointed out that "systemic racism" means different things to different people and that lack of agreement on that point made it difficult to have a meaningful discussion, you told me to "Go educate myself" and proceeded to lecture me about my ignorance regarding the criminal justice system.
How did you determine I was ignorant about anything? I happen to agree that our criminal justice system has some deep problems, so you just attacked a potential ally.
It seems to me that you jumped to the unwarranted conclusion that I had challenged some assertion about "system racism'. But by doing so you illustrated my point that it was difficult to have a discussion when terms are so ill-defined and that it was even more difficult to do so when people assumed that any attempt to clarify and understand the meaning behind the words was some attempt to minimize or diminish the grievances.
Your reaction was exactly the behavior that I was pointing out as making it difficult to discuss these issues.
You are upset that I am "splitting hairs over phrasing" and that is an example of what I would call "anti-intellectualism". The meaning of words is supremely important if we are to find common ground and be able to work rationally towards addressing the legitimate grievances being expressed in the protests.
And thanks for proving my point that some people view any attempt to analyze the situation as an attempt to diminish the grievances.