Iris lilies, how are things in your hood?

[iris lilies]

Yeah, I was on the fence about even posting this, since I haven't been engaged in this particular thread, and I've never read a Derrick Jensen book so I can't speak for what I think he meant, really. But philosophically, I do think you can see how this might be true. Some might call the police authority the top end of the hierarchy, in which case, Michael Brown's alleged attack on Wilson while he was in his car would seem to be far more egregious than Wilson's shooting Brown at 35 feet. Many of us who respect the authority of the police are likely to justify his action as self defense, while being disgusted at Brown's aggression.

But, yes, I hadn't thought about what you said--talking cultural/social hierarchy, then you have the social hierarchy of the black culture in Ferguson where the justification/horror switch is flipped. I have to think about that.. I haven't had my first cup of coffee yet.

I personally can think of many other situations in which his premise does and has born out over time--think of the "bad" Indians against the "good" cowboys, to take one example very simplistically. So I just thought I'd apply it to the Ferguson situation and see what people thought.

I really think that the Ferguson situation has reduced the conversation to a "us/them" discussion--a discussion that will lead us nowhere. The media has been playing off that beautifully, stirring up one faction against another. We have very few facts about what actually happened, but perceptions and beliefs and personal filters have shaped two different "realities" which are tearing people apart.

I haven't read any Derrick Jensen works but would fully expect his societal "hierarchy" to not have Mike Brown near the top.

I just turned the idea upside down because I found it more interesting than a traditional concept of hierarchy.