I concur with her actions being shite to say the least.
I think following someone in your car for whatever incident happens (with the exception of an actual hit/run damage to a vehicle) is never a good idea. Now maybe this comes from my personal experience of living/driving in New England…but being cut off, flipped off, someone screaming obscenities…its sort of the norm especially when dealing with Massholes. It’s just never worth going after them for it. Bad things tend to happen when it escalates further. And sometimes you just can’t take any more taking…I get that entirely. I am just all for doing whats best for myself and those in my vehicle.
So, “no damage/accident to my car or passengers” = “moving along with my day”.
It’s really weird how the people who are always so very concerned about the instigators of bad behavior almost never seemed “concerned” about the lives and well being of POC… or that of LGBTQ+ folks… or anyone else who is marginalized and 'Other."
I fully agree; regardless to race or gender.
I knew of someone in undergrad who raged out and followed the person who cut them off in traffic and ended up getting shot three times in the torso.
Again fuck that noise; it’s already hard enough staying alive when you’re Black, without actively making choices that make it even more difficult…
It could be this had been happening a good deal to the guy and he just snapped here. It was not a good idea, but he’s human, and human beings don’t always make wise decisions when they are dealing with systemic racism.
I’d appreciate folks considering that 1) This wasn’t just flipping off, this was flipping off plus a deplorable racist slur, now of all times, followed by brake-checking, dangerous driving, and persistant behaviour, before the attacker finally backed off and left. Watch the videos in sequence on instagram for the full sequence if you are interested.
The point is, I’m pretty sure this is not typical road rage behaviour, not something anyone privileged enough to be able to avoid racial slurs would experience.
The aggressive actions here were all from the woman, until she decided she was done. Even when she got out of the car, she decided to touch the victim, not the other way around.
Before you decide confrontation was “taking things too far”, ask yourself whether or not facing bigotry regularly is part of your day or not, and how much bigotry should be on the menu before you choose to follow along and verbally ask your attacker to atone for their actions. For some, the way they’ve done that is to, I don’t know, protest, in recent days, and unsurprisingly, folks are suggesting that is taking things too far, as well.
No one should have to endure bigotry, and if recording it and trying to get a statement from your attacker is what’s required to force genuine changes in behaviour, then I personally applaud and support those actions.
Mod note: Since this is going to be a thing in this post: Don’t conflate “Boing Boing” the blog and the BBS when it comes to policy. We don’t control what is posted on Boing Boing, but that doesn’t mean comments assuming mental state are appropriate here without some form of corroboration beyond opinion, please.
With all due respect Ken, my point was that chasing someone else down in your vehicle is not the best choice to make. It is far to easy to harm yourself or others when operating a vehicle.
I do not condemn his actions, but I can critique them and define them as unwise/ill-advised.
I simply see a woman who initially thought her actions had no consequences and now is panicking because people will finally know that she is a racist at heart. Cry me a river. Kudos to Karlos!
The little lily got some back splash for whipping out her white privilege. Her victim didn’t feel like being a victim that day and poor little Karen was all beside herself. The horrible black man threatened her sanctity as dainty white lady and she was about to wet down both legs. Good! Too bad she didn’t drowned in her own puddle. I’ll bet she keeps this incident in mind next time she needs her privilege fix. The way I see it he did her a favor. He simply called her on her own bullshit and she freaked out. Bet she won’t do it again.
At the risk of saying more than I really can handle in public I just kind of feel like some one should say something and I might be one of a handful that can actually speak to it as I am white, feminine, and I have some pretty bad PTSD that has on occasion embarrassed the fuck out of me. The thing is… if I ever let it take this form I would still be responsible. It sucks, sure, but it is my issue to manage. If I find myself racially abusing some one in an episode then that is because I am a RACIST with PTSD. The PTSD doesn’t cancel out the racism and really in no other context at all are people in a mental health crisis afforded the kind of leeway that US Whites are when they threaten or harm POC. It’s really a sickening intersection.
I think that being forced to examine their own behaviour is something they very much do not want to do. They know they’re happier ignoring that part of themselves.
