I am probably from the last generation that would have rather been locked in a cell than be brought home to my parents for doing something wrong. Every day we hear reports of some terrible event or some unruly gathering taking place and then hear a follow-up about “this is what we’re going to do to combat this.” Or “we’re going to get to the root of the problem.” Not direct quotes, but you get my point. Here’s the root of the problem and the issue which needs to be addressed. IT ALL STARTS IN THE HOME. And there you have it. And these kids that ran through the streets of Chicago, causing havoc?? IT ALL STARTS IN THE HOME. Period
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There were a few comments from the same persons about the use of the word community, specifically black community and such communities thereof. Apparently this word is somehow racist - that is, against the norm of reason.
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Being held accountable for one’s actions might be a good start. I’m afraid that it’s not going to be long before these knotheads start beating the wrong person, jumping on the wrong car, trying to rob the wrong person(s), and then it’s gonna ass kicking time. I hope it doesn’t happen, but people can only take so much, and get bent the wrong way one to many times.
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Well, hold on. The person who doesn’t like the word “community” is me. I never said it was racist. What I have said many times is that it’s overused and oft abused, and that things like “the black community” or “the gay community” don’t exist.
Literally, a community is a group of people who “live in common.” In modern English, it refers to people who live in a local area, probably sharing a local government like an HOA or a town board. Maybe a township, but that’s stretching it. In really modern use, it might apply to a group of people who use a small space on the internet, like this one.
It’s an abuse of the language to apply it to a widely distributed group of people who only have one thing in common, like a skin color, a sexual preference, or a religion. People do it all the time, though, and it’s purely for political reasons. If I can get the news to say that the entire “Hispanic community” is against something, then I’m claiming a bloc of power for my position that doesn’t really exist.
That’s all I’m saying. These silly political communities aren’t real.
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NYC, LA, SF, Chiraq!
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I’m afraid it will be a long time!
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I don’t usually quote the dictionary but:
noun, plural com·mu·ni·ties.
a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
Just so’s the debate doesn’t linger longer then it should, I’ll accept your definition for what it is.
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That’s a fine definition. But notice it’s an “and” (I added the emphasis), not an “or.”
But even if was an “or” statement, there’s a lot more to having a “common cultural and historical heritage” than merely having one similar trait or demographic data point. When a politician talks about the “Muslim community,” for example, which cultural and historical heritage are they talking about? There are historical Muslim traditions throughout Africa, the Mediterranean, Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. They don’t all share a common history or culture. Oh yeah, and also the Middle East, where they’re all fighting each other.
What about the “Hispanic community” that I hear so much about? Are they talking about people from Spain? Descendants of the Mayans or Incas (two different cultures)? Conquistadors who killed those Mayans and Incas? Nazi leaders who fled to Argentina? Business owners? Farmers? Migrant workers? Cartels? It’s ridiculous to think that everyone who speaks Spanish shares a common history and culture, but that’s what we’re supposed to believe when people talk about this imaginary “Hispanic community.”
Just two examples, it’s pretty easy to tear apart any of these imaginary communities that politicians claim to represent.
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This is the primary factor for defining a true community. Most of the people in a specific location may or may not share some similar traits but it is the shared location and shared experiences in that location that makes a community not the traits. And even in that shared location the people there are likely going to vary significantly in their beliefs and actions.
Lumping people together who are from diverse areas and backgrounds simply because they have a trait in common (such as race or religion) is pretty useless. It would be like me trying to claim I am part of the same community as the rich folks in the Hamptons because I’m white and they’re mostly white. I suspect I might have more in common with a Martian than I do with someone from the Hamptons. It’s a totally different universe than the one I live in.
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It does have its uses. It can be exploited for personal and political gain. The definition of such “community” is extremely strict, and people who fail to match it, bring lots of hate upon themselves, like the Left did to Allen West and Larry Elder, and not to forget “…you ain’t Black!”
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I never thought I’d be playing the semantics game in a USCCA forum. I never thought I’d have to explain a clear, dictionary definition of a word in a USCCA forum. I joined the USCCA and engaged in the forums to get away from the academic pursuit of left-wing double-speak Unfortunately this is not to be. I will continue to use the word community as I see fit. I will try to avoid discussions that pertain to semantics rather than the subject at hand. If the USCCA stands for what I think it does then I should not be academically harassed for my comments. I hope.
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Stop the quibbling!
community
noun
com·mu·ni·ty kə-ˈmyü-nə-tē
pluralcommunities
often attributive
1
: a unified body of individuals: such as
a
: the people with common interests living in a particular area
broadly : the area itself
the problems of a large community
b
: a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society
a community of retired persons
a monastic community
c
: a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society
the academic community
the scientific community
d
: a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests
the international community
e
: a group linked by a common policy
f
: an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (such as species) in a common location
g
2
a
: a social state or condition
The school encourages a sense of community in its students.
b
: joint ownership or participation
community of goods
c
: common character : LIKENESS
community of interests
d
: social activity : FELLOWSHIP
3
: society at large
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I agree with @Ouade5, the usage of the word means a lot. The Left likes to co-opt words and change their meanings. One of the first co-opted words from my youth was “gay”. I have yet to meet a homosexual that meets the real meaning of that word.
Merriam-Webster definition of Community
1 : a unified body of individuals: such as
a : the people with common interests living in a particular area broadly
: the area itself the problems of a large community
b : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society
a community of retired persons
a monastic community
c : a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger
society
the academic community the scientific community
d : a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political
interests the international community
e : a group linked by a common policy
f : an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (such as species) in a common location
g : STATE, COMMONWEALTH
2
a : a social state or condition
The school encourages a sense of community in its students.
b : joint ownership or participation
community of goods
c : common character : LIKENESS
community of interests
d : social activity : FELLOWSHIP
3 : society at large
the interests of the community
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I believe that the Merriam-Webster definition does not include the definition of “community” the Left likes to use in defining the “black” community, nor any of the abnormal communities they label, such as LBGTYAWKQRSVDXZ%=+2Pi&WTF?
[edit] I apologize if I left out any of the other supposed “communities”.
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I am afraid this Pastor’s words may inspire some decent men to indeed walk peacefully, and they will get hurt. Police will not provide safety for them, just like NYPD turned their backs on Guardian Angels.
Would be better to have a few dozen strong men with baseball bats meeting these feral teens… for a friendly game, if the teens bring gloves with them.
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“Stop the quibbling!”
My sentiments exactly. How an entire discussion centered on one word is beyond me. It is social engineering to the max. The attempt to a change the narrative of an entire community. Perhaps the poster is right. There is no community - at all in USCCA. It’s acedemia at its’ most cunning. Without morals. Without conscience. Is it any wonder why the gun controllers laugh at us? We can’t even tolerate or agree on the dictionary meaning of an innocuous word.
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Don’t loose hope my brother. Those guys that sit in the basement of mommies house do eventually put on pants and run up stairs to see if mommy done making cookies. Really though, there are some that come here just to be a pain in the a$$, ignore them.
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It’s not the basement and she bakes brownies !!!
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It’s been several decades since my mom made me cookies😔 But my bedroom was in the basement back in those days🙂
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