What Killed Michael Brown?

[HondurasKeiser]

Shelby Steele and his son Eli have made a compelling documentary about race, white guilt and power in the U.S. - he sets this conversation in the context of Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Missouri, exploring the many cultural and political forces that both brought about his death and influenced our reaction to it. I highly recommend it as I think it will challenge and push people of all perspectives to think beyond their assumptions about issues of race.

The documentary is available for purchase on Vimeo and Amazon Video Direct and you can listen to a CityJournal interview with Messrs. Steele and Steele where they describe the reaction to the documentary.
[video][/video]
I would be interested in discussing the documentary but am not particularly interested in a conversation that denigrates Mr. Steele's voice simply because he is a conservative or holds contrary opinions. Rather, I would like to engage with what he has to say.

One key concept that he elaborates is the difference between what he calls "poetic truth" and objective truth. The idea being that poetic truth feels right and concords with everything with a community's lived experience and collective history though it may not actually be true or concord with reality or allow for nuance and complexity.

[Ken]

Along the same lines, Washington Post did a long investigative story on George Floyd's life and how it led up to his death in MN

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics ... ic-racism/

I haven't watched the Michael Brown video or read the George Floyd article in full so I don't really have comments about either one. They might be similar, or it might be an interesting compare and contrast.