Refusing to rush to judgment on shootings doesn't mean I hate black people

Empathy for the suffering is critical, and feelings matter. Humans are meant to relate to one another emotionally, and to deny the fear, heartache, and horror many black people are experiencing based on these events is wrong. To deny cops’s fears they may be gunned down for their profession or viciously smeared for a lethal confrontation between races is wrong also. Feelings matter, but so do facts. Always.

Without facts, we cannot move toward real solutions. Without facts, we let our passions launch us ever deeper into our own personal realities, into deep, narrow pockets of spite, prejudice, and ignorance from which we cannot view any inconvenient truths, nor even the different experienced realities of others. Having isolated ourselves into our respective “sides,” we cease to empathize, listen, and cooperate toward common goals.

Facts alone cannot change the course of events. Marcus is right that passion is a critical component for any social reform. But facts, valid information, are the basis for meaningful dialogue that leads to effective and positive change. Without them, partisanship and prejudice spin us further into chaos.

Some of us are waiting for more information, and for any initial misinformation to dissipate. Hopefully we are not waiting for the “right” information—that is, information that fits conveniently into our worldview, at which point we launch into our pre-meditated opinions.