The podcast really explains and highlights the fact that George Floyd’s death wasn’t the standard case of police just mistreating a man in America. In the greater scheme of things it exposed and highlighted one of the biggest issues worldwide which is institutionalized racism .In George Floyd, people worldwide could see their fathers, brothers and cousins and that is what sparked such a change .To have him die in the arms of police like that,like Lu Olkowski said was humiliating and dehumanizing, no matter where you are in the world you are able to empathize with that pain and want to see change from it. It shows that police brutality isn’t an American problem because it can and has happened in other countries which are talked about in the podcast. Whether it be in Africa or Brazil ,the systems in which we are currently living under, no matter where you are has some form of corruption in that it is founded upon the idea of racism and punishes those that are inherently different. It highlights the underlying racism embedded deep in not just the American justice system which a lot of people can relate to no matter what country you are from.It showcases that you can at any point experience a form of mistreatment at the hands of the justice system. Police brutality isn’t synonymous with America, it is very much so universal which is why his death sparked a big response. Their outrage is rooted in the fear of this happened and it will happen again to someone close to me if this swept under the rug and isn’t addressed.
America, unfortunately has been put on a pedestal. So when something happens America, the whole world is watching and reacting. In the unfortunate and fortunate case of George Floyd, that made his death popularized. Thankfully, he was used to start conversations that created change in other countries not just America. It sparked change in the Netherlands, opening their eyes to what kind of society they would want. So his death wasn’t just another death, It was for many the beginning of change. His death wasn’t just another murder, it became something beautiful, a movement.
I agree that the George Floyd death was not only an exmaple of police brutality but also instituionalized racism. Many people around the world can identify that this is an issue in their own countries, whihc is why Floyd’s death impacted millions.
Hello, while it is sad that Floyd died, I think it did a positive thing: letting people know how authorities can abuse of their power and about the racism in America. As you say, his dead was not the end, it was the beginning of change.