(06-03-2020, 11:50 AM)MalabarJag Wrote: (06-03-2020, 11:39 AM)Gabe Wrote: Again, MBJ - who the hell is endorsing chaos? Not me. This has a fun strawman you cats have been playing with for the better part of last week and I'm just poking holes in it.
No, I don't endorse ANTIFA. No, I don't endorse White Supremacists, undercover police officers, etc. simultaneously exploiting ANTIFA's history and black anger. No, I don't endorse uncategorized agitators. No, I don't endorse the bailing out of arsonists/looters/rioters.
I do support peaceful protests. I do support black America. I do support the constitutional right we have to peacefully assemble & protest. I do support bail-out initiatives for arrested peaceful protesters - much like I would have if police didn't exercise their restraint for a primarily white and heavily armed protest in MI two weeks ago over, checks notes...state-issued stay-at-home orders.
This was in a link posted on this thread that absolutely justifies and maybe even applauds the violence, destruction, and murder going on in cities across the country.:
Quote:[font=Lato, sans-serif]Would they be worth a riot, if they were executed with their faces pressed into the pavement while pleading for breath that was denied until there was no breath left?
Would they be worth a spontaneous street corner bonfire if every person in power turned their heads away from your mourning?
Would they be worth a sustained, full-throated demand for justice if that justice was perpetually denied?
Would they be worth a smashed window or a burned out storefront if that was the only option left to wake the world up to your grieving?[/font]
[font=Lato, sans-serif] [/font]
[font=Lato, sans-serif]I know mine would be.[/font]
I will attempt to honestly answer your leading question "how far are you willing to endorse the chaos?", (even though you are clearly just looking for ammunition to get on a moral high horse about liberals endorsing criminal acts, which can then be used to diminish the very real grievances that people are protesting about.)
Firstly, as I have stated before in one of these threads, I, personally, do not endorse violence or vandalism. I would not choose those methods to make my point.
Secondly, I want to repeat the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of people protesting in America and around the world, and 99%+ of those people are doing so peacefully. It is not chaos. I fully support their right to protest, and I fully support the reasons why they are protesting. If I was in the states I would be out there with them.
Thirdly, the violence and looting is being done by a relatively small number of people compared to the peaceful protesters. That doesn't make it right, but it's true. I condemn this behavior. However, (and here comes your ammunition) it is vitally important to look at the context of historic, economic, and sociological reasons as to why people are doing this. So many of you guys want to talk about honesty, but fail to look at the effect that centuries of oppression has on individuals, communities, and society as a whole. I'm sure you will see this as me trying to justify criminal acts... I am simply trying to understand the conditions that exist that lead to this behavior. To be truly balanced, when we talk about violence out there, I have seen so many videos of police using force, unprovoked, against peaceful protesters. This also needs to be part of the conversation.
Lastly, I wouldn't feel right if I didn't comment on the link Bullseye provided (it's ok to say his name you know). It was a powerful piece that served to highlight the raw emotional pain that many black people have felt for a long time, and continue to feel. While you cherry picked a segment to back up your point, the piece as a whole was asking people to put themselves in the shoes of others, and to think about how they would feel if this kind of injustice happened to someone they loved. It was asking people to consider how far they would go to try to do something about the injustice. It was about empathy. You may not agree with it, but it was not a call to riot and be violent. It was insight into how strongly feel about this, and why people feel the need to be destructive to be heard. Again, you can paint this as me justifying criminal actions all you want.
