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I sat around comparing the protests today with protests in the past, like the ones people did during the Vietnam War (burning draft cards), Feminism, (burning bras), and for Civil Rights, (mostly peaceful marchers with speakers at the end of it). Doesn't look a whole lot different than those things, with a couple of exceptions.
The first is using social media, smartphones, and the like to organize looting a lot more efficiently than was done in say...the Watts race riots in Los Angeles.
The second is the organizers of some of these protests today saying: "This will be a PEACEFUL protest," out of one side of their mouths, and then (some) of them saying they can't help what other people do, and maybe (some) violence should be expected. Yes, some organizers have actually said these things. And it's a load of bunk. If you organize the protest, it's YOUR JOB to get out the word that violence will NOT be tolerated as part of the program. Besides, it's good public policy and gets better results for you. Your message is actually heard, and responded to. Otherwise, it's the OTHER message that gets heard. ("Let's trash EVERYTHING and steal what we can while the going is GOOD!")
Then the story becomes not one about cops killing people occasionally and getting away with it...but how a bunch of crazy folks looted another mall today.
************
On a separate note, when the BLM movement came along, one of the first things I said was that I agreed with the concept of it...but I also said that what was good for the goose was good for the gander. I (maybe foolishly) said that the Black Lives Matter movement should also address the mass killing of young black men by OTHER young black men, i.e. drive-by shootings, retribution killings, and gang killings, which account for several thousand deaths each year. And if you go look at the stats, at least 90% of black men killed in America are killed by other black men.
So I said: "I understand there is a problem with the cops. But what about cleaning up your own house along the way? This should be an issue right up there with the cop problem..." Why not? Even kids get caught in the crossfire sometimes, or innocent bystanders. It's a problem.
Ha. Man, did I get taken to task for that one. I was called names, a racist, whatever. Ever since then, I don't talk about BLM because I think they are right about their stand with the cops, but I also think they ignore other realities. Who knows? Maybe they're worried about gang retribution.
But I will tell you one thing. There's nothing I dislike more than a phony.
The first is using social media, smartphones, and the like to organize looting a lot more efficiently than was done in say...the Watts race riots in Los Angeles.
The second is the organizers of some of these protests today saying: "This will be a PEACEFUL protest," out of one side of their mouths, and then (some) of them saying they can't help what other people do, and maybe (some) violence should be expected. Yes, some organizers have actually said these things. And it's a load of bunk. If you organize the protest, it's YOUR JOB to get out the word that violence will NOT be tolerated as part of the program. Besides, it's good public policy and gets better results for you. Your message is actually heard, and responded to. Otherwise, it's the OTHER message that gets heard. ("Let's trash EVERYTHING and steal what we can while the going is GOOD!")
Then the story becomes not one about cops killing people occasionally and getting away with it...but how a bunch of crazy folks looted another mall today.
************
On a separate note, when the BLM movement came along, one of the first things I said was that I agreed with the concept of it...but I also said that what was good for the goose was good for the gander. I (maybe foolishly) said that the Black Lives Matter movement should also address the mass killing of young black men by OTHER young black men, i.e. drive-by shootings, retribution killings, and gang killings, which account for several thousand deaths each year. And if you go look at the stats, at least 90% of black men killed in America are killed by other black men.
So I said: "I understand there is a problem with the cops. But what about cleaning up your own house along the way? This should be an issue right up there with the cop problem..." Why not? Even kids get caught in the crossfire sometimes, or innocent bystanders. It's a problem.
Ha. Man, did I get taken to task for that one. I was called names, a racist, whatever. Ever since then, I don't talk about BLM because I think they are right about their stand with the cops, but I also think they ignore other realities. Who knows? Maybe they're worried about gang retribution.
But I will tell you one thing. There's nothing I dislike more than a phony.
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