America riots after Police kill unarmed Black Man

[Liriena]

If you actually gave a single fuck about MLK as anything other than a rhetorical prop, you'd know exactly what he thought about riots.

yes I heard that. He stated a riot is the language of the unheard but that doesn't mean burn the cities down and beat people half to death that's not what MLK was about. plus I was asking a question not using him as a rhetorical prop as you think.

If you had already heard that, why were you asking that question?

And yes, MLK was an advocate for civil disobedience... which actually meant more than just marching and not bothering white moderates in any way shape or form. Civil disobedience isn't violent, but it is every bit as disruptive as rioting. It's meant to be disruptive. And it makes sense that MLK would have advocated for it because he was an avowed socialist who didn't have all that much respect for the respectability-obsessed status quo.

[Constaniana]

I really don't want to think this but I feel like they are using it as an excuse to start breaking and looting shit

I believe that many of the people responsible for those things are trying to discredit the real protesters.

"Huehuehue I shall steal this TV from Target as part of an elaborate scheme to maintain police brutality against my fellow black people"

[Geneviev]

I believe that many of the people responsible for those things are trying to discredit the real protesters.

It's a possibility, but as a general rule I try not to assign ulterior motives to that sort of thing. Sometimes a protest turns violent because individuals within the group want to be violent. Sometimes it's just random, uninvolved people who saw an opportunity in the unrest to cause harm with impunity.

That said, the amount of stuff that's been circulating about suspicious people inciting violence in otherwise peaceful protests does raise alarm. And agent provocateurs are a real thing.

I don't know if it's true elsewhere, but there have even been reports of fake BLM protests in my area. It's extremely suspicious, especially when considering the many white people who are being violent.

[Brunswick-upon-Raritan]

I'm sure there's police issues in Alabama, too.

I am sure there is. But the whole thing still seems a bit unfocussed. What specific policies in which specific cities are they asking to change?
Pointing out a general problem is one thing. Finding actually implementable solutions and implementing them? That has been lacking.

This goes back to politics as a social activity.

[Aureumterra]

If you actually gave a single fuck, you would watch the video and listen to what he says instead of going off the title, because it’s not what you think he says.

As in, he never ever was explicitly pro-riot, that’s a myth people are spreading on twitter over the last couple days. I do hope no one uses twitter as a news source

"And so in a real sense, our nation's summers of riots are caused by our nation's winters of delay."

"I will always advocate non-violence; the cry of black power is a reaction to the reluctance of white power"

[Novus America]

If you actually gave a single fuck about MLK as anything other than a rhetorical prop, you'd know exactly what he thought about riots.

If you actually gave a single fuck, you would watch the video and listen to what he says instead of going off the title, because it’s not what you think he says.

As in, he never ever was explicitly pro-riot, that’s a myth people are spreading on twitter over the last couple days. I do hope no one uses twitter as a news source

He is against riots, simply pointing out they result from deeper social problems rather than appear on there own. Which is of course true. Obviously many of our cities have deep underlying social and economic problems going back decades, and had those been fixed we probably would not have these riots.
But riots being a bad result of bad things does not make them good.

[Liriena]

If you actually gave a single fuck about MLK as anything other than a rhetorical prop, you'd know exactly what he thought about riots.

If you actually gave a single fuck, you would watch the video and listen to what he says instead of going off the title, because it’s not what you think he says.

As in, he never ever was explicitly pro-riot, that’s a myth people are spreading on twitter over the last couple days. I do hope no one uses twitter as a news source

I did not claim or imply that he was pro-riot, so good job putting words in my mouth just so you could play at being condescending.

MLK didn't support riots as a tactic, but he sympathized with them as a reaction to injustice, and his recipe for preventing riots was a lot more radical than the unconditional submission to the "peaceful" status quo liberals and conservatives demand.

[Brunswick-upon-Raritan]

"And so in a real sense, our nation's summers of riots are caused by our nation's winters of delay."

"I will always advocate non-violence; the cry of black power is a reaction to the reluctance of white power"

Right, that doesn't negate anything.

[Geneviev]

I believe that many of the people responsible for those things are trying to discredit the real protesters.

"Huehuehue I shall steal this TV from Target as part of an elaborate scheme to maintain police brutality against my fellow black people"

Actually, I think it's being done by white people. But close enough.

[Repubblica Fascista Sociale Italiana]

It’s about time that Youtube video made its way over to the thread

The amount of people on the internet linking it to try and make it seem like MLK was pro-riots is laughable, because actually listening to what he said in that interview would show you he is very much against rioting, but believes the underlying causes are deep reaching socioeconomic issues

[Novus America]

I am sure there is. But the whole thing still seems a bit unfocussed. What specific policies in which specific cities are they asking to change?
Pointing out a general problem is one thing. Finding actually implementable solutions and implementing them? That has been lacking.

This goes back to politics as a social activity.

But simply going to a protest is not the same is actually discussing real policy or real understanding of the issue. Simply stating politics is a social activity does not make all politics effective.

Ultimately politics is the implementation of policy, or it is for nothing.

[Brunswick-upon-Raritan]

If you actually gave a single fuck, you would watch the video and listen to what he says instead of going off the title, because it’s not what you think he says.

As in, he never ever was explicitly pro-riot, that’s a myth people are spreading on twitter over the last couple days. I do hope no one uses twitter as a news source

He is against riots, simply pointing out they result from deeper social problems rather than appear on there own. Which is of course true. Obviously many of our cities have deep underlying social and economic problems going back decades, and had those been fixed we probably would not have these riots.
But riots being a bad result of bad things does not make them good.

Well, this is where we have a split between anarchists and the NAACP.

https://www.wcvb.com/article/organizers ... y/32720536

[Constaniana]

"Huehuehue I shall steal this TV from Target as part of an elaborate scheme to maintain police brutality against my fellow black people"

Actually, I think it's being done by white people. But close enough.

I literally watched black people walk past reporters in L.A. carrying a huge TV out of a Target.

[True Refuge]

The main cause of the violence is that the riots formed so spontaneously, seemingly in only one day or two, that there was no time for peaceful protest to coalesce around firebrand leaders who would have been able to direct violent energies specifically against what would be a logical target (police stations and government buildings).

With the riots and protests so thoroughly decentralised, and all other avenues of peaceful protest exhausted and seen as ineffective, I can't see them unfolding any other way. In fact, I see that the governments in Minneapolis and other cities with police brutality and corruption problems has made a significant contribution to this problem by letting tensions develop into this kind of powder keg that took only one event of violence to set off and spread before it could be controlled.

We may see some leaders appear as the protests develop, but in these early days I can't see any other way they unfold except with cynical opportunists taking advantage of weakened law enforcement.

[Brunswick-upon-Raritan]

Actually, I think it's being done by white people. But close enough.

I literally watched black people walk past reporters in L.A. carrying a huge TV out of a Target.

They were probably made in China though

[Liriena]

If you actually gave a single fuck, you would watch the video and listen to what he says instead of going off the title, because it’s not what you think he says.

As in, he never ever was explicitly pro-riot, that’s a myth people are spreading on twitter over the last couple days. I do hope no one uses twitter as a news source

He is against riots, simply pointing out they result from deeper social problems rather than appear on there own. Which is of course true. Obviously many of our cities have deep underlying social and economic problems going back decades, and had those been fixed we probably would not have these riots.
But riots being a bad result of bad things does not make them good.

Riots aren't "good" and I'm sorry for the innocent people caught in the middle of them. It's not really a matter of whether they're "good", at least to me. To me, the issue with these riots is that they wouldn't need to happen if the "proper channels" hadn't failed for years and years.

Riots will happen so long as the conditions which make them inevitable persist. And if the established political power (and its supporters among the citizenry) continues to pretend those conditions don't exist or only acknowledge them so they can assimilate those grievances into their own ideology, without ever implementing definitive solutions, riots will always be one spark away.

[Geneviev]

Actually, I think it's being done by white people. But close enough.

I literally watched black people walk past reporters in L.A. carrying a huge TV out of a Target.

Cool. I watched white people break into stores and become violent. That doesn't make black people innocent, but it doesn't seem normal for white people to behave like that when everyone around them is telling them to stop.

[San Lumen]

You are making sweeping generalizations about cities and it seems you have a genuine hatred for all them

That was directed at Baltimore specifically, not all cities. Some are better than others. I never said all were as bad off as Baltimore.
But a lot do have the same problem of machine politics and people hating the people the elect and re elect.

Baltimore is not what it once was. There are contested primaries in Tuesday and there is a decent chance the incumbent mayor will not win the primary

[Slavakino]

Reports coming of a cop stabbed in the neck in Jacksonville Florida

This has gone too far

[Aeritai]

Seriously what is going on? Are riots just poping up in every American city now? Having both a pandemic and riot might cause trouble hopefully tensions will ease up soon.

[Australian rePublic]

I don't get these people. They're protesting violence against black people, by setting black people's businesses on fire

I really don't want to think this but I feel like they are using it as an excuse to start breaking and looting shit

Sadly, perhaps you're right

[Novus America]

He is against riots, simply pointing out they result from deeper social problems rather than appear on there own. Which is of course true. Obviously many of our cities have deep underlying social and economic problems going back decades, and had those been fixed we probably would not have these riots.
But riots being a bad result of bad things does not make them good.

Riots aren't "good" and I'm sorry for the innocent people caught in the middle of them. It's not really a matter of whether they're "good", at least to me. To me, the issue with these riots is that they wouldn't need to happen if the "proper channels" hadn't failed for years and years.

But the proper channels failed because we failed to use them. That is the problem.
The enemy is not the police officer, or even the politician as much as the enemy is us.
We the people created the problems. We chose this. We did this.

We elected and re elected the people who did all the problems.

We are are the problem. Until we realize that nothing changes.

[Aureumterra]

I literally watched black people walk past reporters in L.A. carrying a huge TV out of a Target.

Cool. I watched white people break into stores and become violent. That doesn't make black people innocent, but it doesn't seem normal for white people to behave like that when everyone around them is telling them to stop.

Everyone becomes like that when they know they won’t be held individually accountable for their actions

[San Lumen]

Why don’t you run yourself

Eh I do not think I have much a chance. I might try but most likely that is not likely to get anywhere.

Don't say that. You never know what could happen. Local office or state legislature is a good place to start.

[Australian rePublic]

I don't get these people. They're protesting violence against black people, by setting black people's businesses on fire

I really don't want to think this but I feel like they are using it as an excuse to start breaking and looting shit

It's gotta ne the lead. Surely it's the lead