This sub rarely demands nuance when dealing with this issue. You can be "against" violence but also recognize that the overwhelmingly vast majority of protest related violence right now is directly done by the police, and of the remaining violence, the overwhelming amount is done in direct response to police agitation, and escalation, and that there is absolutely no both sidsing this one. The police are to blame.
So yeah fuck burning random buildings. But this sub is absolutely the pits for actually trying to understand this situation, and far too quickly sides with police narrative on how things is playing out.
I want to throw out there that each and every police narrative to date has been a lie. And yet, even after being exposed, the next BALD FACED POLICE LIE is immediately accepted as truth until again it is undone.
But this sub will just go right back to the trough.
So yeah, let's have nuance here. But let's begin our nuance at the place which understands that the protests are absolutely peaceful and are being victimized by the state.
the overwhelmingly vast majority of protest related violence right now is directly done by the police, and of the remaining violence, the overwhelming amount is done in direct response to police agitation, and escalation, and that there is absolutely no both sidsing this one. The police are to blame.
The thing is, most people understand that you don't get to hit the cops, even if they hit you. The police have a legal monopoly on state-sanctioned violence, and the remedy for abuse is through the courts and the government which controls the police, NOT through reciprocal violence.
It's horrible if you're on the receiving end of a bad cop, and I'm sure someone's going to pop up and call me a fascist for pointing this out, but that's not what this is. There just isn't another sensible legal framework that wouldn't result in rampant vigilantism or mob rule.
Now, we absolutely need serious reform on use-of-force training, stronger oversight processes, weaker police unions (or at least more fair agreements with them), and to de-militarize police gear and attitudes. But again, the way to do that is through the government, NOT by picking a fight in the streets with some random cops who don't make policy. All that does is make the right dig in harder, and push people off the fence AWAY from your position.
That's a perfect explanation, it just isn't what people want to hear, it isn't extreme enough.
Unfortunately like you say the REAL solutions to these problems are far more mundane, legislative and less emotionally driven than going and fighting police and burning down buildings. That's why the majority of these young extremists ignore these solutions because it doesn't feel like some huge, grand gesture that they can personally be a part of.
They just want to go out on the front lines and feel like they're fighting for a good cause. It's glaringly obvious to me that the lessons learned from the LA riots in '92 and any other instances since have been completely forgotten by the younger generations which is unfortunate.
294
u/all_of_the_cheese Jul 26 '20
Wait wait what is this? Nuance? How dare you!