Burning down #2
We are not in a normal time. The world; this country, my city are not in a stable frame of mind. I am watching abject lunacy unleashed in ways I never thought conceivable. No, history has taught us nothing. It's a proverbial free-for-all out there - cities are being burned and looted under the false pretense of "combating racism". The horrific, appalling murder of a man in Minneapolis at the hands of the police is one thing - it is clear; it is indisputable and it is unacceptable. Now it's been shamefully co-opted immediately for something else and it's disgusting.
People scream about how "lives matter" - yes, they do. But it seems the louder everyone shouts, it translates more as "I'm trying to convince myself I'm not a racist by telling everyone else how morally outraged I am in the comfort of my own home." Do you really think removing your profile picture from Facebook and replacing it with a black space is doing something meaningful? How noble of you. The hypocrisy of virtue signaling has spiraled completely out of control; at the moment, we've gotten as far from rationality and thinking before knee-jerk reactionism as one can get. Herd mentality is dangerous and it's taken over like the COVID-19 pandemic we're supposed to be fighting as one people. You just cannot have "meaningful discourse" anymore, especially if it pertains to social media. Forget it.
Peaceful protests and marches can be done; the desired affect can be achieved. I know because I've seen it on my own street. Pure and simple - two days' worth of protests and marches and there was not one skirmish; not one incident, not one arrest. People across the board came out to say what they had to; came to show how they feel and they did it with grace, thought and meaning. That's said (and was viewed) with a lot of pride. The same can't be said for the other boroughs of my city. It was done successfully in Newark, New Jersey, Flint, Michigan and Memphis, Tennessee. And yet, all we're doing is watching a shit-show of epic proportions continue in Los Angeles and New York City - because no one can be bothered to turn and walk away when infiltrators come to hijack the actual purpose of a march or protest gathering.
The police don't want to be put into this even-worse position. They do a thankless job - they're damned if they do; damned if they don't. And right now "law" seems to be damned because politicians and the media are gleefully playing both sides against the other. God forbid - any of these people who are saying "fuck the police" better pray they never need them in a genuine emergency. Although I know that wouldn't be the reality.
People need to stop; just fucking stop and step back and wait for the smoke to clear and TRY to gain a moment of focus and readjustment. Try not screaming cliches and insults. For fuck's sake - stop quoting song lyrics from musicians who have suddenly been elevated to "prophets". Be adults. Educate yourself and others through FACTS, not social media bullshit. Social media has made people think they're more than what they are; better/smarter/more enlightened/holier-than-thou. And they're not. It's just a cesspool of lies and misinformation; because it's, by and large, anonymous - in the sense that everyone hides behind a keyboard in their homes or on their devices - so they have a puffed-chest bravado that neatly masks their genuine ignorance.
The light at the end of this tunnel is: there ARE protesters who are putting a stop to would-be looters. That is a major step forward. Once the distractors can be corralled and dealt with, then you can and should return to protesting and marching and making your point clearly. That's something to be proud of and celebrated; I applaud this wholly. Destruction means less support; more deaf ears will turn on you in the aftermath of ignoble actions.
Contrary to what virtue signaling/social media justice warriors will say, this isn't about black or white or any of that. They profit from selling t-shirts by sloganeering. This is about safety; understanding, a whole host of elements and basic human rights. For everyone. Bring wisdom and facts to the protests - table it and make the change to be genuine and everlasting.
People scream about how "lives matter" - yes, they do. But it seems the louder everyone shouts, it translates more as "I'm trying to convince myself I'm not a racist by telling everyone else how morally outraged I am in the comfort of my own home." Do you really think removing your profile picture from Facebook and replacing it with a black space is doing something meaningful? How noble of you. The hypocrisy of virtue signaling has spiraled completely out of control; at the moment, we've gotten as far from rationality and thinking before knee-jerk reactionism as one can get. Herd mentality is dangerous and it's taken over like the COVID-19 pandemic we're supposed to be fighting as one people. You just cannot have "meaningful discourse" anymore, especially if it pertains to social media. Forget it.
Peaceful protests and marches can be done; the desired affect can be achieved. I know because I've seen it on my own street. Pure and simple - two days' worth of protests and marches and there was not one skirmish; not one incident, not one arrest. People across the board came out to say what they had to; came to show how they feel and they did it with grace, thought and meaning. That's said (and was viewed) with a lot of pride. The same can't be said for the other boroughs of my city. It was done successfully in Newark, New Jersey, Flint, Michigan and Memphis, Tennessee. And yet, all we're doing is watching a shit-show of epic proportions continue in Los Angeles and New York City - because no one can be bothered to turn and walk away when infiltrators come to hijack the actual purpose of a march or protest gathering.
The police don't want to be put into this even-worse position. They do a thankless job - they're damned if they do; damned if they don't. And right now "law" seems to be damned because politicians and the media are gleefully playing both sides against the other. God forbid - any of these people who are saying "fuck the police" better pray they never need them in a genuine emergency. Although I know that wouldn't be the reality.
People need to stop; just fucking stop and step back and wait for the smoke to clear and TRY to gain a moment of focus and readjustment. Try not screaming cliches and insults. For fuck's sake - stop quoting song lyrics from musicians who have suddenly been elevated to "prophets". Be adults. Educate yourself and others through FACTS, not social media bullshit. Social media has made people think they're more than what they are; better/smarter/more enlightened/holier-than-thou. And they're not. It's just a cesspool of lies and misinformation; because it's, by and large, anonymous - in the sense that everyone hides behind a keyboard in their homes or on their devices - so they have a puffed-chest bravado that neatly masks their genuine ignorance.
The light at the end of this tunnel is: there ARE protesters who are putting a stop to would-be looters. That is a major step forward. Once the distractors can be corralled and dealt with, then you can and should return to protesting and marching and making your point clearly. That's something to be proud of and celebrated; I applaud this wholly. Destruction means less support; more deaf ears will turn on you in the aftermath of ignoble actions.
Contrary to what virtue signaling/social media justice warriors will say, this isn't about black or white or any of that. They profit from selling t-shirts by sloganeering. This is about safety; understanding, a whole host of elements and basic human rights. For everyone. Bring wisdom and facts to the protests - table it and make the change to be genuine and everlasting.
posted by R L Ross at
8:16 PM
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