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If you re-read your own post, but this time think about the Jan 6th violence at the Capital or the 2014 Bundy standoff (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundy_stan
by floor2 5y ago
If you re-read your own post, but this time think about the Jan 6th violence at the Capital or the 2014 Bundy standoff (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundy_standoff https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundy_standoff) do you feel the same?
The "voice of the unheard" argument is a nice rationalization when we sympathize and agree with the violent actors, but, at least for me, it doesn't seem to resonate much when I don't. I can listen to the Jan 6 people say the election was fraudulent or I can listen to Bundy say he should be able to graze his cattle on public land for free... but after listening to their plight I still disagree and I still hold them responsible for their violent actions.
Personally, I'd rather we accept that large groups shouldn't be held responsible for the actions of a few affiliated people, while holding individuals responsible for their own actions.
- alistairSH 5y agoI still disagree and I still hold them responsible for their violent actions. We're in agreement there. I didn't say we should drop all policing related to violent political protest. I said we need to realize increased policing isn't a solution to violent political protest. WRT Jan 6, the root cause is complicated (understatement of the year). But, stagnating wages, continued urbanization and globalization, and an out of touch political class all contribute. Those things (plus others) need fixed or we'll get a repeat of Jan 6 next election cycle.
- ear7h 5y agoI think you're proving [my interpretation of the] "unheard voice" argument. You're saying that that the rioting/violence is not what makes Jan 6/Bundy or their respective groups bad, it's their "unheard voice". I don't think MLK meant that violence is always okay, rather that we should think about the demands/motivation for the violence when assessing the groups that cause it.
- alistairSH 5y agoCorrect. Though I'm not convinced Bundy has an unheard voice. He's a rich white rancher. He doesn't want to pay for grazing rights on BLM land. The fact that he can be a giant gun-toting asshole, get media attention, and not get shot or tossed in jail shows me he has a voice. Or at least more of a voice than many other people. I consider him something wholly different than the Jan 6 mob.
- meatsauce 5y agoYour statement couldn't be more racist.
- ncmncm 5y agoThose perps were handled with kid gloves. Had they been black people they would have been mowed down like vermin.