Rioting: does it work?

Aaron Thyne said:
Simple. If you're going to riot, go after The Pentagon, The Federal Reserve, The FBI and Wall Street. Hurt the people that are actually responsible for structural inequality, don't destroy the cities you live in.
If you're not going to go after power itself, stop rioting all together.
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This is definitely a suggestion and not a bad one. It sucks that the places people live and work and rely on for necessities get destroyed, but on one hand, it has been reported that it's outside groups and /or opportunists or people that aren't really in it for the cause. On the other hand, attacking federal agencies would surely be considered an act of domestic terrorism/war and the outcome would not favor the protestors.
 
Milktoast Bandit said:
This is definitely a suggestion and not a bad one. It sucks that the places people live and work and rely on for necessities get destroyed, but on one hand, it has been reported that it's outside groups and /or opportunists or people that aren't really in it for the cause. On the other hand, attacking federal agencies would surely be considered an act of domestic terrorism/war and the outcome would not favor the protestors.
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If you rally enough support, it will work. Unfortunately, these outside forces keep undermining the BLM movement and are making it almost impossible to unite the citizenry under one voice. As it stands, the response to structural inequality is highly polarized, there is no union. If riots continue, the only thing they will achieve is martial law.
 
Aaron Thyne said:
there is no union
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Right. You have the people it happens to and those that don't listen or choose to remain indifferent.

Aaron Thyne said:
these outside forces keep undermining the BLM movement
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That's their intention and it only undermines the movement to those that don't recognize a need for change or don't care.
 
SpecialEdition said:
How do you suggest people unify for a cause where they could meaningfully go for those institutions without being run down with tanks and slaughtered? How do enough people understand that a change needs to be made? Perhaps they need to be part of a movement where protests are happening in all 50 states? Perhaps they start to see how much racial injustice there is, but also see the police brutality and start to understand the lack of consequences even at the local level?

People have to start somewhere.
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By not rioting. By engaging in peaceful protest. I've already explained what is at stake if the riots continue.
 
Aaron Thyne said:
By not rioting. By engaging in peaceful protest. I've already explained what is at stake if the riots continue.
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There are plenty of peaceful protests. How are you going to isolate the small percent of individuals who show up with the intent to cause destruction?
 
I remember all the schools being torched in southern Thailand years ago. They had to send every available emergency vehicle available.

The parking lots were filled with roofing nails.

The armories were hit, the guards killed, and the contents taken.
 
Aaron Thyne said:
Protests rally support. Riots undermine the movement. Establishment power has already polarized the left and the right on these issues. The last thing you want to do is lose the support of the right.
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There have been reports of outside groups, opportunists, and people not for the cause causing the damage. If one supports the cause, one can separate the peaceful protesting from the rioting.
 
SpecialEdition said:
There are plenty of peaceful protests. How are you going to isolate the small percent of individuals who show up with the intent to cause destruction?
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Nothing. All I'm doing is trying to push back against the idea that riots will work. This idea is spreading like wild fire all over social media, and its so disillusioning to see how everyone just accepts the rhetoric without even thinking it through.
 
Aaron Thyne said:
accepts the rhetoric without even thinking it through
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Why do you think it hasn't been thought through?
Don't get me wrong, violence is not cool, rioting and property damage sucks, this definitely some 'white guilt' stuff with some. All these things are separate from the issue at hand and why people are taking to the streets in the first place.
 
Aaron Thyne said:
Nothing. All I'm doing is trying to push back against the idea that riots will work. This idea is spreading like wild fire all over social media, and its so disillusioning to see how everyone just accepts the rhetoric without even thinking it through.
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Well, people already tried to wipe out The Pentagon on 9/11 so I guess your suggestion to do that is out. People are already peacefully protesting all over the country, so no issues there. The riots are such a small part of what's happening.

You've already got Trump gassing people out of Lafayette Park so he can do a photo op with a Bible in front of Church. The violence is already being perpetrated by the police and the government. He's bringing the violence TO people. I think some shattered glass in storefronts and some looted shoes are the absolute least of the issues we are seeing during all of this.

I get that you think if people aren't perfectly well behaved and falling in line that somehow there are already going to be dire consequences, but people are already living through some pretty terrible things.

Like I said, people have to start somewhere. You can't control for the individuals that show up in their black hoodies and backpacks throwing molotov cocktails because they get off on it. Those are the people you should be appealing to if the riots are your concern. Or maybe the police that are abusing their power. Up to you which is the problem that needs to be addressed first.
 
SpecialEdition said:
I get that you think if people aren't perfectly well behaved and falling in line that somehow there are already going to be dire consequences, but people are already living through some pretty terrible things
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Right. And as has already been mentioned, everything else has failed. Nothing works. What is left? What's the correct way to drum up support? Silence, so no one gets upset at all the activity in the streets?
 
SpecialEdition said:
Well, people already tried to wipe out The Pentagon on 9/11 so I guess your suggestion to do that is out. People are already peacefully protesting all over the country, so no issues there. The riots are such a small part of what's happening.

You've already got Trump gassing people out of Lafayette Park so he can do a photo op with a Bible in front of Church. The violence is already being perpetrated by the police and the government. He's bringing the violence TO people. I think some shattered glass in storefronts and some looted shoes are the absolute least of the issues we are seeing during all of this.

I get that you think if people aren't perfectly well behaved and falling in line that somehow there are already going to be dire consequences, but people are already living through some pretty terrible things.

Like I said, people have to start somewhere. You can't control for the individuals that show up in their black hoodies and backpacks throwing molotov cocktails because they get off on it. Those are the people you should be appealing to if the riots are your concern. Or maybe the police that are abusing their power. Up to you which is the problem that needs to be addressed first.
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Trump is rallying support to declare martial law. This isn't a fantasy, its a reality. If you don't believe this is a problem, then I don't know what to say.
 
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