2020 Protests megathread

[afleitch]

Am I the only one that sees an implicit threat when civilians have weapons inside a legislative body?

Yea. Probably in every other functioning democracy too.

[afleitch]

Oh yes. The fabled 'ivory towers' of 20 something urban progressives living in cramped high rent apartments.

[afleitch]

One thing to bear in mind before we 'both sidez'

The police should always be held to a higher standard than the general public. That's the whole point of the police. A police officer needlessly attacking a civilian is always worse than a civilian needlessly attacking the police.

[afleitch]

Of course he's going to try and ban 'Antifa'. Every response he gives to every issue is to the people who live in the alternate reality with it's alternate media.

[afleitch]

Lfromnj, following your posts here and it's cultivated narrative really gives me an insight as to how things like that happen on twitter.

[afleitch]

At the moment it seems that the narrative is quite 'anti-cop' outside the usual MAGA and MAGA adjacent bubble which has really surprised me. I think this is due to the targeting of the press. Mainstream and local media seem less willing to 'mitigate to death' the protests. Those who do, seem to be subject to people commenting/linking to instances of the media being attacked.

[afleitch]

https://mobile.twitter.com/TalbertSwan/status/1267324605712211970

[afleitch]

Stealing this insight, with his permission, from Antonio (with whom I've been discussing events extensively off-forum; he's focusing mostly on the R&P and History boards these days and if I weren't a glutton for punishment I would be doing that too). It feels really good to not be on the "authoritarian" side any more after the arguments over the lockdowns. Now that people are actually baying for them hoodlums' blood and cheering on police for running down protestors with their cars, it's nice to be able to focus one's hate in that direction again.

The fact you felt, even for a second, that lockdowns for public health could be considered 'authoritarian' (and you by extension) by those who choose to define it shows how warped the discourse is.

[afleitch]

I just woke up. Am I right that Trump got people tear gassed for a photo op in front of a church and held the bible upside down?

[afleitch]

For what it's worth, the Daily Mail (Daily Fail, Daily Heil etc) bailed on Trump.

[afleitch]

https://twitter.com/KatiePavlich/status/1267607363533578246

Maybe, just maybe people are expecting more out of the president of the United States than they are a handful of looters and arsonists. But you do you.

It's the waving around a bible as an obvious stage prop, after having peaceful protesters tear-gassed (and then reportedly having the area swept by the military) that gets me. How can anyone take him as anything more than an evil huckster?

Because much of American Political Christianity is reduced to performance art.

[afleitch]

This has been an interesting thread;

One side posting videos of looting and property destruction.

The other posting videos of state oppression, attacks on peaceful protesters and the press.

[afleitch]

Small businesses going bankrupt is an unfortunate result of the riots but one point I would make is most of these businesses that are being looted happen in be in areas that vote heavily democratic, many of these businesses are owned by people from ethnic groups that vote democratic, and many of these business owners no doubt vote for the democratic party which is the party whose mayors preside over the failure to control the riots and whose elected officials by and large are pro protest and anti police.

So to some extent these business owners brought this upon themselves by voting the way they vote, but nonetheless they should be assisted somewhat financially speaking to recover.  

I don't know whether to take this comment seriously or not? But with all due respect that's just Bullsh!t! The Democrats didn't cause covid19, they didn't kill George Floyd and the riots are being conducted by some lawless thugs.

These riots are taking place mainly in cities run by democrats, it is the failure of officials in the Democratic Party to control the riots which is obvious, I don’t see how anyone could dispute that point. Furthermore it is liberals who vote democratic, journalists etc  who have been making excuses and trying to provide cover for the riots. The people who are rioting themselves are obviously democratic supporters, demographically they are mostly young white leftists and poor African Americans, 2 groups that vote democratic.

As for the murder of George Floyd, it was a tragedy but the claim black men are targeted by police which is what protesters are claiming is nonsense. Only 23% of people shot dead by police in recent years have been black despite blacks committing 53% of all homicides and 60% of robberies in 2018. Furthermore, a police officer is 18.5x more likely to be killed by a black man than an unarmed black man is by the police. 

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/the-myth-of-systemic-police-racism-11591119883

The whole idea the police kill black men at higher rates relative to the crime they commit is nonsense, if anything the police kill fewer blacks relative to the amount of crime they are committing relative to other races.

Oh great. Another one.

[afleitch]

He's so lost.