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1. RcouF1+pg[view] [source] 2020-06-01 16:36:22
>>mwseib+(OP)
> So let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it.

Taboos around violence for political are one of the crucial building blocks for a functioning democracy. If those taboos are broken, even for a good cause, you set a precedence that violence works. And the next cause won’t be as good. One only has to look at the lessons of the Roman Revolution that started with the murder of Grachus, and ended with an Emperor who everyone acclaimed as they were so tired of the bloodshed.

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2. mmastr+Aj[view] [source] 2020-06-01 16:51:39
>>RcouF1+pg
I cannot condone violence nor encourage it, but you have to admit that the first few protests and property damage drastically influenced the quick arrest of an officer that may not have been arrested or even fired if it didn't happen.

The non-violent protests of Colin Kaepernick were mocked and used to rally the other side and just weren't effective.

The problem here is not the violence, but a policing system that is so fundamentally damaged and has not been effectively reformed fast enough.

The MLK quote is trotted out pretty often, but "a riot is the language of the unheard".

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3. jmull+Vu[view] [source] 2020-06-01 17:42:20
>>mmastr+Aj
> The MLK quote is trotted out pretty often, but "a riot is the language of the unheard".

MLK Jr was unequivocally non-violent. That quote was in the context of explaining the root cause of the rioting, not condoning or endorsing it.

Don't trust anyone trying to tell you MLK Jr would have supported violent protests.

They are either trying to manipulate you or sadly ignorant (or both, of course). In either case they have it wrong, in terms of history and in the implication that violent protest will lead to any kind of progress or justice.

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4. hysan+pV[view] [source] 2020-06-01 19:53:40
>>jmull+Vu
Do note the reverse though. Don’t let everyone who labels violence as unequivocally wrong trick you into thinking that all riots are due to bad people. You’re right in that MLK Jr’s point wasn’t to promote riots. However, if you automatically label all riots as being bad, you’ve also missed the deeper point MLK Jr was trying to make:

listen to your fellow humans

When you see news about a riot, your first instinct should be to ask why? What are they rioting about? What was being said that led to this situation? Were people listening? How did they respond?

Not make a judgement of them.

This is where media has great power in controlling the narrative. If they don’t report on what happened prior to the riots (ex: peaceful protests, calls to representatives for action, etc), then it becomes very hard to see rioters as human beings with a voice.

Edit: note that I’m not making a judgement on OP. I writing this because I often see this reaction to riots and people often take away the wrong message both ways.

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