tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post7444753111295931414..comments2024-03-28T18:32:05.933-04:00Comments on bensozia: The Uprising Isn't OnJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-90990630302714919862020-06-01T12:32:00.094-04:002020-06-01T12:32:00.094-04:00I love the line, "pumped-up kids larping thei...I love the line, "pumped-up kids larping their way to revolution." I've long been skeptical of the Fight Club theory of contemporary violence, but I'm starting to think there's a lot to it. The "boogaloo" meme now making its way into the press is particularly suggestive in this regard (of course, if the press is starting to talk about it, that may indicate it's already past its prime).<br /><br />That said, I agree that young men's violence fantasies alone are not going to start a revolution.<br /><br />On the other hand, I'm a little skeptical that these riots will help Trump the way riots helped Nixon in 68. They may help Trump, yes. But, as you suggest, Nixon was a lot smarter than Trump. He campaigned more as a reassuring square who could bring things back to safe normality, than as a tough guy who wanted to break heads. And since Trump is the incumbent and a provocateur, he's going to own these riots--along with images of jacked-up gun fanatics in creepy skull bandanas--in the way the Democrats had to own the violent images of LBJ's first full term. I'm starting to sense the possibility that Trump fatigue may end up casting an important vote in November.<br /><br />Of course, we're five months and an ocean of gaffes and impolitic left-wing demands away from the election, so anything can still happen.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14456987412710878404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-88166235049399753002020-06-01T10:49:19.015-04:002020-06-01T10:49:19.015-04:00I think we've hit a knot.I think we've hit a knot.D. P. Dupinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17153114142147332321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-71080387559974047602020-06-01T10:47:46.872-04:002020-06-01T10:47:46.872-04:00...the most disappointing aspect of the whole thin......the most disappointing aspect of the whole thing, IMO, is that before the rioting every single person I knew (black, white, old, young, whatever) was in total agreement: there is something seriously wrong about the situation with cops in Minneapolis. All of those cops should be in jail. <br /><br />Now? <br /><br />liberal friends: OMG innocent protesters getting hit with pepper balls! Burning down businesses is not so bad because injustice! Grief! Oppression! Blah blah blah... and they've basically stopped even talking about Floyd and Minneapolis except as a footnote. <br /><br />conservative friends: Over the weekend, I heard an old lady who's never CC'ed before in her life (because that's the men's job), talking about shopping for a gun purse. No longer feels safe on her regular church-and-groceries route. The general consensus is: it probably won't come to *my* town, but better top off the ammo stash just in case. ...and who knows? Maybe that Floyd guy was high on meth or something. You never know until the tox screen comes back. <br /><br />For a brief moment there, we were all on the same page. Way to kill a promising consensus with some idiotic violence. JustPeachyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06128069966879300756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-15852157582472636942020-06-01T10:22:11.342-04:002020-06-01T10:22:11.342-04:00SSC has a good discussion of the dynamic here:
h...SSC has a good discussion of the dynamic here: <br /><br />https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/05/27/open-thread-154-75/#comment-904818<br /><br />I don't think it matters to a lot of these people, that riots ultimately *increase* support for police and conservatism, and that the riots have already made most folks completely forget about George Floyd. For them, it was never about Floyd, or justice, or any of that. A lot of them (the ones engaging in violence, that is) are 18-23yo men, for whom the excitement, risk, and danger, are reason enough. <br /><br />But there appears to be some organizing and financing going on. Maybe that makes me a conspiracy theorist. But I've seen multiple reports, and some video, of pallets of bricks staged at the riot sites in multiple cities. That takes money, organizing, and trucks. And it should be traceable. I'm extremely curious to see what shakes out of all this, in the aftermath, particularly if Antifa is actually listed as a terrorist organization. <br /><br />If that's true, about the organizing, then I'd bet we are seeing the last gasp of the attempted Trump takedown. The whole Russia/Flynn/impeachment boat is going down in flames, and the juicy details are starting to shuffle into public view. Also in the works: antitrust action against Google, and legal pressure on social media platforms. There are a lot of wealthy and powerful people with a lot to lose. Did someone just get desperate enough to incite mass violence? JustPeachyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06128069966879300756noreply@blogger.com