Do The Right Thing

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction) 05/29/2020 at 11:04 • Filed to: None

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If you haven’t watched it, watch it this weekend. 30+ years later, it’s just as relevant today as it was then (sadly).

Destruction of property is wrong. Looting is wrong. But these things

“do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard.”

(once again, if you haven’t ever seen it, take the time to watch it before clicking on the analysis below)

TheRealBicycleBuck > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 11:23

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“But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard.”  

And when they speak, more innocent people get hurt, whether physically or financially. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/29/2020 at 11:27

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It’s terrible, and sad, and ugly, and still a thing in our country in 2020...

It’s never acceptable behavior, but on some level, it’s understandable that a vessel can only take so much pressure until it eventually e xplodes.

TheRealBicycleBuck > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 11:37

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It’s always been my impression that the reason may be legitimate for some, but for others it’s just an excuse to go out and break stuff. My brother was one of those people with poor self control and a desire to go out and wreak havoc whenever he could. It’s why he couldn’t hold down a job for any length of time and a large part of the reason he died so young. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/29/2020 at 11:44

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Yes, for many looters it’s just opportunistic, and for many rioters it’s just reveling in anarchy... But how many people who have what they need resort to looting at a time like this, and how many people who feel like society has treated them fairly resort to destruction? 

I’m sorry about your brother.

For Sweden > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 11:45

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Someone please show this to they guy who was smashing windows at the public library.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > For Sweden 05/29/2020 at 11:51

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It’s just so sad. 

For Sweden > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 11:54

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The family of George Floyd is calling for peace on the streets and justice in the courts. Ye t the succ larpers can’t not make this about themselves.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > For Sweden 05/29/2020 at 12:02

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It is sickening to watch. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 12:03

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“ But how many people who have what they need resort to looting at a time like this, and how many people who feel like society has treated them fairly resort to destruction?”

T wo interesting and difficult questions. For my brother, he was given every opportunity to have a good job, he was given everything he needed and more, but he resorted to bad behavior because he had this inner desire to be destructive.

We both grew up poor, but I was raised by my mom, he was raised by our dad (his mother was my dad’s third or fourth wife). My dad was a bad father and a bad example of how a person should behave.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/29/2020 at 12:05

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I’m glad you had your mom... 

TheRealBicycleBuck > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 12:07

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Thanks. Me too.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 12:33

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As a Minnesotan and someone who lives in St Paul, this whole thing fucking sucks. I’ve luckily been far away from most of the looting, but a pawn shop a few blocks from my apartment got hit last night. All the business owners were lined up and down the street, a lot of them armed, in case the looting made it’s way more prominently to the area. It’s like a bad dream.

Here’s my city on fire last night from my bedroom window:

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 05/29/2020 at 12:38

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So sad...

Can’t imagine what it feels like to be so close to it. Stay safe.

I’m grieving for your city, and hoping & praying for justice & healing.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 13:10

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In the past year I’ve learned a lot about the twisted ways people try to justify and vindicate rioting and “vigilante” justice. It achieves nothing more than propagating irrational hate , no matter how noble they think their cause is.

I hope MN can climb out of that trap soon, because my hood has been stuck in it for nearly a year now.

Textured Soy Protein > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 16:48

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A former coworker of mine posted multiple racially-tinged things about the looting, including a screenshot of Trump’s “looting & shooting” tweet agreeing with and defending it. Hoo boy, it was a shitshow. 

DipodomysDeserti > For Sweden 05/29/2020 at 18:35

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So many people not wearing masks, too. Of all the times to not wear a mask...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Textured Soy Protein 05/29/2020 at 21:51

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Former, thankfully.

Unfollow. 

Textured Soy Protein > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/29/2020 at 22:14

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I probably will. It’s especially disappointing because this is a sorta former protege of mine who I trained and then went on to successful other jobs for a while. But she’s been making questionable posts for a while now. She’s in Wisconsin and shortly after the GOP legislature successfully sued to overturn the state’s stay at home order she was all like yay I’m going to get manis and pedis and Starbucks so glad stuff is back open!

When the George Floyd news hit, the other day she posted she signed the petition for justice for George , then as soon as the looting started posted a video of people trashing a Target saying “This is disgusting. What pieces of shit these people are! The even sadder part is now we’re outraged over these videos and deflecting from the real issue. The more they destroy the city, the more we back the police. Idiots!”

And today posted a screenshot of Trump’s “looting & shooting” tweet and tried to defend it, and after loads of people were like uhh no she posted Trump’s follow-up tweet about not meaning to shoot the protesters like, “you all misconstrued his words ."

Because she signed  that petition I tried to get thru to her like, not sure if you realize or intend this but your last couple posts look hella racist. And then she revealed herself to be a Trumpkin, a racist, and a covidiot, all in the same thread. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Textured Soy Protein 05/30/2020 at 09:36

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Ugh...

So, what is the correct response to looting? Honestly, as wrong and unproductive as it is, I understand pure destruction and vandalism as just a physical reaction extending from  the rage people are feeling over the situation (present and past). But looting is just a selfish act, which does take attention off of legitimate protests.

Textured Soy Protein > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/30/2020 at 12:33

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I personally think the correct response to looting is to condemn the behavior while acknowledging the feelings that lead to it. You’ve landed on it, pretty much.

In many places, Minneapolis included, there’s a long history of racially discriminatory policing and all sorts of other structural inequality. Then something like this happens where some particularly egregious act by the people in power against a member of a group that’s been disadvantaged for generations, it’s like stabbing them in the heart.

If you’re poor, a minority, and already feel like the cops at the very least won’t treat you fairly and at the worst may well kill you, and this happens, it’s like FUCK THE WORLD BURN IT DOWN. And then you see this anarchy unfolding and the opportunity arises to get shit you can’t afford, and you feel like you can’t afford these things because of all the structural issues that the incident gets right at the heart of, and it’s like shit, I’m taking this TV if I can.

None of this excuses the behavior, but again, it’s best to acknowledge where it comes from.

Actually one of the first things that gave me a little insight into it, nothing super deep of course, is this song about the LA riots after Rodney King.