The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

[Admiral Yi]

I'm starting to think you have a real problem with people holding on to their property.

Or people holding on to their places of work, or places they shop.  Or people trying to draw a distinction between righteous protestors and thugs.

[fromtia]

I mean yes. The looting is allowing a distraction from the main issue here.

Yes, but for conservatives the looting is the main issue. It needs to be stopped so they can continue to studiously ignore the actual issue and get back to complaining about Colin Kaepernick.

[Tamas]

Oex, Solmyr, could you dial the virtue signalling back just a little bit? Cheers.

[Sheilbh]

Striking how many protests this has sparked in Europe - Berlin, London, Paris (extraordinary crowds of about 20,000 under the hashtag #justicepouradama, after Adama Traore a 24 year old black man killed while being arrested, chanting for "revolution!" ). Also I've seen protests by black Israelis in Tel Aviv and protests in Brazil ("vidas negras importam").

It's one of the striking things - and a demonstration of America's power. It always feels like America's simultaneously the most radical and most conservative place; and there's always a "good America" of that sort-of radical promise and the "bad America" that's its demons. It's extraordinary seeing these other movements and protests. There's a degree of it being in solidarity, but it's not just that. They're also not really "inspired" by BLM in the US, it's more that they are using the languages and the images developed in the "good America" to pressure their own governments - something which has happened many times before.

[Admiral Yi]

If you think "it's unfortunate that black people are being killed, but the looting has to stop", try turning it the other way around. It's unfortunate that there is looting, but the killing of black people has to stop.

If someone killed a loved one or family member of mine, I would not think to express my rage by smashing a liquor store window and grab a crate of Calvados.  I would do that if I wanted to steal a bunch of booze.

[The Brain]

Sorry, but fuck Target.

Yeah let's just let all brick and mortar retail die! SCREW THE LOWER CLASSES THEY SHOULD ORDER AMAZON LIKE THE REST OF US. And they don't need local jobs, they can use their computers and smart phones to work remotely. I mean what is the problem?

This reminds me of your sneering contempt for shopping malls until I brought up the fact they were dying. At that point you pivoted and pointed out how bad that is for the local communities. Um...yes...yes it is. Same with Target and other brick and mortar stores being taken down by all that is going on this year.

Cake is a perfectly valid food.

[fromtia]

It's one of the striking things - and a demonstration of America's power. It always feels like America's simultaneously the most radical and most conservative place; and there's always a "good America" of that sort-of radical promise and the "bad America" that's its demons. It's extraordinary seeing these other movements and protests. There's a degree of it being in solidarity, but it's not just that. They're also not really "inspired" by BLM in the US, it's more that they are using the languages and the images developed in the "good America" to pressure their own governments - something which has happened many times before.

There is an America that I fell and remain madly in love with.

[Oexmelin]

I'm starting to think you have a real problem with people holding on to their property.

No. I have a real problem with police brutality, state violence and racism. It's about a matter of perspective, and priorities. So, no, my concern is not for Target. It's for people who lose an eye to a rubber bullet. When people can demonstrate without the fear of losing limbs, I'll be concerned for Target.

The people who are "protecting the Target" are not doing it out of their love for big surface store. They are doing it precisely because people seem to be much more bloody concerned about broken windows and pillaged stores than they are about dead men, women and children. They do it out of hope that somehow, the media will stop focusing so much about looting if they prevent it from happening. Great. It's awesome if it works. But I am still bloody pissed off that people seem to be willing to expend considerable energy discussing property protection that they never seem to really want to spend about racism; and people pontificating about how demonstrations should unfold, when it's clear they would never show up in the first place. 

You want demonstrations to be peaceful and without looting? How about you show up, and you police the behavior of demonstrators. Or try to show up in front of police in a peaceful demonstration. See how you are rewarded for your efforts.

[Oexmelin]

Oex, Solmyr, could you dial the virtue signalling back just a little bit? Cheers.

Go fuck yourself.

[fromtia]

Go fuck yourself.

No, no he said "virtue signalling" to you, that means he pwned you and he's the best at arguing. Everyone knows that's what that means.

[Oexmelin]

Yeah let's just let all brick and mortar retail die! SCREW THE LOWER CLASSES THEY SHOULD ORDER AMAZON LIKE THE REST OF US. And they don't need local jobs, they can use their computers and smart phones to work remotely. I mean what is the problem?

This reminds me of your sneering contempt for shopping malls until I brought up the fact they were dying. At that point you pivoted and pointed out how bad that is for the local communities. Um...yes...yes it is. Same with Target and other brick and mortar stores being taken down by all that is going on this year.

[Valmy]

Precisely. I remain puzzled by your weird positions on this.

I mean I can see saying "look we have higher priorities here than the survival of the biggest employing sector in the United States that is currently already experiencing a melt down some lesser evils might be committed in service of a higher cause" but actively just going "yeah fuck that industry" is wacko. And you have done it before, as I pointed out.

[Tamas]

Go fuck yourself.

No, no he said "virtue signalling" to you, that means he pwned you and he's the best at arguing. Everyone knows that's what that means.

See? I don't like them cheering on the needless destruction of shops and I am branded as against the cause of the protests.

You guys are heading for a civll war with this attitude.

[Tamas]

Precisely. I remain puzzled by your weird positions on this.

I mean I can see saying "look we have higher priorities here than the survival of the biggest employing sector in the United States that is currently already experiencing a melt down some lesser evils might be committed in service of a higher cause" but actively just going "yeah fuck that industry" is wacko. And you have done it before, as I pointed out.

You stand in line or you are an enemy!

[Oexmelin]

See? I don't like them cheering on the needless destruction of shops and I am branded as against the cause of the protests.
You guys are heading for a civll war with this attitude.

Don't like it all you want. Stupid "virtue signaling" accusation? It's not worth engaging with beyond what I wrote.