WE'RE ALL BACK IN OUR CELLS, BUT EVERY NOW AND THEN

A wise man recently made the point that riots aren’t arguments or attempts at persuasion.  They’re what happens when attempts at persuasion fail. 

Another wise man once said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” 

He didn’t say what you should do if the evil guy keeps smiting, which evil guys tend to do.  But on a related topic, when asked how many times he had to keep forgiving someone who sinned against him, the answer was “seventy times seven.”

Frankly, rioting sounds easier. 

I’m not a rioter, looter, or arsonist.  But I can empathize with their frustration and their fear.  The Kenosha incident, or series of incidents, is far from unique.  A policeman kills a Black person.  There’s an internal investigation, which may or may not result in charges.  If they do, the result is often an acquittal, because the rules are written to protect the police.

And it’s pretty obvious that right-wing critics who tut-tut about the necessity to keep protests peaceful are arguing in bad faith.  Note their reaction to the NBA players’ wildcat strike, which put pressure on billionaire NBA owners, and which has already borne fruit.  It was, in other words, a protest that was both peaceful and effective.  Naturally, conservative commentators are furious.  How dare they engage in THAT form of peaceful protest!  Shut up and dribble!  And don’t get them started on football players who kneel peacefully during the National Anthem.

But sure, let’s protest peacefully one more time.  Maybe one more will do the trick.  Except that most of the protests this summer began peacefully enough, and were sabotaged by provocateurs from both sides.  Is there any reason to think that won’t keep happening? 

Just to be clear, I’m not criticizing anyone who is outraged by police violence, nor am I criticizing anyone who is outraged by the burning and looting.  Me too, on both counts.  And I heartily approve of protesting against both outrages. 

I also want to be clear that I’m not saying that both sides are equally responsible for the violence.  These riots are happening because police murder Black people.  They happen because police (and Bill Barr’s goon squads) are spoiling for a fight. They happen because police look the other way when the boogaloo boys and other Trump-Jugend thugs show up to attack peaceful protesters.  “We appreciate you guys, we really do.”

Protesters (as opposed to rioters) are overwhelmingly well-intentioned, and their cause is just.  But when their events become a magnet for provocateurs on both sides, maybe it’s time to rethink tactics.  Beyond the loss of lives and property, the net effect is to give the Trump campaign more propaganda footage.  I wish they’d stand down for a while.

And to that, a reasonable person might observe that you can’t stand down from being Black.  I’m an old white guy.  Cops don’t see me as a threat, or as a potential target when they’re running on adrenaline from fear and rage.  It would behoove me to be circumspect about offering advice to people whose daily risks are orders of magnitude greater than mine.

That said, I would still argue that Black Lives Matter – the generic movement, not any specific organization using that name – has legitimate grievances that must be addressed.  But anyone – BLM or otherwise – who believes that they can burn and loot their way to ending police violence against Black people has some explaining to do.  How does that work, exactly?  And if you don’t expect it to work, why do you keep doing it (or supporting those who do it, or creating situations where burning and looting are more likely than not)? 

Similarly, I would argue that anyone who takes the (very reasonable, from my perspective) position that burning and looting are wrong – morally, strategically, and every other way – has an obligation to help find a non-violent solution to the problem of police murdering Black people.  And in lieu of fresh ideas of their own, that means supporting the non-violent strategies that others come up with. Otherwise, they’re saying Black Lives Don’t Matter – at least not to them.

Speaking of fresh perspectives, here’s what Donald Trump had to say about protests yesterday: “You know what I say?  Protest this, your ass.  I don’t talk about my ass.” 

I believe there is strong bipartisan support for not talking about Donald Trump’s ass.  Let us savor small victories.