6786

Rational arguments are a lovely thing. But they quail in the face of perception as reality and confirmation bias.

6787

I feel like a big mob trying to intimidate random people is bad, separately from any potential electoral repercussions.

6788

Yeah, I don’t see why it’s a problem for the left to call out bad behavior on its own side rather than engaging in whataboutism like the right always does.

6789

When I think of BLM protests, I know my first thought is a MAGA hat front and center.

6790

Yeah, it’s not a maga hat. I can’t read it, but from the way the text lines up, you can tell it’s something else.

6791

If it isn’t: man, what a stupid design and an equally dumb decision to buy it and then decide to wear it.

And obviously, yes, not a good look for the protest group. On the other hand, the diner isn’t getting gunned down from behind so you know… degrees and all that.

6792

So what happens if that crowd confronts someone eating that has a gun. Is that person within their rights to use it if they felt threatened

6793

Those are small, stupid, very isolated incidents. There is nothing I can do about a few dumb teenagers/ twenty somethings captured on someone’s phone and going viral. Meanwhile a bunch of alt-righters are beating people up in Portland under the nurturing watch of the police. That should go fucking viral.

If people elect DJT over stuff like this, the country deserves to die.

6794

The bottom left word is “black”, and it looks like the rest matches up with this:

Very hard to read, though.

6795

Exactly. What it is is an attempt to equate a relatively rare and in the end inconsequential episode of bad behavior with the countless examples of fatally consequential police violence and other examples of endemic systemic racism and rampant authoritarianism. While on some not unimportant level, yes, such behavior is counterproductive at best, and I think not acceptable in most contexts, acts like this pale in comparison to the real crimes that happen all the time. A lot of the reaction from people who see themselves as moderate progressives only serves to reinforce the sense that dumb asses yelling at diners is the same as cops murdering people.

6796

In case anyone gets this from my reaction, I don’t think dumb asses yelling at diners is the same as cops murdering people. The latter needs to be combated with legislation, but the former falls under First Amendment rights so long as the dumb asses leave private property once ordered.

6797

I can condemn an angry mob intimidating innocent people AND condemn cops murdering people, just like i can condemn cops murdering people AND condemn criminals murdering people on the streets.

There is absolutely zero benefit in doing anything other than condeming activities like this.

6798

I get what you’re saying about this being used in Trump adverts from here on out, but if Biden’s election chances hinge on every Democrat, every protestor, or every person of color to be on perfect behavior and never do something stupid that the GOP might use as ammo, he never had a chance anyway.

6799

Yep. If someone doesn’t like the status quo, don’t re-elect the status quo.

6800

The GOP aren’t all actually Nazis and white supremacists.

But they are all bad for failing to condemn such things when they saw them.

The correct response to a mob shouting at random people eating dinner, is universal condemnation. We all agree on that, right? That’s all you gotta do.

6802

That’s literally the next sentence, dude.

6803

For those that don’t live in Louisville, I’d be curious to hear your impression of the Breonna Taylor shooting. Said another way, your information, I’ve seen some wildly variable ideas of what is factually known.

6804

I wish I had something concrete to give you. I’ve found the reports I’ve read to be difficult to parse. General impression, horribly tragic situation. Almost certainly preventable with better procedures. Likely indicative of, at minimum, implicit bias in the case of the officers and an example of systemic problems regarding the consequences of no-knock warrants.

edit: curious how that does or does not resonate with folks closer to the situation.

6805

Seems well said and hits the definites: we have a pretty obvious over-militarization of police with at least a solid dose of racial inequity feeding into it. There’s a ton of chaff on Reddit and in the news to where it’s gotten impossible to discuss the case without being pegged to the far end of the meter, but I had also seen posts from other areas where people had some bizarre impression like it was a completely out of the blue raid. That doesn’t mean that’s the prevailing situation or knowledge base, that’s why I was asking.

6806

Entirely fair. As a semi-informed news junky who has not paid a ton of specific attention to this case in particular, my impression is, “Wow, this shit is seriously fucked up. Untangling what led to this is going to be complicated. Also, untangling what led to this is absolutely critical to moving to a long term functional society, So let’s get to work.”