this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2025
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United States | News & Politics
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Can you not recognize patterns?
The on-paper sales pitch you're giving sounds great, but we've tried it. It hasn't worked. When nonviolent protest isn't effective, violent protest becomes inevitable. Even MLK Jr acknowledged that - literally in the middle of lengthy statement encouraging nonviolence.
The system we live in loves to ignore peaceful protests. We love looking at a crowd of people holding angry signs and saying "that'll show em!" ...and nothing changes, so we do it again. "Mission accomplished!" ...and nothing changes, so we do it again. We get headlines like "Protesters have Republicans trembling in fear! or 'fuming'! or 'slammed!' ...and nothing changes, so we do it again. And we go back home learning about boycotts, sabotage, and feeling connected and inspired by others who feel just like they do. ...and nothing changes, so ~~we do it again~~ some dude shoots a CEO dead for denying critical healthcare to millions of people: and claims approval rates skyrocket, controversial policies get rescinded, and the unethical nature of insurers takes the global spotlight for months.
Don't get me wrong - I'd fucking love if we could just yell and angry-carboard all our problems away, but that is pure fantasy. It may well be a therapeutic outlet for the people protesting, but it's not going to change shit. One dude with 3 bullets got more done for humanity than peaceful protests have in the almost 4 decades I've been stuck on this fucking planet.
So, if screaming into the void makes you feel better, by all means do it. I'll even tap my horn and give you a thumbs-up as I'm driving passed you. But again, a hefty chunk of what would be my pay check goes to institutions and individuals whose function revolves around keeping our country intact and destroying our country's enemies. Those institutions and individuals are asleep at the wheel right now while cartoonishly evil motherfuckers rip our country apart from the top, so I'll say again to those people: do your fucking job!