Recent Political Violence in America

[Darth Wedgius]

So there was a big protest and someone got violent. The group has had a history of saying hateful things and has maybe-perhaps-sort-of-but-not-quite called for violence, but has said that this person did not represent them.

BLM and the shootings in Dallas? White nationalists in Charlottesville?

Antifa seem to have many fans of (non-lethal, as far as I know) violence towards those they consider to have unacceptable beliefs. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to find that neo-Nazis have their own fans of violence, perhaps. It's hard to have a really proper genocide without it. You miss the whole spirit of the thing, really.

At least one frequent poster in these forums has, if I understood him correctly, said that the public expression of certain forms of bigotry justifies a violent response (perhaps only when expressed by those in positions of power).

Also troubling, I think I see a fair number of people using a "look what they pushed him into doing" response -- for different people with widely different leanings.

If this a blip, or a trend? Has the tendency of refusing those with other views a platform to speak contributed toward it? Note, please -- I am not excusing nor condoning any of the violence in question. Or could the suppression of some viewpoints has actually helped things from getting worse? (NOTE: not condoning that either)? Has the rise of social media let us form our own echo chambers, leading us to communicate far more often with those we agree with than those we don't?

(NOTE: Actually, unless I'm actually saying I'm condoning something, you probably shouldn't assume I'm condoning it. I'm asking rather than saying, except to say that I'm not saying what I'm not saying. And that's all I have to say about that.)

Other nations have had periods where common political violence was far more frequent, and the U.S. has had periods with broader internal political violence as well. There's no reason I can think of to believe that we are immune from its return.

[GandALF]

Well the President's inability to even say "Nazis r bad" after one of them commits murder using terrorist tactics is not helping things. It's not even helping himself, considering a lot these fellows who seem to think 4chan is serious are fans of Assad. That's some Kremlin fingerprints right there.

[Darth Wedgius]

Well the President's inability to even say "Nazis r bad"

Did they ever have these kinds of problems on Middle Melmac?

[GandALF]

Well the President's inability to even say "Nazis r bad"

Did they ever have these kinds of problems on Middle Melmac?

Nah, the steward of Meldor was always quick to denounce neo-Pharazons and beige supremacists

[Antiboyscout]

I think we are finally finding an answer to the question:
How many times do you have to call someone a racist before they just shrug their shoulders and say "well, I guess I'm racist. Now what?"

[Wild_Kraken]

I think we are finally finding an answer to the question:
How many times do you have to call someone a racist before they just shrug their shoulders and say "well, I guess I'm racist. Now what?"

The idea that calling someone a racist makes someone a racist is deeply flawed reasoning. Calling someone stupid, for example, does not degrade their intelligence. Saying that someone is religion X enough times will not convert them to religion X. Perhaps instead of blaming other people for one's racism, the people being called racist would be better served by asking, "why are they calling me racist?"

[Antiboyscout]

I was somewhat jokingly suggesting this is a social confirmation effect or a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As to the question "why are they calling me racist?" what if they tell you the reason is that all white people are inherently racist?

[Arkle]

I think we are finally finding an answer to the question:
How many times do you have to call someone a racist before they just shrug their shoulders and say "well, I guess I'm racist. Now what?"

The idea that calling someone a racist makes someone a racist is deeply flawed reasoning. Calling someone stupid, for example, does not degrade their intelligence. Saying that someone is religion X enough times will not convert them to religion X. Perhaps instead of blaming other people for one's racism, the people being called racist would be better served by asking, "why are they calling me racist?"

Exactly. If you weren't a Nazi, you wouldn't entertain their ideas, no matter how often someone called you that. If you are entertaining their ideas, then you are in fact a Nazi. And if people around you notice it, they will call you a Nazi. Wanna know how to avoid being called a Nazi? Don't be a Nazi. Don't use their dog whistle phrases. Don't wear their iconography. Don't use their slogans. Contrary to what the Nazis on 4chan and r/pol tell you, people on the Left just randomly calling people Nazis for no good reason is not a very common occurence.

By contrast, Right Wing cocksores have called ME a Nazi for supporting gender equity, for supporting universal health care, and, I swear this is a thing that happened... FOR SUPPORTING THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM!

[Robovski]

You do take a lot of the sting out of calling someone a racist, fascist, or bigot when nearly anyone gets called one. You can't shame them with it anymore, the currency those words had has been spent, frittered away. Now was have a bunch of tiki torch wielding white mouthbreathers who don't care if you call them racists. That's just brilliant. And then hey, nothing gets people to back down like violence right? No. They firm up in the face of violent opposition. The right answer was mockery. But no, we've had years of political violence to get used to how to do this the wrong way, why stop now? Why not just keep making it worse and worse?

What a world to live in.

[Karha of Honor]

I think we are finally finding an answer to the question:
How many times do you have to call someone a racist before they just shrug their shoulders and say "well, I guess I'm racist. Now what?"

The idea that calling someone a racist makes someone a racist is deeply flawed reasoning. Calling someone stupid, for example, does not degrade their intelligence. Saying that someone is religion X enough times will not convert them to religion X. Perhaps instead of blaming other people for one's racism, the people being called racist would be better served by asking, "why are they calling me racist?"

And the people yelling racist never should ask. Am i right? Does my definition make sense? Am i to influenced by groupthink? etc...

You want a no compromise one way street in an open society?