The Political Thread

[Robin Low]

One of the things that's really depressing me, is that when the inevitable second wave comes, it will be blamed wholly on the protests, both here and the US. The protests will be part of the reason, but it will be spun as the whole of the reason.

Regards,

Robin

[TordelBack]

Absolutely agree, Robin. You even see it now with the glib distinctions drawn between people en masse pushed past breaking into action with families crowding the beaches.

The narrative of a population that has done this to itself is being aggressively established - not Trump's fault, not Boris's, just those uppity piccaninnies and their liberal cucks at it again.

[Professor Bear]

That mayor being told "get the fuck outta here!" by a speaker at a protest and then having to perp-walk through a crowd that chanted "SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!" was really funny, tho.  The crowd's demand was that the police department be defunded entirely, which you just know will never happen, but... holy dang it's not just some crusty lefties saying "it would be nice" while sitting on a piss-stained mattress in a squat, this is black, white, young, old, working and middle class, left and centrist protestors saying the previously-unthinkable.  No-one is distracted with (perfectly legitimate) questions about how such a thing would even work, because it doesn't matter if it's not working now.

It's got me thinking about what the end of history might really mean when "apocalypse" is just an old Greek word meaning enlightenment, and how maybe the end of the world is just people coming to understand that if they really want it to, the world can change into something unrecognizable but better.

[TordelBack]

No-one is distracted with (perfectly legitimate) questions about how such a thing would even work, because it doesn't matter if it's not working now.

It's got me thinking about what the end of history might really mean when "apocalypse" is just an old Greek word meaning enlightenment, and how maybe the end of the world is just people coming to understand that if they really want it to, the world can change into something unrecognizable but better.

Aggressive nodding ensues.

[Professor Bear]

Bristol just tore down the statue of a slave owner, then dragged it to the fucking sea and threw it in.

[Funt Solo]

There are also many examples of US police joining (to some extent or another) with protests: many taking the symbolic knee in solidarity.

But there's clearly a systemic problem with how the police force are trained to deal with the public in situations of confrontation: much of that to do with US gun laws. As in: don't take stupid risks when your suspect might be armed.

The example of the shoved 75-year old is interesting because the entire riot squad resigned (from that squad, not from their jobs) in support of their two suspended colleagues, have been supported in full by their union leaders and have also had the local DA voice his difficulty in prosecuting them (because, he says, they're his colleagues). They're still saying the old man tripped. As if the brutal shove had nothing to do with his falling over. "To Protect And Serve". Who?

As for the insignia-free military forces deployed in Washington - that's really creepy.

---

Bristol just tore down the statue of a slave owner, then dragged it to the fucking sea and threw it in.

Enjoyed that.

[TordelBack]

And my goodness has it brought the cockroaches out into the open!

You might imagine that as an archaeologist I am outraged by the destruction of historic monuments. You would be wrong. Statues memorialise and glorify their subjects, they reflect how a society views and values their own history.  Angrily fecking the hagiographic representation of a slaver into the Severn estuary seems like a step forward. The local authority should have done it long, long ago but it didn't.

Find me a statue of the Famine Queen on public display in the Republic. We actually transported ours to Australia.  We don't miss them, and we don't forget her either.  Instead we have this:


Which says more about our history and what we think of it?

Monuments change with their people,  it's how we make our world.

[Robin Low]

Quoting myself here from somewhere else:

You're absolutely right these things [statues] should not be celebrated. But I think they should be publicly, openly remembered, and not simply in museums and history books. I think some statues should be about condemnation - imagine statues around the country, David Cameron: Father of Austerity. Maybe people would think twice about their actions if they knew there might be hostile memorials to them one day. Where we have statues and street names of people who have contributed to the worst parts of our history, perhaps add plaques to make that point. People have shockingly short memories, as well as a lack of interest in history, so stick it in their faces

I think there should suitably labelled statues of Trump - warnings to history. Preferably at ground level for passing dogs.

Regards,

Robin

[Professor Bear]

Holy shit.

[JOE SOAP]

Find me a statue of the Famine Queen on public display in the Republic. We actually transported ours to Australia.  We don't miss them, and we don't forget her either.

The hubby's still outside Leinster House hiding in a bush, we should probably fix that.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Holy shit.

You said it.

Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender said Sunday. "Our efforts at incremental reform have failed. Period."

Wow.

[Tiplodocus]

Holy shit.

You said it.

Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender said Sunday. "Our efforts at incremental reform have failed. Period."

Wow.

John Oliver covers similar ground this week. And includes a few chuckles.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Just had a listen to that. Thanks, Tips, truly riveting stuff - the clip of the black protestor at the end will stay with me for a long time.

[The Mind of Wolfie Smith]

I am completely torn. These issues are devastating, I've campaigned on them for most of my life, and pre-pandemic I would also have been vociferously cheering on any tipping of slaver statues into harbours. I fully understood the initial explosions of rage, where it would have been ludicrous to have imposed any demands of logic or rationality onto emotion. But the hundreds of thousands filling European streets subsequently have left me feeling profoundly depressed. I feel that this is the week the left left me. There has clearly been almost no social distancing, end of. Like millions of others, I have been told by the government and doctors to shield for months, given that I have a condition that, I'm told, leaves me at serious risk of demise should I encounter the virus. I have followed the rules to the letter, living in my one-room miserable damp flat and not opening my front door once. Almost everyone at these demonstrations knows that they are personally at miniscule risk from this virus but that the death toll will swell considerably amongst the vulnerable as a result of their actions. The question that no journalist has asked is whether they would be there if they themselves stood a 70-80% chance of dying should they contract covid? Of course they wouldn't be. And so it is therefore impossible to escape the conclusion that our lives really do not matter that much. Even worse, Cummings, Johnson, Trump etc now have their get out of jail free cards when the spike happens and the enquiries start pointing fingers. Barnard Castle, full beaches, VE Day Conga Lines, house parties, all of these have been horrific and wrong - but none of these can be properly criticised by anyone shouting and screaming and hugging their way through a street protest. And indeed, Dom seems to be off the hook even as the deaths continue. Just think how powerful a masked, socially distanced, vast, silent protest would have looked. The shielded, all of whom already had serious non-covid conditions, feel entirely forgotten, without healthcare, spending all our time scouring online medicine providers and just getting through each day, week, month, season. And now this. I wish everyone would just recall that before going after everyone else, the fascists usually go after the ill and the disabled first. Apologies. Rant over. But being apparently ethical and on the side of justice does not grant immunity from coronavirus. And it's too late now.

[Professor Bear]

No-one wanted to be protesting during a pandemic, but here we are.
These protests are against white supremacy, and non-whites die in disproportionately higher numbers from Covid-19, so it might be worth asking why black people are still protesting when they're at higher risk than you are.  I get you're worried about your health and the well-being of your family and community, but you and BLM protestors have that in common.
Most protest footage I've seen has people marching at a distance and wearing masks.  A small number might not be doing that, but again, if you're going to take a small number of a larger group to task for endangering the public, that's also BLM's beef with the cops.