Quiet Riot,
no this isn't about the heavy metal band, but rather about what happens to the underlying
message when people, and I use that term
loosely, decide to riot.
It becomes
quiet and unfortunately lost within all the chaos and destruction caused by the
masses who feel it necessary to act in this fashion.
I considered comparing these
individuals to the beasts who most feel are beneath us, but in all honesty it
would be an insult to our animal brethren to call them such; because they are nowhere
close to being as civilized as the creatures we share this planet with.
It doesn’t matter what the reason is,
there is never a justification to riot and carry on like a bunch of wild miscreants,
and it is completely uncalled for and does more harm than good.
You’re hurting innocent people in the
process, who had absolutely nothing to do with the unfortunate circumstances in
which you felt the need to act out in such a repulsive manner.
One could even say that your actions
are just as deplorable as the person(s) you are retaliating against, and in
some cases even worse.
Liken it to a child throwing a temper
tantrum because they didn’t get what they wanted or their way.
Was the child’s reasons justified,
sadly that no longer matters because the actions of that said child eclipses
the why and leaves the audience in attendance disgusted and appalled by what
they have witnessed.
If you want to do something, help out
the family who you feel were wronged, show them that they are not alone in
their time off need and that there are good people out there who are willing to
lend a hand to help them rebuild their lives for the better.
Trust me; I am certain that most
people who just lost a loved one would rather have a shoulder to lean on for
support over others vandalizing and destroying everything in sight all
supposedly in the name of the deceased.
This type of behavior tarnishes the
memory of those who you claim to be fighting for, leaves the masses angry and
even more hate-filled than before, so all in all it is not the way to go.
To quote the great Martin Luther King,
Jr., “Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater
toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love”, truly words
to live by.
I know some
of you live by the old “eye for an eye” adage, but that leads to nothing
positive, just a bunch of ignorant people too blind to see the repercussions of
their actions and the effects it has on the world around them, including those
they claim to love and care for.
With this
piece, I am by no means saying that something shouldn’t be done when an
injustice occurs, but rioting is by no means the answer and ultimately defeats
the intended purpose.
We as a
society should not permit this kind of behavior; we should not promote and/or
endorse it in any way, because otherwise we are just as guilty as those who are
actually out in the streets running amok.
Silence is
not golden, not speaking up and voicing your disdain over how things are only
allows it to continue as is.
Keeping the
fires of hate burning brighter and hotter than ever, and regardless of our
involvement or not, if something isn’t done soon we will eventually find
ourselves burnt beyond
recognition and our world in ash.
As a deterrent to this kind of behavior, I personally, and I’m sure this might not be received all that well by the masses, think that the “Stand-your-ground law” should be country wide and rewritten to include rioters and looters, because they would think twice if they knew there was a possibility their actions would have consequences.
Finally, to those of you who are sympathetic towards these savages and/or try to justify their behavior, this way of thought is like that of a battered spouse, one who believes they are not good enough for anything better and out of fear of retaliation makes excuses for why their abuser acts as they do.
Finally, to those of you who are sympathetic towards these savages and/or try to justify their behavior, this way of thought is like that of a battered spouse, one who believes they are not good enough for anything better and out of fear of retaliation makes excuses for why their abuser acts as they do.
Use that thing on top of your shoulders for something else other than a hat rack and think before you act, you may just be pleasantly surprised by the results, and I truly believe you will get a whole lot more accomplished in the long run.
It's even worse than that. It creates an atmosphere where no one wants to hear the original message. If the only outcome to a black person killed by a white police officer results in a riot, it's HARD to justify NOT being biased against that black community. The message of injustice gets lost in the explosions of riots.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to sympathize with a community that allows (I know a lot don't, but many are opening their arms to the likes of Al Sharpton) people to come in and stir the pot. A LOT less violence and their true message would be heard.
Exactly, the message gets hidden by all the hate and violence, which is actually very sad and totally unfortunate to say the least.
DeleteWow- how judgmental without a single background fact. Bet you never heard of Baltimore before the "riot" did you? So, to put this in some BLACKSPECTIVE, police routinely disrespect, abuse and brutalize the black citizens of Baltimore. Any and all, they have no respect for women, children grandmothers or handicapped people as long as they look like me.
ReplyDeleteWhile I too deplore the violence, I understand what happens when murder, after murder after murder occurs at the hands of the police and NOTHING is done. Not a damn thing. Not even having those murders listed as homicide has made any difference. $5 million in settlement is a lot of guilt. That is what these children see daily.
Yesterday, the police set up this confrontation and they were Shocked at the violence. These children had no way to get home. Mondawmin is a bus/subway hub and it was closed. Think about what you would have done at 14,15 or 16, confronted by police in riot gear who do not allow you to get home. Of course that involves empathy but all you have got is judgment. You have white privilege. That is fact. So you would never understand unless you made a conscious effort to understand. Glad to know that is too much to ask.
How would you feel if you could not sit outside on your porch or steps - EVER, because the police said so?
How would you feel if you saw a police officer disrespect your mother after she asked them why there were in her yard?
The ability to understand another person's pain and walk through life is a Christian Virtue called empathy. So sad that does not apply to most Christians. Sorry I wasted so much space. Pretty sure my facts, like my life, don't matter.
Actually yes I have heard of Baltimore before this my friend, I wasn't living under a rock.
DeleteI'm completely aware that I don't know what it's like to be black in America, but with that said, there is no justification for rioting...no matter what. I don't claim to have all the answers, and I myself don't like the way many people (not just blacks) are treated in this world of ours, but I do know that rioting is not what the solution is.
I'm sure there are many cases where people are treated unfairly by the police, and that is not acceptable either, and something definitely has to be done about it, but destroying the lives of innocent people who had nothing to do with anything is not the answer.
We need to stop thinking black and white, and start thinking unity amongst the people regardless of color, because that's the only way things are going to change for the better.
For the record, all police are not bad and/or racist people, no matter where they work, that's just as ignorant as saying all blacks are criminals...just saying.
Thank you for taking the time to read what I had to write and for sharing your insight, I really do appreciate it.
Interesting article and responses. It might behoove you both to read each others comments with an open heart and without calling names.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther Jr. had a dream. These riots were not it. A lot more positive results would have come from this if people had just showed up and prayed. That is what I expect from people. We are supposed to be civilized, and this was an opportunity for the African-American community to show that.
Michelle, I hear your frustration, and I acknowledge your point of view. There is a lot that needs to change in this country, and it has to start with the fact that we are all people. White, black, brown, yellow, etc. all of the colors of who we are as a single race. That is who we are a single race.
That also means leaving behind cultures that do not propel us forward as a race. We should not longer be white Americans or African Americans or Hispanic Americans, etc. We should just be Americans.
I know that is easier to say than it is to achieve, but look at the progress made against bullying. That is an issue of violence that is changing.
Rioting and throwing rocks is not the answer that any community needs. It does not propel us forward as a nation. One of the problems that we face as a people is deceit in which we hide our fears.
Those include the fear of change. We all have room to change. Those include the fear of being different. We are all different. Stand two white people next to each other and they are different. Those include the fear of culture. We all have different cultures. They need to mix so that the walls of fear and hate can come down just like the wall that was built from stones around Berlin. That process has to start with people like you and me, but not as people but rather as a single entity... us... we... this is our country... this is our land... this is our future... this is our people... our brothers... our mothers.... our..... it cannot be my or yours... it must be ours...
You are absolutely right my friend, sometimes our anger, our biases and/or our own feelings of self importance can cloud our vision and keep us from seeing each other's point of view.
DeleteYou are also correct that the only way we will be able to conquer these obstacles in our lives is by working together, by forgetting what makes us different and remembering what makes us the same.
We are all human beings, and that's way more important than what color our skin is.
Great post and well said. This country needs healing and understanding. Enough is enough with the violence and racism. There has to be a better way than what we have seen lately. No one wins in situations such as this.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that my friend, very well said.
Deleterioting is such a sad situation. It shows that people are angry and if people are angry, they must be hurt. It usually happens after a great injustice and it is a reaction to violence itself. Right now, I'm dealing with a mentally ill family member and I wish I could just look at all the things he's done and say that he's a horrible person and the dirt of humanity but I can't. Judgement is a hard thing. I used to always get mad at people who preach not to judge, but then turn around and judge another. Then I realized I was being judgmental against judgmental people. As humans, we all have faults. We are all capable of violence in some form or another and we all react and get pulled into the cycle. Is pointing the finger and putting someone down an act of peace or is it a way of igniting more fuel? I don't know the answer.
ReplyDeleteWhat people like Ghandi and MLK did took the highest level of spiritual grace. How MLK was able to convince people who have been wronged, beaten and even watched their family members get killed, to not react in violence is amazing. He found a way to convince them that his way would work. They were able to turn off their gut reactions because they had faith in his vision. If MLK were here today, what would he do? What should we do when we see cops abusing their authority and killing or hurting innocent people while getting away with it? MLK wouldn't have turned the other cheek. He would have found a way to fight against it without reacting in violence, without making him or his followers look bad. I've read his essays and studied him. Its not as easy as just saying, "peace out." The guy fought hard for his cause, non-violently albeit but he fought hard and got killed. He paid the price.
You can put down rioters and cops all you want but the real question has not been answered. What works? What needs to be done to end the long cycle of injustice?
My friend I completely agree with you, something drastically needs to be done and the answer isn't as black and white as most people would lead you to believe, it is very difficult and rather confusing to say the least.
DeleteNow with that said, I may not know what the solution is, but I do know what it isn't, and that's violence, on one side or the other.
We must find a peaceful way to solve the issues at hand, look past color and/or any other thing(s) that may be used to keep us separated and come together as one, for the greater good of our race.
Very well said my friend, wise words for sure.
I think riots cause a lot of problems, it concerns some damage of property and even people's attitude toward this! we should prevent it at least in commenting!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much my friend. Nice sales pitch there.
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