Those non-violent protests shook them so bad they wanted to charge non-violent Quaker protestors with terrorism.

  • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    What’s that old JFK quote? Those who make peaceful change impossible make violent revolution inevitable?

    The state draws its legitimacy from the social contract. When people no longer feel like the social contract is beneficial to them or to society - ie as one might feel with a healthcare system that is 100+ years out of date and has received one (1) bandaid for normal folk in the past 50 years - the state can no longer expect individuals to uphold their end of the social contract (adherence to laws, norms, and peaceable conduct).

    This doesn’t mean “the overthrow of the government is coming tomorrow”, but rather means that the social contract is beginning to fray, and a failure of those in power to recognize and accede to that fact (by making major concessions) will result in this sort of incident continually intensifying until… well, until the social contract is gone to a large swathe of people, and then at that point, the overthrow of the government will be imminent, for better or worse.

    All interactions between state and citizen are implicitly negotiated. Negotiations require leverage. Violence has always been a form of leverage. But assassinations are far more powerful leverage than riots.

    • granolabar@kbin.melroy.org
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      5 days ago

      Even if you want a peaceful protest, the state security apparatus will turn into a riot when they need to discredit the protester, ie Floyd Protests is recent example.

      Then older people start pearl clutching over “black youth” “looting” a corporate location! The horror!

      Liberals will bring some generic race arguments etc

      Now we got a proper circle jerk and discussion about police brutality is third order of operation.

      its afraid.jpeg because we have not seen such class unity in modern history.

      Good.

    • DiagnosedADHD@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      This last election made me into an anarchist for now. I do not believe there is any way to salvage this system we have in any meaningful way. I’m not a violent person so I can’t see myself doing anything like Luigi, but Democrats aren’t going to save anyone and are just one part of the problem.

      I think Donald could be the death blow to our country as more and more of our social contract is upended, especially with talks of killing the ACA and other popular programs.