Current Events > Do you think rioting is a positive way to resolve large-scale social problems?

(+) Yeah! (+)

It happens quite a lot in America, a fair bit in France, and sometimes in other countries. How do you feel about it?

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Literally no one, including the people rioting, thinks it's a "positive" solution.

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Maybe we can find an answer by looking at past riots and seeing the problems they solved.

But Im too lazy to do the research though. So Im going to say yes, it is a positive way.

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An_Actual_Chad posted...

Literally no one, including the people rioting, thinks it's a "positive" solution.

Bullshit. You see absolute morons on here defending it and people all over facebook and reddit calling it the right answer.

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SH_expert44 posted...

Bullshit. You see absolute morons on here defending it and people all over facebook and reddit calling it the right answer.

Viable solution =/= positive solution

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No, of course not. The people that do, are incredibly stupid. There are more diplomatic ways than this to handle,, nearly.. any situation. But Americans want their issues handled asap. And that was kind of the birth of fhe country in the way

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It works in France tbh.

When you have a criminal who can get away with anything in office, it's really no surprise that the people don't believe in "diplomatic ways" to handle social inequalities that they have lived with all their lives.

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Maybe not positive, but if peaceful protests didn't change anything people are going to start getting violent.
It's sad as hell, but it seems like the only way to get anyone to listen to you is by becoming violent.

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An_Actual_Chad posted...

Viable solution =/= positive solution

Can you define positive solution then?
Because a viable solution that leads to real change seems pretty darn positive to me.

We need some definitions up in here before we can start any kind of debate.

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SH_expert44 posted...

Bullshit. You see absolute morons on here defending it and people all over facebook and reddit calling it the right answer.

Right answer =/= a positive way

If someone attacks you in the street and starts punching you in the face, mounts you, says "You're going to die tonight" and keeps punching while blood pours into your eyes and mouth so you can't see or breathe, shooting him is the right answer.

Doesn't mean shooting people in the street is a positive thing

This riots didn't happen overnight. They happened over decade while hundreds of peaceful avenues of protest and attempted change where ignored or shot down, sometimes literally.
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Nope. The rationale seems to be:

Step 1: Get angry
Step 2: Break stuff
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Convince people

It is incredibly short-sighted and is an absurdly destructive outlet for anger at best and an excuse to use a tragedy to get free stuff at worst.

The worst part is that, after this is over, people will use specious reasoning to try to justify why it worked.

on the one hand, running around and destroying shit everywhere doesn't sound like a productive way to do anything.
but on the other hand, just sitting around and talking about the problem doesn't really get that much attention.

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Kami_no_Kami posted...

Nope. The rationale seems to be:

Step 1: Get angry
Step 2: Protest
Step 3: Be ignored
Step 4: Try to bring attention to causes
Step 5: Be ignored
Step 6: Try to change leglistation
Step 7: Be ignored
Step 8: Be murdered or abused the guys doing it get off.
Step 9: Be ignored
Step 10: Try to bring attention to causes
Step 11: Be ignored
Step 12: Try to change leglistation
Step 13: Be ignored
Step 14: Be murdered or abused the guys doing it get off.
Step 15: Repeat Steps 1-14 for decades
Step 16: Break stuff
Step 17: ???
Step 18: Convince people

It is incredibly short-sighted and is an absurdly destructive outlet for anger at best and an excuse to use a tragedy to get free stuff at worst.

The worst part is that, after this is over, people will use specious reasoning to try to justify why it worked.

Fixed that for you.
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UnfairRepresent posted...

If someone attacks you in the street and starts punching you in the face, mounts you, says "You're going to die tonight" and keeps punching while blood pours into your eyes and mouth so you can't see or breathe, shooting him is the right answer.

That sounds like something out of an 80s action movie haha

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Nah, rioting isn't going to remove the people in power, and it isn't going to convince them to do anything.
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UnfairRepresent posted...

Fixed that for you.

This is true, too.

A lot of why some people are rioting now is because theyve become frustrated by the fact that non-violent means have repeatedly failed. That doesnt make rioting more effective but it does make the motive behind it understandable. I was just focusing on the rioting itself.

They're setting fire to apartment buildings with people in them now. Wonder how many corpses are gonna get pulled out of the wrecks at the end of this.

There's no "positive" solution to a problem that's rotten to it's core. Rioting certainly is effective, although the price is high.

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GIVE US WHAT WE WANT OR WELL DESTROY STUFF TILL WE GET WHAT WE WANT!!1!

Its a childs mentality. Itll get a response fit for a child.

Godnorgosh posted...

A reminder that Rodney King was nearly thirty years ago. Nearly thirty years later, not much has changed. So if you've found out a way to respond to systemic police brutality diplomatically, in a way which is effective and actually prevents police from wanting to beat and kill black people, please, let us all know what it is.

A reminder that the Rodney King incident also resulted in riots, and as you said, not much has changed. So why expect it to work this time?
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Name one thing in history that has changed by being peaceful?

Being forceful gets shit done

cmiller4642 posted...

Name one thing in history that has changed by being peaceful?

Being forceful gets shit done

Such archaic logic.

Thinking like this is why we cant progress.

cmiller4642 posted...

Name one thing in history that has changed by being peaceful?

Being forceful gets shit done

So you'd rather police stray from deescalation tactics since they're a waste of time and immediately resort to force when dealing with suspects?
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cmiller4642 posted...

Name one thing in history that has changed by being peaceful?

Being forceful gets shit done

Ask Martin Luther King what peaceful protest did for the black community. The Montgomery Bus Boycott springs to mind first.

The problem is there is no real leadership in these communities that can galvanize people to their cause. So what we get is chaos and nothing more.
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gamer167 posted...

Thinking like this is why we cant progress.

I'm pretty sure it's the people ignoring the peaceful protests who are blocking progress here. Don't give people representation they're going to turn to violence, it's inevitable.


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gamer167 posted...

GIVE US WHAT WE WANT OR WELL DESTROY STUFF TILL WE GET WHAT WE WANT!!1!

Its a childs mentality. Itll get a response fit for a child.

Little did he know that mentality was literally the founding of the United States of America.

But those dudes were mostly white so you're probably okay with it.
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None of the positive ways to resolve these social problems that have been attempted before now have worked. Their hands have been forced.

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Godnorgosh posted...

One major event in one city can be written off as a one-off. If this continues, and every time a cop is caught killing a black person on camera the gamble is millions in property damage, do you think that might result in a reassessment from the top of how police act in these situations? I'm not sure that it will, but I don't see how "diplomatic" means are going to do more than that. I could be swayed by anyone against the riots who has a serious strategy for diplomacy.

Rodney King wasn't one event in one city. There were riots across the country, 50+ deaths, and a billion dollars in property damage done. No, this won't suddenly cause mayors or police chiefs across the country to reevaluate the roles of their police force. It may reaffirm their beliefs that they need a strong police force to quell riots.
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Rika_Furude posted...

None of the positive ways to resolve these social problems that have been attempted before now have worked. Their hands have been forced.

As a spectator watching this from the safety of another continent, the funniest part of all this is how many of you think this will change things for the better rather than the complete opposite.

Have fun living in burnt down cities with no businesses.

Godnorgosh posted...

What is your preferable alternative?

Everything I've read on the LA riots suggests they were concentrated mostly in Los Angeles, Hollywood, and neighboring cities.

Vote assholes out of office. Elect people who won't fuck you over. We haven't done that yet.
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lilORANG posted...

Vote assholes out of office. Elect people who won't fuck you over. We haven't done that yet.

Who is this "we?" Because a large percentage of this country doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with cops brutalizing and executing people.

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Godnorgosh posted...

And if assholes aren't voted out of office, what are people supposed to do? Wait four years and hope Republicans won't continue voting assholes into office? I wouldn't bet on it.

Local elections are more frequent and where youre going to see the changes in policing we're looking for. And at the local level it's easier to get strong grassroots movements. And historically peaceful protest is a great way to raise awareness and build these grassroots. Rioting, not so much. As in my original point, not much has changed since Rodney King because we're doing the same things we did after Rodney King. Definition of insanity and all that. Your default position can't simply be "change isn't happening, let's burn shit" when we know burning shit doesn't work either. It's misplacing energy that could be used to foster change into a big fiery show that nobody will be talking about in 2 weeks from now.
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It's extra stupid because the cop is already arrested. There isn't even a demand now. People just destroying shit and spreading corona.

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lilORANG posted...

And historically peaceful protest is a great way to raise awareness and build these grassroots. Rioting, not so much.

It does help raise awareness, though. I am seeing shitloads of people pointing out things they only noticed thanks to these riots. Things like the fact that the blue states are currently on fire whereas the red states are not.

Of course not, but idiots always try to justify it.

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It's the only way, these people who think you can just hold hands and say kumbaya are living in a Disney movie and need to wake the fuck up, it's embarrassing listening to them

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Rimmer_Dall posted...

It does help raise awareness, though. I am seeing shitloads of people pointing out things they only noticed thanks to these riots. Things like the fact that the blue states are currently on fire whereas the red states are not.

It raises awareness, sure. But does it raise support? I genuinely don't know. Raising awareness isn't great if it turns more people against you than it brings in.
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The cops were all fired and they were all reprimanded by city officials. The prosecution was working the case so there was no way Chauvin was going to get away with this. All indication leads us to believe the cop would be held accountable. This is probably the least justified riot in recent times.

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lilORANG posted...

It raises awareness, sure. But does it raise support? I genuinely don't know. Raising awareness isn't great if it turns more people against you than it brings in.

I was very much implying that it's counterproductive to your goals.

Rimmer_Dall posted...

It does help raise awareness, though. I am seeing shitloads of people pointing out things they only noticed thanks to these riots. Things like the fact that the blue states are currently on fire whereas the red states are not.

Bullshit. Both cities that I've called my home Houston and Atlanta are on fire.

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Squall28 posted...

Bullshit. Both cities that I've called my home Houston and Atlanta are on fire.

Hope you're staying safe.

Squall28 posted...

Bullshit. Both cities that I've called my home Houston and Atlanta are on fire.

If "shitloads" of people are saying it, it must be true. Anecdotes are always representative of the population.
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Fuck it, if nothing works - people are forgetting that the black community HAD BEEN already peacefully protesting this for years but America at large kept shitting on them for it

it baffles me they didnt see this coming considering COLIN KAPERNICK took a knee to bring attention to this and Americans turned it into oUR Soldiers! When they dont give a shit about vets

No

And anyone that says otherwise is a moron or straight up lying.

Personal answer have to be no.

Saying a riot is a positive way just.... doesn't make sense.

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