[OFF TOPIC] Politics Thread

[Olympian1010 7,791]

7 hours ago, heywoodu said:

Always the question whether or not these things are true, but given the situation, it wouldn't be surprising.

 

The result of someone trying to defend his shop. It is rather graphic.

 

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This is true from I’ve seen/heard. I heard that he wasn’t killed, but that he was comatose. I haven’t seen any updates on this since last night.

[Olympian1010 7,791]

Some other incidents that occurred yesterday were two separate Trump supporter attacks on protestors. Two guys, with Trumps flags all over their Jeep, ran over some peaceful protestors (though it seems like everyone was okay). Another guy got out of his truck with bow and shot an arrow right into a crowd of peaceful protestors. Of course the protest then turned a lot less peaceful when protesters had to attack him in order to save themselves.

[Olympian1010 7,791]

Oh god, Trump’s opened his mouth again, and it probably won’t help again.

 

[Monzanator 4,196]

19 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

I think that’s a pretty dangerous assumption. I thought the same thing originally, but the energy and anger people have right now amazing. This won’t be a footnote in our history. I have feel Americans will be talking about this for a while.

The Rodney King riots had a much bigger impact back in the day but that has come & gone. It's just like with all these mass shootings in USA. Once they happen too often, people just shrug their shoulders and accept them as part of the new reality. Minnesota Governor has called the National Guard on standby? The writing is on the wall now. We live in a short-attention span era anyway. These riots have had extra fuel due to people being fed up sitting locked down for weeks. Like the MN Governor said, these riots are no longer about Floyd's death and that's the end of it. Even the yellow vests in France have burned out and so will this thing in Minnesota.

[Olympian1010 7,791]

 

[Olympian1010 7,791]

First time in my life that I’ve ever been under a curfew. The entire county is under mandatory curfew from 6PM-6AM . It doesn’t even get dark around here until 8:15PM. I haven’t been following the protests as much today, but clearly they’ve turned violent. It will be interesting to see how cities react to these mandatory (and enforced) curfews.

[Olympian1010 7,791]

And then people are mad that protests turn violent after shit like this happens...

 

[Olympian1010 7,791]

Surreal images.

 

[Olympian1010 7,791]

These protests prove that Americans are unable of change. We always move straight to violence in response to major issues. Militarization didn’t work in Iraq, Somalia, etc., and becoming more and certain it won’t work here either. It may solve problems in the short term, but the hate and anger will build up long term. However, that said, one of the best qualities of Americans is our ability to hide from major social issues, so this par for the course.

[Olympian1010 7,791]

I feel like there’s some misunderstanding between me and lot of users on this issue. I would just like to say that I think there’s a big difference between U.S. and European (at least Western) police cultures. Police are systematically ruthless, quick to trigger, and feel like they’re above the law in this country. It’s not just one or two bad cops, it’s the bad system of policing that we’ve let run rampant for years. I’ve seen some many horrific actions from police officers across my country in the last decade. It isn’t limited to one department, one city, or one state. It isn’t a “blue v. red” issue. It’s all bad. I’ve watched documentaries about how police behave in Europe. Your police are less armed, receive more sensitivity training, have better conflict resolution techniques, and generally much kinder people than American police. I don’t think it’s impossible for change in my country. I’m obviously discouraged by a lot of other issues that have been left to fester for years as well. I know the violence and vitriol of these protests is shocking (and it’s a same organized crime is using them for their advantage), but you have to understand that these feelings have been growing in cities for decades. There’s a possibility it only gets worse moving forward. The only period of our history where the country has been as partisan as it is now, was leading up to/and during the Civil War. For as much as I hate my country right now, I think it is possible to one reach a place where we live up to what it truly means to be American. I know this is a long post, and I apologize for really taking over this thread the last few days, but I just need a safe outlet to air my frustrations right now. It’s a dark time in my nation. It’s sad, but it’s necessary. I hope that come 2028, when we invite the world to our beautiful state and country, it is a place that I can be proud to call home. Unfortunately, it can’t say that now.