Sometimes, the silence that comes with a lack of popularity can be a blessing, especially when people you’ve known or followed on social media for years show their true colors and turn out to be people with whom you disagree.
Right now, the United States is teetering on the brink. This isn’t hyperbole here…this is real. Since the death of George Floyd, riots have broken out in many major cities, entire communities have been razed, people have lost their lives, and Trump is sounding the war drums. Military personnel are deploying to these cities, prepared to restore order by any means necessary.
And people are calling for it. Moderate people who don’t spend every waking moment on Twitter or Facebook just want to settle back down in their lives, especially after the pandemic (which is still happening), and they’re willing to do anything to regain that balance in their lives.
Crises like this drive wedges in relationships. Trump’s very victory in 2016 was divisive enough, but with these riots, I’m seeing sides of people I never thought possible. Calls for more violence…justifications for looting…long-time friendships and business associations severed owing to political views. The vitriol I’ve seen on social media by some of these people is heartbreaking.
I understand the rage and the feeling of powerlessness we all feel. I feel it to, but rather than vent my spleen on social media, I’m staying silent. Why, you may ask. Simple: LiveLife8072.
Joe was a YouTuber up until about 3 years ago. He’s gone silent since, and I think it’s because he just got tired of the bullshit that is educating a mass of people who don’t want to learn. Some of his most memorable works for me was finding the full cut of a video, an out-of-context fraction of which was used to enrage a group of people. However, when you see the full length video, you soon see that the actions taken in the clip were actually justified. Once you had the clearer picture, the narrative flips and those who rage out end up looking like idiots.
With Floyd, footage from a surveillance camera is already shedding more light on the events leading up to what happened. To be clear: What happened to him was tragic. I do believe he was murdered and there was malice involved. No cop worth their salt would intentionally do something like this unless there was a motive. Premeditation might be hard to prove, but the lack of compassion on this shitpump’s part is enough that he should receive the maximum sentence possible, lose his job and any chance at a normal life ever again. People like that don’t deserve a place in society.
During these riots, again we’re seeing video clips of events that can only be described as horrific. Cities are tearing themselves apart and the rage is so blinding, Floyd’s death can only now be seen as a spark that set off the powder keg of years and years of pent up frustration. The racism is there. Is it systemic? That I can’t say for sure. I mean, anti-discrimination laws have been in place for years, but let’s face it: if there’s one thing people know how to do, it’s how to push laws to their limits to achieve their goals. All a business has to do is make up an excuse, and the black man doesn’t get the job, or claim ‘high risk neighborhood’ and no shops open in black neighborhoods. Maybe systemic is the right term, and it’s based on centuries of prejudice that is still being passed down from parents to children. It’s sickening.
So why don’t I throw my hat into the ring? Why don’t I scream BLM at the top of my lungs and type out screed after screed of scathing hot takes on social media? Simple: I’m a cis white male…today’s social anti-christ. I was labeled such by people like BLM and other left-leaning organizations. No matter what I do or what I claim to be, it’ll either be seen as a virtue signal, a cuck move, or just some cracker trying to fit in with the cool crowd. Why would anyone lower themselves to that level just to appease an angry mob?
I have a couple of black friends, and I would help them without question. Same with my LGBT friends, or my female friends, or my male friends. Seeing a pattern? The flock takes care of its own. If one of my friends lost their house because of all this bullshit, I’d take them in no questions asked. If they needed help financially…well…I’d do what I could, but being unemployed currently doesn’t leave me with a lot to contribute. Still, I would help my friends as best I could. Donate to some nebulous charity that some rando set up on GoFundMe? Nope.
No one will ever read this; I don’t advertise much. That being said, I do feel for the people caught up in this maelstrom, especially those who had it just dumped on them by circumstances well beyond their control. Yet now there’s nothing we can do or say that will appease these people. The tantrums will continue until the rioters run out of steam, motivation, or life. I say life because if the military is involved, shit’s gonna get real and fast. Same with rioters heading into the suburbs. You want to see blood? It’s going to happen. Defending a business is one thing. Defending one’s home…that’s when the bullets will start flying.
Tim Pool referred to many of these ‘protesters’ as thinking they’re in a video game, and they’re living an adventure. The trouble is, this ‘game’ is on hardcore mode. No respawns, no magical med kits that instantly heal you. And now you’re going to be facing an army…men and women who are trained to shoot to kill. Regardless of the constitution, or the USCMJ, there will be blood, and most of it will belong to the protesters.
What will we learn from all this? Nothing. From 1992 to now, we’ve seen racial flare-ups across the US like this. Cities burn, people die, and the government does nothing. They rattle their sabers and wait for things to calm down…then carry on as if nothing happened. It will happen here too. Even if Trump loses in November, the incoming regime will want nothing more than to gloss this over with all due haste. They’ll call it the great exhale, as the ‘proper’ people are once again in power, and we can all cheer as businesses outsource their labor once again. But hey…racial oppression is OK if the dems are in control, right?
Whether you scream or be silent, you will change nothing. The most that will happen is you will be admired or abhorred by people you don’t know and will never meet in your lifetime. When the dust settles and everyone goes back home, things will continue as they always have until the next flare-up happens.
And for that reason, I will remain silent. I will help my friends if they need it, but no further. BLM and ANTIFA think I’m the enemy no matter what I do, so why contribute if at the end of the day nothing changes? No…better to let them all just fight it out. Let them scream and rage and vent their frustration at years of being oppressed and treated like garbage by the elites. Before long, they’ll tire and the elites will be right where they’ve always been.
The wheels will continue to turn. The cycle will continue. We will see this again.