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Jul. 15th, 2002 03:02 pmLast night Misha and his mother Laura were out picking up dinner, and I was home with Laura's husband Richard. We started a mild sort of conversation as I was setting the table, and in the space of five minutes he was shouting at me, interrupting me, challenging me, making no sense, all at the top of his lungs.
This time his ire was directed at blacks in Florida, for not rioting after the 2000 elections "the way they did with Rodney King." He thought this was inconsistent; I pointed out that he was talking about completely different people in each circumstance, and that black people aren't obligated to all behave the same way. And then he was completely off to the races, championing rioting as a means of social change. "They had their nonviolent marches in the 20s, the 30s, the 40s, nothing changed until they started rioting and destroying things! The Voting Rights Act, that came after the riots. That came after they went out there and fucked shit up. Because people were afraid. I'll tell you what makes for political change: Black Panthers as a military force, armed, with weapons, willing to kill people. And that got them money, that got them power, that got them a black city council, that got them jobs... your political shit isn't going to do anything. It was the riots! I was there! I was there! Where were you?"
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This time his ire was directed at blacks in Florida, for not rioting after the 2000 elections "the way they did with Rodney King." He thought this was inconsistent; I pointed out that he was talking about completely different people in each circumstance, and that black people aren't obligated to all behave the same way. And then he was completely off to the races, championing rioting as a means of social change. "They had their nonviolent marches in the 20s, the 30s, the 40s, nothing changed until they started rioting and destroying things! The Voting Rights Act, that came after the riots. That came after they went out there and fucked shit up. Because people were afraid. I'll tell you what makes for political change: Black Panthers as a military force, armed, with weapons, willing to kill people. And that got them money, that got them power, that got them a black city council, that got them jobs... your political shit isn't going to do anything. It was the riots! I was there! I was there! Where were you?"
( Read more... )
