Russ Douthat on Critical Race Theory

[RZehr]

I suspect that vandalism, intimidation, and arson are violent when they are done by right wing extremists or people wearing pointy white hats and sheets. Especially since we know that for them, even silence is violence. The disconnect and double standards are what is mind blowing.

[Ken]

I really can’t believe you’re standing here telling me that violent crime is OK. Smashing windows, throwing Molotov cocktails, and lighting buildings on fire is violence. Period. It is exactly the same kind of thing as “police brutality”.

It is a good thing you can't believe it because I never said it.

What I did say was that while property damage and murder are both crimes, they are not equivalent. Apparently in your world breaking a window and murdering a child are equivalent because they both meet your definition of "violence?"

Do YOU believe that breaking a window and murder are legally, morally, and biblically identical acts? If not, then you agree with Nikole Hannah-Jones.

Of course those who are breaking windows and lighting buildings on fire should be arrested and prosecuted. No one says otherwise. And those who show up to commit murder, like Kyle Rittenhouse and Michael Reinoehl, should be arrested and prosecuted for murder. As should police who commit murder like Derek Chauvin. We have the ability to make these sorts of distinctions.

[Ken]

I suspect that vandalism, intimidation, and arson are violent when they are done by right wing extremists or people wearing pointy white hats and sheets. Especially since we know that for them, even silence is violence. The disconnect and double standards are what is mind blowing.

As far as I know, the law makes no distinction with respect to ideology. Do you have evidence that state or Federal authorities anywhere are operating under such a double standard? I suspect not.

[RZehr]

I suspect that vandalism, intimidation, and arson are violent when they are done by right wing extremists or people wearing pointy white hats and sheets. Especially since we know that for them, even silence is violence. The disconnect and double standards are what is mind blowing.

As far as I know, the law makes no distinction with respect to ideology. Do you have evidence that state or Federal authorities anywhere are operating under such a double standard? I suspect not.

I hope not. I'm saying that double standard is in the leftist wing brain trust. I don't think the government is doing this. I mean, I suppose the liberal politicians do. But so does the conservative politicians. But I didn't have government in mind there, just academia/media.

[Josh]

Ken,

You don’t think burning down buildings is violent?

What about starting fires and then attacking firemen who respond?

That’s the kind of insane breakdown of law and order we have.

[Ken]

Ken,

You don’t think burning down buildings is violent?

What about starting fires and then attacking firemen who respond?

That’s the kind of insane breakdown of law and order we have.

I think the vast majority of protests on the left and right are perfectly peaceful and nothing more than citizens exercising their First Amendment rights to free assembly.

I think there is a small minority of sociopathic thugs and criminals on both the left and right who delight in committing violence and other wanton acts of destruction and who are drawn to protests like moth to a flame. Most of them are actually just sociopathic criminals who aren't particularly political. They just like breaking things.

I don't think we are experiencing any sort of "insane breakdown of law and order" In the past year I have been to Seattle, Portland, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Lots of homeless riff raff but no breakdown of law and order. New York was actually the cleanest and most orderly city of the bunch which I found surprising. Los Angeles was probably the messiest. But I only saw a tiny fraction of each city. Most of the current epidemic of gun violence is actually gangsters shooting each other. Which is an enormous problem, but not something that affects most people's lives.

[Josh]

I’ve also been to San Francisco over the last year and a half. There is a distinct breakdown of law and order there - to the degree that Walgreens has closed over a dozen locations, and Target closes by 6pm, because shoplifting is so bad.

This is a breakdown of law and order, alongside a year with record-high homicides. Philadelphia is set to crack new records this year.

D.A. Chesa Boudin recently gave an interview explaining that he doesn’t want to arrest or charge drug dealers anymore, because so many of them owe debts to coyotes back in Honduras or Guatamela etc., and if they are arrested / imprisoned, their families back there will be punished / killed. So, apparently we are supposed to just have unlimited open drug dealers operating on the streets.

[Bootstrap]

I suspect that vandalism, intimidation, and arson are violent when they are done by right wing extremists or people wearing pointy white hats and sheets. Especially since we know that for them, even silence is violence. The disconnect and double standards are what is mind blowing.

On both sides, I think.

In this thread, can we just say that violence is bad, arson is bad, and get back to discussing CRT directly from sources, quoting the things we agree and disagree with?

[Josh]

I suspect that vandalism, intimidation, and arson are violent when they are done by right wing extremists or people wearing pointy white hats and sheets. Especially since we know that for them, even silence is violence. The disconnect and double standards are what is mind blowing.

On both sides, I think.

In this thread, can we just say that violence is bad, arson is bad, and get back to discussing CRT directly from sources, quoting the things we agree and disagree with?

Your sources you quoted won’t say violence is bad. Instead, one of them said violence is good and necessary. This is one of my complaints with CRT: it calls for violence, but claims such violence is “peaceful”.

I don’t like an ideology that calls for burning down buildings and calling such actions “peaceful protests”.

[nett]

I suspect that vandalism, intimidation, and arson are violent when they are done by right wing extremists or people wearing pointy white hats and sheets. Especially since we know that for them, even silence is violence. The disconnect and double standards are what is mind blowing.

As far as I know, the law makes no distinction with respect to ideology. Do you have evidence that state or Federal authorities anywhere are operating under such a double standard? I suspect not.

Well yeah, the capital protests vs BLM protests, specifically in Seattle.