General News Mayhem in Virginia

UPDATE

So Trump has finally denounced the KKK, neo-Nazis and white nationalists. I am relieved to hear that he thinks racism is evil.

 

Do you see these types of demonstrations as being indicative of a nation more divided than it has been since the turmoil of the late 1960s? Are these kinds of "street-fights" going to become more commonplace? Were Trump's remarks enough to address the situation? What can be done to prevent further clashes of this nature?

To Answer the original post, yes we are, and contrary to what some have said it's not because of America having true free speech vs. censored free speech like much of Europe. Having grown up in the 60's and 70's I've seen a lot of changes, and mostly positive.

As for the Riots and Street fights, yes they absolutely are getting worse, and the primary causes are Not what most people think..
All of this crap is largely being driven and fueled by the media, and those who are looking at the garbage they are spewing out as "Factual" are falling for it and allowing the plays on emotion to drive them into a frenzy. If you look at the calm between the storms there were still Skinheads, Black Panthers and whatever other extreme groups still out there. And the monuments to the nations past were out there and guess what? Hardly any riots or street fights and things were still changing in positive ways. PC / Politically Correct didn't really exist (and shouldn't because If I want the freedom to say what I believe then I have to give opposing views the same freedom or else there isn't free speech).

So what happened? The Media figured out that by tossing any integrity they had out the window and playing on emotion they could make more money by manipulation. So whatever is the most dramatic and emotional gets the news headlines and stirs people into a frenzy, when the truth is the majority are still in the middle, but too many are easily influenced and as long as they buy into the media Koolaid these issues will continue to persist and grow worse. What's funny and what you won't hear in the media is that over 8 years ago when we had the first Black President elected you didn't have hardly any of this Crap happening, when you would think that if the issues the media keeps stating were real all of the "alt-right" as they are calling it and the KKK and the Skinheads would have been burning down the country... but it didn't happen.

Now we have an Outsider to both political parties in the White House (and let's put this into perspective... Trump literally was an Independent candidate who Hijacked the Republican party fueled by Republicans, Democrats and Independents tired of both Political parties crap). So now all hell is breaking loose and there are Riots in the Street and America's history good or bad being edited because it Offends some people and the Media is digging a hole to China to find dirt on the President when in the last eight years they had built another Mt. Everest hiding the Dirt... And who is blame for all of this? The Same "Right" who did not protest the elections or riot in the street, and the President who isn't part of the System.

And will it stop?.. No. Not so long as the media continues to drive division and and their own agenda and people continue to buy into it. What can you do? Talk to folks, even if you don't agree with them and try and find common ground for common good. Preach and Teach tolerance for one another. Focus on being Americans first instead of African / Latin / Christian or anything else American's.

Lastly as for Trumps remarks and their Effects... Personally from what I've seen it doesn't matter what he says the media will spin it in some kind of a negative way. And the truth is what should he really be saying?.. Something inflammatory that empowers or enrages more people? or Should he be expressing Horror at what some sick individual did and give condolences to the families and people affected? Either way with the media being the way that they are they will focus on whoever is offended or not supporting their agenda.

 

How is the media to blame for Trump starting the birther movement that Obama was not born in the U.S? We all know that the only reason Trump did this was because he did not like the fact that a black man was the President of the United States at the time. He villified Obama for years based solely on the color of his skin and that is why so many neo-Nazis, white supremacists and KKK support him. Don't shift the blame to the media.

 

And where are all of these "Facts" coming from? Have you Looked at both conservative as well as liberal media and weeded out the misinformation? with the emotional tone of your post it doesn't sound like it but rather sounds like you have simply bought into the dogma, because if what you are saying is true you are saying that the everyone who voted for President Trump is either Racist.. OR would obviously Tolerate a Racist President because they voted for him!

And I don't know about you, since I see you are saying you are from the Caribbean, but I live in the Rural South, Grew up in the Northern Midwest and have lived in the North as well and I can honestly say that while there is prejudice everywhere ... and not just against Blacks or Latino or LBGT's but also against Whites. There is no place I have been where the population as a whole would endorse Racism or overwhelmingly vote for a President who they felt was a Racist. So keep on drinking the Koolaid if you Like.

 

The only people to suffer will be mostly lgbtqi+ folks in plenty. If someone in that group supports this mess, then you have a high level of internalized homophobia and still needs to be self aware that your not part of that hetero group and historically you never were part of them.

 

First of all, the fact is that Donald Trump started the birther lie that Obama was not born in the U.S. Try to twist that fact as much as you would like.

Second of all, I don't care where you are from and where I am from isn't relevant here either.

Thirdly, don't insinuate things that I clearly did not say.

 

Honestly, 99% of the time, I dont give a Rat's Ass what Trump, Pence, the rest of the u.s. government, or the rest of humanity for that matter, has to say about anything anymore. The world has, is, and will continue to bullshit itself until humans go extinct. All it does is cycle and loop over and over, and its getting old.

 

I feel like we've gotten every type of answer possible. Left, right, center, anti MSM, anti Trump, nihilists, and historians.
We're just missing the person saying "Maybe we should let them speak that should calm them" and we've got the full set!

 

Got to see a monument to treason get knocked down tonight. Treason in the cause of owning people, of all the damnable things one could fight for. A good start, and something good after these last few days.

 

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the Freak Show. And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

-George Carlin

I try to live by this a lot, and you know, it works for me.

 

Haha! Completely true.

Although, I don't mind the freaks too much, guess I'm one myself. It's the high levels of violence that get me.

 

I fully think the alt-right/neo-nazis/KKK have a right to speak and voice their opinions. I also believes that a group has the right (and really should) show up as a counter protest. In a more civilized world this would be called a debate, and while debates get heated they don't tend to run violent. They also revolve around both sides presents verified reports/articles/studies to back their argument.

What happened in VA over the weekend...yeah that was flipping madness. And I do believe the alt-right protesters are largely to blame. They didn't go out there looking to protest, they went out there looking for a fight. They knew that there would be those that showed up to counter them, and so they set out making themselves loud and violent from the start. What they were was nothing more than a school yard bully looking to start a fight succeeding.

 

They have a right to express their opinions. Unfortunately for them, their opinions are really unpopular. People think it's kinda uncool to say "The Nazis were great, actually." No idea why that would be. Unfortunately for us, they have very fragile egos and, as we saw again this weekend, a tendency towards unprovoked violence.

They were very much there to start a fight. The tolerance by the police allowing them to do so was disgusting. This is a thing that there can be no tolerance for in a civil society. I fear that even though they received some criticism from their side, they will still be emboldened by this. After all, they murdered on Saturday. They see this as success, and Trump is giving it a pass.

The amount of weaponry that is allowed to be freely carried in some states means that it is extremely likely there will be a mass shooting terrorist attack. We get those even in situations that are not heated to a boil already.

It's terrifying.

 

I think it's pretty safe to call people literally wearing fascist symbols fascists though. They're making it pretty clear what they like.

 

One interesting outcome of this weekend is how many images of Nazi and confederate regalia together. They were really making it explicit, that they're together, the same thing. I know with Nazi shit outlawed in Germany, the neo Nazis often fly the CSA traitor's flag instead. That's probably good.

 

I do agree that alt right groups have a right to freedom of speech as long as they do it non violently, and I surely condemn violence whichever side it emanates from.

That being said, I'm sure that a peaceful ISIS march being held until the U.S would be very traumatic for most people even if in the future they would have renounced violence. Well, this is how many people feel when they see regalia associated with the KKK, Nazi Germany and other far right groups. It can be a very traumatic experience for someone to have to experience.

These groups were terrorist organizations in the past who have now renounced violence however they are still very scary for a lot of people.

 

The KKK, the neo Nazis, the white nationalists, the alt right, whatever name they are going by have not renounced violence. In fact, they endorse it strong terms. You don't show up for a rally with torches, clubs and high powered military grade weaponry if you have renounced violence. You don't associate yourself with groups that committed genocide and ethnic terror campaigns if you have renounced violence. You do not advocate for ethnonationalism and the removal of people based on race and renounce violence.

And you certainly don't commit terrorist acts killing peaceful marchers if you have renounced violence.

It's not merely history that makes the visibility and positive spin of these groups traumatic to onlookers. It is their stated aims of ethnic cleansing and current violent acts as well.