PROTEST OR RIOT?

Protesting and rioting are not the same. To protest something is to verbally express a disagreement with something and to let your ideas be known that you think there’s a better way or that it’s time for a change in some policy. Protesting is an time-honored way of bringing about change. Rioting is an entirely different matter. One is a thinking response, the other is not.

To riot is to create chaos and destruction. When people become a mob and “a mob mentality” arises, people do things that they would never think of doing. As personal inhibitions break down, people engage in immoral activities— hitting, fighting, lighting fires, looting, stealing what belongs to another, destroying a person’s business, home, car, or personal property.

Whereas protesting is a legitimate form of action that can bring about creative change in a society, rioting is an illegitimate form that undermines civil life and civilization. Often it aims at destroying the very structures and institutions of society that keep order and peace. It is not only the opposite of thinking, it is a form of anti-thinking— of mindless mob mentality.

With regard to George Floyd’s death, I have not heard a single person defend what happened to him. Quite the opposite. Everybody from every group, from every government agency has condemned what happened to him and have said in no uncertain terms that it was wrong. And every agency in Minnesota has said that justice will be done. The officer or officers will be arrested. So what is anyone protesting? Who are they protesting against? Who is pushing back to their protests? As far as I can tell — no one, and thank God, no one is arguing the opposite.

The Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, said that Monday and Tuesday nights the protests were mostly peaceful and were actual protests. Then things changed. Then outside agitators stirred things up and began the destruction that has now destroyed 170 businesses. Videos on all of the media channels shows a mob mentality in action and people swept up in completely irrational actions. People looting the stores are not thinking. People throwing objects through windows, burning cars, and yelling are not thinking.

Recommendations —

1) Think! If you are protesting, do that. Do not riot, do not say irrational things, do not act irrationally. Don’t encourage those who are not thinking.

2) Schedule protests to occur from 2 to 4 pm. That will allow full expression and freedom of speech for people to express themselves and protest current practice or policy. It will keep the protests in the light of day. Riots occur in the dark—when people think they can escape accountability.

3) Put a limit on the protests at 4 pm. This will curtail those who would stir up negative emotions so that they cannot induce a mob-mentality and irrationality. All of the gapers

who come to see only make things worse. It feeds the chaos of the situation.

4) Establish a firm curfew and enforce it. This will prevent people from getting worked up into a mob mentality.

5) Open up the economy. With 40 million people out of work for the past two or three months, no wonder we have a powder-keg of frustration that’s ready to explode.