This commentary reveals a profound ignorance about Kyle Rittenhouse, who isn't a vigilante and never intended "to take the law into his own hands" as Shermer suggests. Rittenhouse supports Black Lives Matter and was giving aid to protesters before he was attacked.
Shermer says that Rittenhouse had no business being in Kenosha, even though he works there, much of his family lives there, and a business owner requested his help. On the other hand, Shermer doesn't seem to mind that rioters swarmed to Kenosha from all over the region, even crossing state lines, to contribute to the chaos. A group called Riot Kitchen came in buses and minivans all the way from Seattle to provide food, drinks, helmets, fireworks, gasoline, and other supplies to the rioters. The group was founded for this purpose during the summer 2020 riots, raising almost $60,000 on GoFundMe. GoFundMe later banned fundraising for Rittenhouse’s legal defense, though they permitted fundraising by the rioters descending on Kenosha. GoFundMe itself actually contributed $500 to Riot Kitchen through its “Gives Back” program.
Kenosha police reported that over half of all the people arrested in the first two nights of violence had come from out of town. This was not an uprising of the Kenosha underclass against a system that was oppressing them. This was an organized attack on an American city. Indeed, 17-year-old boys should not have to take up arms to defend their communities from attacks incited by Democratic Party politicians and the corporate media and funded by multinational corporations. The people who have created these conditions are the same ones calling for the blood of Rittenhouse for defending himself against three thugs, who are never criticized by Shermer, anyone in the Democratic Party, or mainstream media.
Yes, SSG, I agree that it should never have occurred to Kyle Rittenhouse that it was up to him to defend Kenosha, apparently out of his belief that local law enforcement was not up to the task. That he did speaks to my larger point of self-help justice. And, of course, like most people I thoroughly denounce looting and violence on the part of those groups.
The Oxford Languages dictionary defines vigilante as "a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate."
Kyle Rittenhouse, an aspiring nurse, was providing first aid to anyone with injuries, Irregardless of who they were or why they were there. He carried a rifle to defend himself, but he made no attempt to enforce the law. He tried to escape his attackers rather than mete out any form of justice. In other words, he never acted like a vigilante.
The rioters and looters, of course, also had no desire to enforce the law. Quite the opposite. They wanted chaos and lawless, and they actively broke the law rather than try to enforce it. Very few people would think of them as vigilantes.
Some members of the media would like to selectively broaden the definition of vigilante, however, if it enables them to apply that label to persons they wish to smear. So, the media portrays Kyle Rittenhouse as a dangerous vigilante that deserves our condemnation, while they remain silent about BLM rioters, looters, and the black supremacist who brutally murdered six people in Waukesha.
Vigilantism isn't the problem. In many places (run by Democrats) last summer, cities and police forces indicated or explicitly said they wouldn’t defend people’s property from destruction or burglary. And, even though we could see the blocks of burning buildings with our own eyes, many (Democrats) in the media told us that the riots were actually peaceful protests, and there wasn’t any violence in Kenosha that night until Kyle Rittenhouse discharged his weapon. Blame should placed squarely on the politicians and journalists who encourage and defend foolish policies and false narratives -- not on Kyle Rittenhouse or anyone you regard as a vigilante.
To acknowledge the facts of what happened that night in Kenosha is not political. It is simply to acknowledge reality. It is to say that media consensus is not the equivalent of truth. When you join the media chorus who warn us not to believe our lying eyes but to instead believe that vigilantes (and white supremacists, according to the media) are the problem, you make it harder to achieve consensus and find genuine solutions to our problems.
This commentary reveals a profound ignorance about Kyle Rittenhouse, who isn't a vigilante and never intended "to take the law into his own hands" as Shermer suggests. Rittenhouse supports Black Lives Matter and was giving aid to protesters before he was attacked.
Shermer says that Rittenhouse had no business being in Kenosha, even though he works there, much of his family lives there, and a business owner requested his help. On the other hand, Shermer doesn't seem to mind that rioters swarmed to Kenosha from all over the region, even crossing state lines, to contribute to the chaos. A group called Riot Kitchen came in buses and minivans all the way from Seattle to provide food, drinks, helmets, fireworks, gasoline, and other supplies to the rioters. The group was founded for this purpose during the summer 2020 riots, raising almost $60,000 on GoFundMe. GoFundMe later banned fundraising for Rittenhouse’s legal defense, though they permitted fundraising by the rioters descending on Kenosha. GoFundMe itself actually contributed $500 to Riot Kitchen through its “Gives Back” program.
Kenosha police reported that over half of all the people arrested in the first two nights of violence had come from out of town. This was not an uprising of the Kenosha underclass against a system that was oppressing them. This was an organized attack on an American city. Indeed, 17-year-old boys should not have to take up arms to defend their communities from attacks incited by Democratic Party politicians and the corporate media and funded by multinational corporations. The people who have created these conditions are the same ones calling for the blood of Rittenhouse for defending himself against three thugs, who are never criticized by Shermer, anyone in the Democratic Party, or mainstream media.
Yes, SSG, I agree that it should never have occurred to Kyle Rittenhouse that it was up to him to defend Kenosha, apparently out of his belief that local law enforcement was not up to the task. That he did speaks to my larger point of self-help justice. And, of course, like most people I thoroughly denounce looting and violence on the part of those groups.
The Oxford Languages dictionary defines vigilante as "a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate."
Kyle Rittenhouse, an aspiring nurse, was providing first aid to anyone with injuries, Irregardless of who they were or why they were there. He carried a rifle to defend himself, but he made no attempt to enforce the law. He tried to escape his attackers rather than mete out any form of justice. In other words, he never acted like a vigilante.
The rioters and looters, of course, also had no desire to enforce the law. Quite the opposite. They wanted chaos and lawless, and they actively broke the law rather than try to enforce it. Very few people would think of them as vigilantes.
Some members of the media would like to selectively broaden the definition of vigilante, however, if it enables them to apply that label to persons they wish to smear. So, the media portrays Kyle Rittenhouse as a dangerous vigilante that deserves our condemnation, while they remain silent about BLM rioters, looters, and the black supremacist who brutally murdered six people in Waukesha.
Vigilantism isn't the problem. In many places (run by Democrats) last summer, cities and police forces indicated or explicitly said they wouldn’t defend people’s property from destruction or burglary. And, even though we could see the blocks of burning buildings with our own eyes, many (Democrats) in the media told us that the riots were actually peaceful protests, and there wasn’t any violence in Kenosha that night until Kyle Rittenhouse discharged his weapon. Blame should placed squarely on the politicians and journalists who encourage and defend foolish policies and false narratives -- not on Kyle Rittenhouse or anyone you regard as a vigilante.
To acknowledge the facts of what happened that night in Kenosha is not political. It is simply to acknowledge reality. It is to say that media consensus is not the equivalent of truth. When you join the media chorus who warn us not to believe our lying eyes but to instead believe that vigilantes (and white supremacists, according to the media) are the problem, you make it harder to achieve consensus and find genuine solutions to our problems.
Somehow I never learned of the Goetz case until this clip. Fascinating piece of history.
Bonus, Wu Tang's "Clan in da Front" lyrics make more sense.
["Come frontin' hard, then Bernhard Goetz what he deserves".]
Always assumed it was the homonym "gets" and had no idea who Bernhard was. Unexpected Rap History.