Stop Calling the Riots, Riots!

[Tonawanda]

Unless the meaningless violence is committed by drunken sports fans and frenzied consumers!

Roughly 2,800 articles published between May 26 and June 2 related to events that were spurred by the killing of George Floyd, protest appeared most frequently, about seven times for every use of the word riot. But use of riot was widespread too, about 28 times more common than uprising and 175 times more common than rebellion.

john a. powell, a professor of law and African American studies at the University of California, Berkeley (who does not capitalize his name in recognition of its being a slave name). “What’s happening across the country and across the world is a call for justice, a call for police accountability, for the recognition that black lives matter too,” powell says. “Rioting detracts from all of that.”
He (powell) continues to clarify the word riot, "In general, the word riot connotes meaningless violence – drunken sports fans, frenzied consumers" In the 1960' when unrest erupted, some businesses that were burned down were ones where owners mistreated black people".

Violent Public Disorder, Tumultuous Disorder, Protests, Unrest, Uprising, Rebellion, Political Expression, and Civil Disorder are acceptable.

Excuse my sarcasm if you can. There is certainly a starting point and component of "What’s happening across the country is a call for justice, a call for police accountability, and for the recognition that black lives matter too." My issue and opinion of this article is, the one sided, no compromise of one position that excuses or comes very close to excusing the violence going on now. So, should we add the word "riot" to the cancel word list? Can we least agree that when protests become destructive and violent, they become riots?

'A War of Words.' Why Describing the George Floyd Protests as 'Riots' Is So Loaded

People have had to make choices about how to characterize widespread, evolving unrest. Are we in the midst of uprisings? Rebellions? Riots?

time.com

 

[NatMorton]

Good article, thanks.

IMO, the money paragraph is this one:

“Riot suggests pandemonium,” says john a. powell, a professor of law and African American studies at the University of California, Berkeley (who does not capitalize his name in recognition of its being a slave name). “What’s happening across the country and across the world is a call for justice, a call for police accountability, for the recognition that black lives matter too,” powell says. “Rioting detracts from all of that.”

... and that's why, even when there is factual evidence that a particular protest has degraded into a riot, the term "riot" is rarely used. It "detracts" from the political message, and that is media bias in action. The media's job is, ostensibly, to report the facts and not to persuade the reader about the benefits of a specific political movement. But that's not what many (arguably most) media outlets are doing. They are becoming spokespeople for either Democrats or Republicans, and anyone who doesn't find that a concern isn't someone worth listening to.

 

[Tonawanda]

Good article, thanks.

IMO, the money paragraph is this one:



... and that's why, even when there is factual evidence that a particular protest has degraded into a riot, the term "riot" is rarely used. It "detracts" from the political message, and that is media bias in action. The media's job is, ostensibly, to report the facts and not to persuade the reader about the benefits of a specific political movement. But that's not what many (arguably most) media outlets are doing. They are becoming spokespeople for either Democrats or Republicans, and anyone who doesn't find that a concern isn't someone worth listening to.

Agree! from a google search:

How many riots have there been 2020?

Nationwide Demonstrations
While the US has long been home to a vibrant protest environment, demonstrations surged to new levels in 2020. Between 24 May and 22 August, ACLED records more than 10,600 demonstration events across the country. Over 10,100 of these — or nearly 95% — involve peaceful protesters.Sep 3, 2020

​

https://acleddata.com › 2020/09/03 › demonstrations-polit...

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

They are just kegger that have gotten out of hand

 

[NatMorton]

If you are attending a peaceful protest, and violence begins, and you do not leave, even if you don't yourself become violent you are now part of a violent protest.

Case in point, we don't talk about Jan 6th as being a peaceful protest outside of the Capitol and only as a violent one inside.

 

[Torus34]

There are political advantages, depending upon whose particular ox is being gored, to retaining a very fuzzy barrier between the definitions of 'protest' and 'riot'. The media, in its striving for viewers/readers/listeners, has its own set of rules.

Regards, stay safe 'n well.