Progressive Politics

2791 readers

275 users here now

Welcome to Progressive Politics! A place for news updates and political discussion from a left perspective. Conservatives and centrists are welcome just try and keep it civil :)

(Sidebar still a work in progress post recommendations if you have them such as reading lists)

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

TokenBoomer@lemmy.world

221

Old man believes whatever he sees on cable TV (lemmy.ml)

submitted 6 days ago by geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml to c/progressivepolitics@lemmy.world

137 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Full tweets with context: https://xcancel.com/hasanthehun/status/1932168427470516520

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] Initiateofthevoid@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I don’t really think there’s any comparison between the Watts riots and the nature of the LA protests

See if you can spot the difference between Bernie’s statement and MLK’s:

Let me say as I’ve always said, and I will always continue to say, that riots are socially destructive and self-defeating. … But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard.

I didn't compare them. You did.

[–] anarchiddy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 5 days ago

MLK wasn't discussing Watts in that quote, he was speaking very broadly about placing emphasis on the conditions that lead to riots instead of the riots themselves, and specifically on how much condemnation to place on them vs the conditions that lead to them.

In yours, he's speaking directly to people who are living in a slum where violent retribution was a commonly understood feeling, and who had every reason to feel justified in lashing out in revenge. He specifically uses Watts as an example of an extreme expression of that revenge.

The LA protestors are not lashing out in revenge - I don't think that quote, in the context in which it was given, applies to the protestors in LA. And I don't think MLK's thoughts on Watts in particular have any applicability to what's happening in LA, but I do think it's worthwhile for Sanders to take a lesson from MLK on where to place his condemnations.