26 September 2009

I don't think property violence is particularly immoral

"I don't think property violence is particularly immoral" - Hmm. So people lighting your home on fire wouldn't bother you? Or is it just other people's stuff that it is okay to destroy?

I haven't figured out why people would think it is okay for stuff to be destroyed. I guess I can understand that people are annoyed at the banks. Or global trade. Or the government(s). But that doesn't really excuse running around trying to start a riot. Or smashing store front windows of businesses (a Boston Market, Quiznos, a bank, and BMW dealership). Of course, we've also got plenty of anti-riot stuff now it seems. That sonic weapon technology is starting to get either really cool or really scary. I'm not sure which. Probably the latter.

I have no problem if a bunch of environmentalists, socialists, or anarchists want to protest either (by WTO/G20 protest standards, it sounds like this was a pretty low turnout anyway). I'm not sure why they had to be engaged and dispersed. I do think it was perfectly legitimate to try to control their location of assembly. Otherwise, keep it civil if you must protest and demonstrate, and don't smash stuff. It doesn't endear me to your cause if you're violent and disrespectful. And don't go around saying afterward that it's okay to smash stuff. Presumably it's okay because you did some smashing, and nothing anybody does could possibly be "wrong" or immoral. I could be encouraged to find a hammer and some of your windows. Or your ipod. Because it's fun to smash stuff when someone thinks its okay. Think it through next time.

7 comments:

not undecided said...

You'd be good at this, but I assume they'd want to own your content after it's published: http://www.change.org/bloggers

Still might be worth looking into!

Sun Tzu said...

I did email them. I didn't feel it would hurt.

Quite simply it looks to me like there is a chasm of either a political dimension or one of a great level of achievement between the abilities I have thus far developed and those that might be needed. If you are someone like me, when you get to a point that you're at least decent at something, it becomes difficult to see that you are on a par with others. People who might otherwise consider you a peer. This is as true in any endeavor of life.

not undecided said...

Yay. Hope it works out! Like I said, I think you'd be very good at it. The list of topical areas didn't include the recession or economics, which I was a little surprised about, but they had a few others that I know you're well versed in, too.

Sun Tzu said...

Most people don't consider economic theory and policy to be related to poverty or the recession.

Most people are, of course, wrong.

not undecided said...

LOL. That last statement is gold, and could stand on its own in almost any context. Nice.

Sun Tzu said...

It's the one thing I haven't quite taken away from my dalliances with Plato's attempts to understand and measure society. People are stupid and conflate their areas of expertise with the knowledge and wisdom of other areas.

Sun Tzu said...

becoming amused at the comment spam targeted to this post.