As much as I agree political violence doesn’t have a place in modern society, authoritarian governments literally make it the only option.
We aren’t there yet but there’s little doubt in my mind that if Trump wins, he will make what is essentially a rigged game right now into nothing but a formality.
100% agree with you. I posted this yesterday, but to me, I really see a parallel on what happens with violence in illegal drug trades. When you remove legal solutions to hold people accountable, violence becomes increasingly likely. A drug dealer can’t go to the police if someone robs them, infringes on their turf, or messes with their supply chain. Violence is their only form of recourse.
We saw it to some extent on January 6th. People - very wrongly - were led to believe that their votes didn’t matter and attempted to storm the capital as a result. While these people were manipulated by Trump, it still shows the point: if people think the system isn’t working, they will turn to violence as their last resort.
When you look at the attempt to shoot Trump, I don’t condone it, but I certainly understand it. We’ve had a fundamental breakdown in our system of checks and balances. Just to name a few:
Trump’s attorney general neutered the results of the Mueller investigation, allowing Trump to escape accountability.
The Republican Senate refused to hold him accountable in two separate impeachment trials: one for blackmailing Ukraine for aid in exchange for fake dirt on Biden, and the other for attempting to overthrow our government.
The Supreme Court, which was packed by Trump judges against political norms, has said that presidents have effective immunity from all crimes.
While Trump was supposed to be sentenced for his 34 felonies on July 11, sentencing was delayed due to the Supreme Court ruling.
When you look at Trump blatantly committing crimes and not being held accountable over and over again, it’s easy to think that the system is broken. And when people think the system isn’t working, they see violence as the only remaining option.
As much as I agree political violence doesn’t have a place in modern society, authoritarian governments literally make it the only option.
We aren’t there yet but there’s little doubt in my mind that if Trump wins, he will make what is essentially a rigged game right now into nothing but a formality.
100% agree with you. I posted this yesterday, but to me, I really see a parallel on what happens with violence in illegal drug trades. When you remove legal solutions to hold people accountable, violence becomes increasingly likely. A drug dealer can’t go to the police if someone robs them, infringes on their turf, or messes with their supply chain. Violence is their only form of recourse.
We saw it to some extent on January 6th. People - very wrongly - were led to believe that their votes didn’t matter and attempted to storm the capital as a result. While these people were manipulated by Trump, it still shows the point: if people think the system isn’t working, they will turn to violence as their last resort.
When you look at the attempt to shoot Trump, I don’t condone it, but I certainly understand it. We’ve had a fundamental breakdown in our system of checks and balances. Just to name a few:
When you look at Trump blatantly committing crimes and not being held accountable over and over again, it’s easy to think that the system is broken. And when people think the system isn’t working, they see violence as the only remaining option.