The Unresters

For the past week or so, I've been out of touch with current events and the "going-ons" of the world. So, this morning I pour a cup of coffee and make my way to the living room. Rubbing my eyes to bring things into focus, I reach for the remote. I hit the power button and the TV comes to life. I'm greeted with a scene of mayhem from Milwaukee,

It didn't take me long to find out that the commotion was a so-called reaction to another police shooting Although no specifics were given other than a police officer fatally shot an armed man after a foot chase, I assumed that it was part of the "white cop shoots black guy" media narrative.

So, as I scanned the various news sources, I noticed one thing that they all had in common: Unrest. Instead of referring to the burning, looting and vandalism for what it was, they continue to water it down by calling it "unrest".

By calling the senseless violence "unrest", we are led to believe that the actions of the "unresters" are somehow acceptable and justified. Sorry folks, I have to call bullshit on this one. When people set fire to a gas station or loot a convenience store, we should be making excuses for them. We should be calling them out for the parasites that they are. They seize any opportunity to pick the low-hanging fruit of a bad situation. Realizing that the media will spin their violent behavior as oppressed and justified outrage, they are encouraged to "unrest" at will.

All of this brings the traditional protest to another level. Instead of encouraging citizens to engage with their community leaders and elected representatives, the media has fueled a movement that promotes senseless violence. Once upon a time, a looter who walked out of a liquor store with "complimentary" case of scotch might have been called a vandal or a thief. But by today's dismal standards, that person is championed as an "unrester". Instead of condemning his actions, the media invites us to somehow celebrate them.

In 2011, Time Magazine named The Protester as it's Person of the Year. Don't be surprised if Time ups the ante sometime in the near future and gives the same accolade to "The Unrester". I can see the cover now.....

An group of unresters disrupt traffic in the middle of a busy downtown street. While small fires burn around them, they advance toward a line of police who are donned in full unrest gear. In the background, you can see a few frequent shoppers leaving a 7-11 with an abundance of  cigarettes and Cheetos. Another group cheers wildly as they watch one of their "soldiers" hurl a Molotov cocktail towards a corner Walgreen's. 

The talking heads will have a slobbering love-fest over it as they hail it as provocative and absolutely breath-taking. It becomes an instant classic and is a virtual shoe-in for a Pulitzer Prize.
Unrest has become the most compelling catch-phrase since "Shit Happens".

kw