History repeats.
For many years, there had been violent oppression from the occupying police force. Cases of brutality, economic sanctions, an unlivable situation that caused a rich upper class and a lower class living in squalor, with very little middle class in between.
Diplomatic attempts to address the situation resulted in very minor victories here and there, but nothing substantial. Some of the police were sympathetic. They were just doing their jobs, and they spoke up for the citizens, though it had no real effect.
Leaders of protest were rounded up and jailed. Finally, fed up with the lack of justice and the fact that they were unheard, the residents rioted. They threw rocks at the police. They destroyed their own property. These things were against the law. Many homes burned. Many of the citizens who were not being as impacted or who feared violent unrest spoke out against the rioting.
Today, we call the Boston Massacre and the Tea Party the beginning of the American Revolution.
What we call riot and what we call revolution is wholly dependent on the perspective of the victor. Most revolutions begin with riots. Our country was founded in riots. Our country was founded on looting other peoples' lands. How we view that today is entirely colored by the fact that, well, we won. And so we see others doing what we did as enemy combatants.
That is heavy on my mind this week.
Diplomatic attempts to address the situation resulted in very minor victories here and there, but nothing substantial. Some of the police were sympathetic. They were just doing their jobs, and they spoke up for the citizens, though it had no real effect.
Leaders of protest were rounded up and jailed. Finally, fed up with the lack of justice and the fact that they were unheard, the residents rioted. They threw rocks at the police. They destroyed their own property. These things were against the law. Many homes burned. Many of the citizens who were not being as impacted or who feared violent unrest spoke out against the rioting.
Today, we call the Boston Massacre and the Tea Party the beginning of the American Revolution.
What we call riot and what we call revolution is wholly dependent on the perspective of the victor. Most revolutions begin with riots. Our country was founded in riots. Our country was founded on looting other peoples' lands. How we view that today is entirely colored by the fact that, well, we won. And so we see others doing what we did as enemy combatants.
That is heavy on my mind this week.