It’s always best to learn from the mistakes of others, rather than your own. January 6th, 2021, provides just such an example. The massive pro-Trump rally at the Capitol quickly went off the rails, as we’ve seen from the chaotic footage. Yes, it appears that the rally-goers were initially peaceful until a systematic provocation by the police conjured a violent mob out of the protest. Many people were seriously injured, a few died, and other 1,000 attendees have had their lives ruined amid a four-year crusade to jail and/or bankrupt as many as possible by the Biden DOJ. Sure, it’s infuriating, and tragic, and many hope for a blanket pardon by Trump on day 1. I’m hoping for it. But the lesson to be learned is to NOT ATTEND RALLIES like this.
An individual is smart and intelligent, but a crowd is an entirely different animal. A crowd is irrational, easily spooked, and easily enraged. Turning a peaceful crowd into a violent mob is often as easy as flicking a switch. Evidence abounds of this phenomenon. A few flash bang grenades, a few cops shoving people indiscriminately to the ground, egging protestors to violence, and the mob erupts. This is what happened on J6. This is what our government wanted to happen, of course. The chaos of that day gave our government exactly what it wanted: the justification for hunting down Trump supporters, censoring their views online, and consigning their voice to the outer rim of discourse.
Were undercover agents embedded within the protesters? Of course. This is what governments do. There is something extremely stupid about joining a protest like this and then crying foul at the outcome.We should be outraged, and seek justice, but we must also recognize the thundering stupidity of trying to meet the government on its own turf, and believe that any other outcome than what transpired is possible.
The thing that governments fear most of all is free speech. Unfettered criticism by peaceful writers and speakers moves mountains, and is almost impossible to stamp out in a nation that enjoys the First Amendment. Speech is real power, mindless rallies are not. In fact, they are the opposite.
Never willingly join a mob of protestors. You could easily get caught up in the same thing that the J6er’s are now embroiled in. Be smart. Do the really tough thing, and learn to win over hearts and minds through persuasion.
Their hearts were in the right place for the most part, the J6ers. But many were terminal jagoffs, bringing their kids to the fray, their elderly parents, and then acting bewildered when violence broke out. Governments since the dawn of time love to see their critics amass like they did on J6. Understand that simple fact, and don’t be stupid.
