Hacker News Reader

Comment by minikites | Hacker News Reader

You don't think the entire op-ed that consists of "send in the military to slaughter tens of thousands of people protesting institutional racism" is racist?

View on HN

58% of Americans supported sending in the military to stop looting and property destruction, including 37% of African Americans (a sizable minority). I would assume they wanted to prevent the city being burnt down rather than stop non-violent protests.

https://www.newsweek.com/majority-americans-support-calling-...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2020/06/02/58-o...

When the protests are peaceful, you don't need to send in military. When the city is burning, it could be a solution. I don't agree with sending them in, but a strong majority of Americans did.

That sizable minority are the only ones who have anything to lose from the looting and property destruction. Those that are impacted by racism and police violence, people without homes or jobs, likely don't want any Military involvement.

Here is a pretty powerful message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoDeVpvuEzI

"That sizable minority are the only ones who have anything to lose from the looting and property destruction."

And they deserve to have their opinions hear too, no?

> When the protests are peaceful, you don't need to send in military. When the city is burning, it could be a solution.

What about the many reports that the protests started peaceful until the police started shooting? You may disagree about whether it's racist to decide in that circumstance to send the military against the group that isn't the police, but it does seem to be willfully blind to the relationship between cause and effect in a way that to some is highly suggestive. Racism isn't always saying "death to black people". Sometimes it's saying "stop resisting" with a baton and a gun when you instigated conflict in the first place.

When entire city blocks in Minneapolis were burning to the ground, I think there was a reasonable case to be made that cause and effect didn't matter anymore.

The National Guard, the Army, and the Marines were deployed to LA during the Rodney King riots in 1992. Of the 63 people who died in the riots, nine were shot by the cops and one was shot by the National Guard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots#Events

Why do you assume that sending the military is a recipe for mass slaughter?

I think to make your case better you should cite paragraphs from the op-ed that bolster this claim.

Why are you using quotes in that statement?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com