It sure raised my consciousness. Clear into what they didn't want.
It should be noted that studies of the subject show that riots tend to make voters in areas that hosted riots more conservative.
It should be noted that studies of the subject show that riots tend to make voters in areas that hosted riots more conservative.
IMO: the riots start out as protests. Then a minority of people choose to cause mayhem. Another minority are criminals and they do what criminals do, which is act opportunistically. And yes, agents provocateur do exist.
But sure, I can understand why people who are directly affected would prefer to have no protests at all out of fear that a riot might happen. They love order more than justice, an attitude which, ironically, has helped to create the very same conditions that people are protesting.
I'm not opposed to peaceful protests. I've been in some myself. I am very much against riots and romanticizing riots as a form of productive protest. Agent provocateurs do exist, but I think it's unreasonable to pretend (as some do) that all riots are due to such.
You are certainly right about that.