If a group of people act out in non-violent ways, is that group a mob? I tend to associate a mob with stuff getting broken - damaged - destroyed. When I think of a mob, I think of a group that whips up chaos. This is not the chaos that often accompanies change or the creation of something new. The chaos that comes out of acts of creativity is temporary because it is moving into something new - a new creation of sorts. Just think of a new team that has just come together to play ball together. At first, no matter how good the players are, there will be some chaos until all the variously gifted players engage in a give-and-take that helps produce a unit that can and does work together. We will begin to see a sense of order or, better yet, relationships that honor the others in a respectable manner.
A mob whips up the kind of chaos that attempts to rule by force - force directed at others - forced used for ones own well being - force that will try to destroy that which is different or that which simply appears different. The mob will turn to violence in order to have the world be as they would like it to be. The violence will be directed toward those and them - outsiders. Now it may appear that I am merely talking about physical violence that is perpetrated against the other. Not. The language of the mob seeks to destroy or harm or discount the life of the other - in some way. I immediately thought of the mob that yelled out 'crucify him' before anyone even picked up the spikes and the cross beam for the lynching of Jesus. Eventually, a mob uses words to create an atmosphere within a group that is able to move the mob to acts of violence that bring their words to life.
When I think of a mob taking shape, my anxiety level increases. It is so easy to sense that something is about to happen and it is not a celebration of life. Rather, the mob will not and cannot coexist with the life of others - those who are different from the direction they want to go. There is no ability to call for acts of reconciliation. Even dialogue, that may be the gift needed to create mutual respect, is taken off the table. We are left with curses - threats - insults - ridicule - foul language. Having said all this, there is still no physical violence that is associated with a mob. But just wait. There can be a deliberate act of violence - something small. There can be an act of mistaken identity. There can be a word - a label - a trigger that is pulled. Then, the mob morphs into that which we know as a classic picture of how a mob begins to rule the moment. We all know some of those characteristics - they are constructed from fear and envy and desire that is willing to turn the moment into warring madness.
As of late, I have been shaken to a greater degree by the language of our President. He looked at the many women and men who protested around the hearings of now Justice Kavanaugh. He has freely used the word mob to describe them. But not just that. He now uses mob to describe those people who may hold a contrary view to his side. He even demonizes the media as the ones who stoke the fire of this mob to which he refers There are so many other ways to address or describe those who do not go along with our choices and opinions. To call them a mob is to pull back the hammer of a gun and make it easier for someone to pull the trigger and fire. He is setting the stage for violence to be nurtured and more accessible. It is a quite, brilliant move. The violence of those who are not included in his branding of a mob will be considered a violence that is righteous and good and a saving power. Saving America from those not like us becomes a tribal cry for a limited view of reality. In the past few weeks we have moved away from those people being people of a different race or culture or religion or gender to also include those people who do not go along with his plans. There have been many historical examples of such verbal condemnations that have led to a variety of lynch mobs allowed to express their violence as they please.
Along the way, we must remember that there really are mobs that form and know no other way to be involved with the society than to take parts in acts of violence. When the President calls one group a mob and he is citing their peaceful protests as examples of mob behavior, it takes very little to tie the acts of violence of a group like Antifa to the many and massive expressions of peaceable protests. That is disturbing. I have heard people say that the protests against this Trump era are fueled and backed by acts of violence - even if it is not backed by facts. With great awe and respect, I look to the teens of Parkland and the women of the Women's March and the people who raised their voices around the Supreme Court nomination. I also know of groups forming who intend to speak out and act out within non-violent protest in the upcoming months. If those voices allow themselves to become full of nothing but hate and violence-filled rhetoric, we must be willing to call them out and press for acts of nonviolence, truthfulness, and reconciliation. But I rant.
TRRR
No comments:
Post a Comment