Meanwhile, in Berkeley, we saw the worst of America: Americans, garbed in black, helmeted, wearing bandannas over their faces, assaulting peaceful protesters merely there to exercise their free speech rights. We saw the police stand down. We saw assaults in the streets.
So, what’s the difference between Americans in Houston and Americans in Berkeley?
The existential threat.
Human beings unify in the face of an existential threat. It’s why members of the military become brothers; it’s why the West unified in opposition to Communism; it’s why Americans unified after 9/11.
In Houston, the existential threat is nature. And Americans who wouldn’t share a meal are now sharing speedboats, attempting to help each other survive her wrath. Survival is the top priority; death is the ultimate enemy.
But remove that existential threat, and people look for a new existential threat. That’s what we’re seeing in Berkeley: Americans defining one another as an existential threat. Antifa defines the “system” as an existential threat — a wellspring of racism, bigotry, and economic injustice. And they define anyone who disagrees with them as a “fascist” worthy of violence. This is horse manure, but it’s their justification for their violence. Similarly, as Charlottesville shows, the white supremacist alt-right finds itself a different existential threat: non-white people whom they believe are inherently unable to assimilate to Western civilization. Their argument is absolute racist garbage, but because they believe it, that means that all those who don’t become their “cuck” enemies.
To define our existential threat, in other words, we must define ourselves. And right now, we’re breaking down along tribal lines, along class lines. We’re not breaking down along the lines of principles: non-violence in politics; free speech; rights inherent in human individuals free of government. The founding vision has been undermined, and so we search out abroad in favor of new dragons to slay. Meanwhile, the real dragons grow at home, in the form of those who see the founding vision as the problem.
If we want more Americans like those in Houston and fewer like those in Berkeley, we’d do well to remember we share a republic — and we share more in common than the danger of death. We share a common ideal. And if we don’t, we become our own worst enemies. (Link)
7 comments:
The most sense he's made in the last 2 years.
More simple stated, we in Texas (most of the south actually) like to win, but we don't need to win over someone else. Right now, a win is simply finding higher ground, a dry place, food to eat. And we run up the score by helping as many other peoples achieve the same thing.
For antifa; winning is them having power over others. You can see how they try to obtain power, the way they will also wield it.
Well that's all well and good but does Shapiro in his wildest fantasy believe Antifa will respond to his call to respect the Republic? For that matter does such an appeal mean anything to the so-called Main Stream Media? Nope.
Yeah!!! Heavy yellow rain bands finally to our East. Good luck Louisiana! Thanks for the help.
But the water is still rising from runoff, and we got a couple of days to before people are done being displaced. Cleanup will begin by Labor Day.
On other news, reports of looters in the neighborhood south of mine. Posing as cops, knocking doors and telling people to evacuate, when they don't looters pulling weapons. That won't last long. People are already spreading the word and in a phrase "locked and loaded". And when its over, as another put it, "gators gotta eat too".
Shapiro is a worm. He wouldn't know the "best of America" if it stepped on him.
Whatever your beef with Shapiro, he's right. I hate Berkeley ... and I live in the Bay Area. I just hate going over there even before the era of pantybra and avoid it. It smells of smug, like it's filled with people who are too pleased with themselves to shower. Might wash off some rich loamy superiority. So wrong! They would never help each other like people are doing in Houston. They'd all stand around scolding each other and suggest what (other) people should be doing (for them) until somebody floated away and then they'd comment and complain about that person behind his back.
Shapiro is a phony. Always hitting soft - when its the left. Always pushing 'the narrative'.
The antifa *also* consists of Americans of every creed and color fighting together. They're just doing it for liberal fascism while people in Houston are doing to help each other.
So why do we need the little diversity commercial from Ben? It doesn't fit. Antifa vs Houston. What a lame comparison.
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