Protest and violence are like gunpowder and explosion: It is not altogether surprising when one leads to the other. This is especially so when the protest is not the expression of a particular grievance that can be easily assuaged by some specific measure, but of a general resentment and a sense of fundamental dissatisfaction requiring deep but unspecified and diffuse change. The vaguer the demand, the greater the frustration; and there is no balm to the frustrated soul like the sound of the tinkling of smashed plate glass. Destruction is the compensation of the resentful.
When people build large bonfires in places such as Oakland, they can hardly claim that they are on the side of the fire brigade. The crackling of flames is a joyful sound to those who think that their anger is a manifestation of generosity of spirit; and to burn down a city in the name of righteousness has long been among the illicit pleasures of mankind.
Comments