| | | Like Amy Cooper, the red hat rioters believed they were privileged people who would suffer no consequences for their bad actions.
Feifei Wang
Lives in San Diego, CA (2016–present)
Why were rioters at the capitol so careless about being photographed and taped? Did they not know this is evidence against them? How scared are they now that they are seeing arrests?
| Why were rioters at the capitol so careless about being photographed and...
|
|
|
Remember this woman?
While walking her dog in Central Park, Amy Cooper let her dog run free, which was against the park rules. A bird watcher saw her dog running around, told her she should follow the park regulations, and put her dog on a leash. Amy Cooper refused. The birdwatcher asked her again, and Amy called the cops on him. On the phone, she reported to the police that she was assaulted and she’s in danger, and she specifically mentioned the person who “assaulted” her was a black man. And she pretended to be scared and tearing.
And the birdwatcher recorded the whole thing with his phone. We clearly saw that she was not being threatened, she’s not in any kind of danger, she faked the whole thing, and she knew she’s being recorded.
She didn’t care that she’s being recorded. Because she knew, when the police came, the police would most likely take her word for it, and arrest the birdwatcher. She knew if there’s an altercation, the birdwatcher might get beaten or shot by the police. Even if the police saw the recording, they’ll let her go without charging her for filing a false police report.
She knew this from a deep, subconscious level, that the police and penal system of this country are her friends. Rules, for the most part, do not apply to her. She had probably never suffered any consequences for her actions.
The people who “stormed” the Capitol Building also believe, at a very fundamental level, that rules do not apply to them. Especially if they come out in large numbers, under the banner of conservative political ideals.
On top of that, I am pretty sure most of them believe they’re not that different from the colonists who fought the American Independence War. They don’t see themselves as traitors to the country. They see themselves as true patriots who “stormed” the Capitol Building to “save” the country. They’re the heroes in their story, not the villains.
Sure they’re aware that trespassing is a crime, damaging public property is a crime. But just like Amy Cooper believed the police would not charge her for falsifying a police report, these people believe the police would not charge them for such minor, harmless crimes.
Of course, they’d want to record themselves and post it on social media. Because this is their moment. This is their “give me liberty or give me death” moment, except, of course, they won’t die. They’ll occupy the Congress, take the real traitors, Nancy Pelosi and other democrats, as prisoners, have a mock trial and execute them. And set up Donald Trump as the new King of America.
… Sounds… kind of like a reverse independence war.
It’s a revolution! Said Elizabeth from Knoxville Tennessee.
Except, if any of them actually read history, most revolutions end with the revolutionaries getting killed.
Like this guy.
Quite a few people commented that Amy Cooper did get some consequences. Yes, she did. So did many Capital Building rioters.
But do you really think this is the first time these people dismiss the rules or manipulate the rules, or take advantage of our systemic racism? Amy Cooper didn’t care about being recorded because nothing happened in all those times she did this before, on or off camera.
The question I’m trying to answer is “why” these people didn’t care about being caught on camera when doing something clearly illegal. And my answer is: because they had done similar illegal things before and gotten away with it. Why should they care this time? |
|
