PROTESTORS = 1ST AMENDMENT

PROTESTERS = 1ST AMENDMENT. LOOTERS & RIOTERS = DICKS.

AGITATORS WITH ROCKS = DICKS. PROVACATEURS = FRENCH DICKS.

CLEAR? BACK TO THE DISCUSSION.

Man I love the word “Conflate” and use it often. Usually incorrectly. The definition of it is: “The verb conflate comes to us from the Latin word conflare, which literally means ‘to blow together.’ So think of using this word when you want to talk about two things getting thrown together and combined.”

So, “I conflated my Jack with my Coke yesterday, and it was delicious!” I think is the correct usage. Or, “On Pornhub there are 11,474,219 videos to watch people conflating each other’s parts. Lot of people being blown on there.” Is also ok. I’m just guessing about that 11 million Pornhub number. I use YouPorn. The point is, “conflate” has always been confounding to me in terms of exactly how to use it. But I’m pretty sure people are conflating the protestors with looters, conflating the protestors with rioters, and conflating the protestors with agitators. I really don’t know how to recognize a provocateur unless they’re wearing a beret. Them and mimes. And I hate them both. Trump loves mimes. That imaginary wall thing they do makes him smile every time.

In high school the agitators were the jocks yelling “Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight!” to get 2 kids who really had no beef with each other to throw down. Now, agitators could be anyone with an agenda beyond helping America become a place where all can feel safe. White Supremacists, Antifa (I threw them in for my white friends), Anarchists, black kids who gotta have Supreme shoes, white kids raiding Louis Vuitton. Pick whichever culprit fits your political need. I just heard of a far right wing group called Boogaloo? Your guys’ cultural appropriation is out of control. I know “Breakin’ 2 Electric Boogaloo” wasn’t great, but you don’t get to steal the whole fucking concept! But I think it’s important, as we move forward while talking about what’s going down in the streets of America, to be very clear in our language about who’s who. Because if we conflate everyone on the streets marching for systemic change with simple criminals, it misses the point of what’s going on. Let’s understand that change has been, is, and is going to be messy and complicated. And the criticism of what’s going on has to be as layered and nuanced as the factors that caused people to protest, riot, loot, and provoke in the first place. March on my peaceful protestors. All others? And I don’t want to hear, “What about the cops and those violently suppressing the protesters?” That’s a different post. Stay on topic.

I think the Reverend Al Sharpton said it perfectly yesterday when he opined, “There’s a difference between those (that are) calling for peace, and those calling for quiet. Some of ya’ll don’t want peace, you just want quiet. You just want us to shut up and suffer in silence... We are going (working) to Make America Great for Everybody for the First Time!” Damn! If only making America great for everybody was going to be easy and the answers black and white. We get black and white.