I know this is probably not news to anyone but it dawned on me the other day that in American society, there are folks that believe rioting is cool. No matter what you hear on the news or in daily conversations about the perils and selfishness of WHY people riot, there’s an underlying truth that runs from the west coast to the east coast, but let’s be honest, it probably mostly started in California. In fact, California rapper TuPac even rapped about rioting in his song “California Love.”
Did you catch the line about the not-so-civil disobedience? He raps, “Only in Cali will we riot, not rally,” while praising other things like partying, being out on bail, and other random activities that will put them back in jail. Perhaps there should be a whole blog post just about rap music elevating deviant behavior because being bad is good. But for now, we’ll stick with just rioting.
This song was released (1995) a few years after the Rodney King police brutality situation (1991), so riots and rallies were still very much relevant to the American people. Now in 2021, riots and rallies are still very relevant and sadly, are still viewed by the public as “good trouble.” I guess it’s only NOT good trouble if you’re one of the store owners or employees that are hurt or negatively affected by the burning, looting, and general destruction of the place you work or earn your living. But those sacrifices are acceptable, right? I mean, riots are cool.
Kind of like disobeying the law is frowned upon, but video games like Grand Theft Auto are super popular, and elevate this kind of behavior in social circles.
What do you think about how our culture treats rioting? Do folks who riot get a free pass if they’re doing it for revenge on some perceived wrong that was committed? Or do two wrongs still not make a right?
Thanks for stopping by!
-Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness 