[FRIAM] Fallback in barbarism

[Merle Lefkoff]

I am fascinated by Eric's take on what happened.  I guess you had to be
here.  It's going to get worse and probably more violent as we draw closer
to the inauguration.  Social media platforms used by these demonstrators
are filled with plans for the next mobilization.  And speaking to a friend
in D.C. today, law enforcement has been finding many molotov cocktails and
other incendiary devices planted around the capitol that have now been
removed.

On Thu, Jan 7, 2021 at 9:07 PM Eric Charles <eric.phillip.charles at gmail.com>
wrote:

> (My take, copy-paste from other social media, a around 10 pm yesterday)
>
> Someone posted something asking for positive thoughts and things we are
> hopeful for (to contrast the news cycle), but honestly:
> All considered, so far I'm hopeful for exactly the things others find
> heavy. There were a few thousand peaceful protestors in DC and at the
> absolute most a few hundred who wanted to cause trouble. And it looks like
> it's done. Honestly, that's WAY less violence than I was worried about, and
> it looks like it's petered out already. I get that the symbolism of it
> happening at the Capitol is particularly disturbing, but it's not an honest
> threat of a coup, it's not an uprising, and I'm less worried about those
> things now than I was before.
> I seriously thought there would be incidents like this an 20-30 locations,
> that many of the protestors would be armed and intent on firing, that they
> would be prepared to lay siege to buildings, etc. I think the delayed
> declaration of the winner took much of the wind out of both sides.
> For those watching from abroad, this is NOT in any way a serious coup
> attempt. If you are watching news spinning it that way... well.. it just
> wasn't. I am already seeing the news cycle rewriting it to be more than it
> was. Even with a person shot and several arrests, in a country of
> 330,000,000 people, at most a few hundred hoodlums acting like idiots is
> not a coup. Those individuals could potentially be charged with some pretty
> serious crimes, but they were not in any way an organized group trying to
> incite insurrection, and it now seems clear that no bigger group with that
> goal is arising anytime soon. They had no military backing, no internal
> structure, no actual agenda. They had nothing.
>
> There wasn't even enough resolve to stay in the DC streets past the 6 pm
> curfew. There isn't a fraction of the resolve shown by the BLM protestors,
> Occupy Wallstreet, or even the Bundy's in that Wildlife Refuge stand off.
> They are angry, they are willing to break things, but have no agenda and no
> resolve.
>
> Had the Capitol had a few score more police officers (which they obviously
> should have), it sure seems like this would have been nothing.
>
>
> <echarles at american.edu>
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 7, 2021 at 10:04 PM <thompnickson2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> J-
>>
>>
>>
>> Oldest RUNNING democracy in the world;  perhaps the miracle is that it
>> hasn’t happened before now.
>>
>>
>>
>> N
>>
>>
>>
>> Nicholas Thompson
>>
>> Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology
>>
>> Clark University
>>
>> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com
>>
>> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> *On Behalf Of *Jochen Fromm
>> *Sent:* Thursday, January 7, 2021 4:01 PM
>> *To:* The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <
>> friam at redfish.com>
>> *Subject:* [FRIAM] Fallback in barbarism
>>
>>
>>
>> I must say the images from CNN which we receive here in Europe are a bit
>> disturbing. The mob that stormed the heart of American democracy felt like
>> anarchy, like a fallback in barbaric ancient times - the time of Barbarians
>> vs Romans or even the stone age. It is like Neanderthals found a way to use
>> a time machine to travel into the 21st century: one guy was dressed in fur
>> pelts and was holding a wooden stick like a wizard from Lord of the Rings,
>> and one half-naked guy was wearing furs and horns (the one known as "Q
>> shaman"). Long-haired bearded guys have been looting stuff like cavemen -
>> in the center of Washington D.C.!
>>
>> https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-ELECTION/PROTESTS/qmyvmqewmvr/
>>
>>
>>
>> How is this possible in the oldest democracy of the world?
>>
>>
>>
>> -J.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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-- 
Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
Center for Emergent Diplomacy
emergentdiplomacy.org
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

mobile:  (303) 859-5609
skype:  merle.lelfkoff2
twitter: @merle110
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