As predicted, we are on the brink of a powder-keg situation the likes of which the U.S. has not seen for at least half a century.
The straw that broke the camel's back appears to be the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed in police custody. Footage of Floyd's death has quickly circulated and is being presented as the sort of police brutality that Black Lives Matter is routinely directed towards Black people. This helps to explain the protests we are now seeing, which have unleashed a wave of destruction not unlike the Ferguson riots (2014) and Los Angeles riots (1992). We may, however, be in for something even wilder, exceeding the chaos of the riots which took place during the "long, hot summer of 1967". Below explains why.
1. The Black population: then and now
Because the incident involving Floyd has been framed to illustrate mistreatment of the Black community, America's Black population has been pulled into the protests. Blacks also played a major role in the protests of 1967. But a number of important changes have taken place since that time. First, the number of Blacks living in America has doubled, from approximately 22 million to 44 million. Second, while this population is still primarily concentrated in America's cities, the number of cities where Blacks are a large minority has increased. Some cities have even become overwhelmingly populated by Blacks (recommended reading: De-Facto Segregation in the United States). This could make it more difficult to contain the protests. In fact, we might even expect support from the Blacks who these urban populations elected into office.
By contrast, in 1967, Blacks lacked administrative representation. They were the majority population in a few major Southern cities, but hardly anywhere else. This limited the scope of the riots - even if White businesses and residences were indeed affected, triggering the White flight sensation shown below:
Since that time, White flight has intensified to the point where Whites are now a minority in nearly every major city, creating the solidly-Black cities mentioned above while giving America's cities a completely new face (see: Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles) both demographically and administratively.
As if that were not enough to explain why the current situation is more explosive than that of 1967, today's Black demographic is relatively young and conditioned to be set off by the slightest notion of Black oppression; Black oppression has become a feature topic in media discourse and the education system, two sources of social conditioning that portray Black Lives Matter as a just and necessary cause. The situation today is also enhanced by the internet - or, more specifically, by social media channels like Twitter, which have become a tool to spread awareness and organize for Black activist causes. These are just a few of the reasons why the situation in 2020 is much more explosive than 1967. But there is more to consider.
Keep in mind that the death of Floyd was at the hands of at least one police officer who is White; with the assumption being that there was a racial motive in that officer's conduct, Floyd's death has been rolled into a narrative where systematic racism is the culprit. Blacks have been pumped full of this message from all angles, including the progressive press and Democratic Party, particularly in the interest of polarizing U.S. President Donald Trump of the rival Republican Party, feeding the narrative that Trump is a symbol of racism and must be destroyed (through the Democratic Party, of course). In regards to the rhetoric, the elected officials presiding over largely-Black cities also play a role, seeing opportunity to lead a movement for their kind and politicize the situation to their best interests. Of course, the average citizen understands none of this, and simply feels whatever he or she is pushed to feel. But, regardless of the source of impulse, we are dealing with Blacks who believe the entire power structure is racist and ought to be dismantled.
2. Anti-Trump and pro-migrant Hispanics:
Blacks are not the only ones who may feel animosity towards the U.S. and join the ranks of resistance. There is also the Hispanic community, which has grown at a rapid pace and is by far America's second-largest demographic. The 2016 Republican Party platform captured the sentiments of those who fear the unchecked growth of the migrant population, and it was enough to secure an election victory. That strategy has come at a cost, however, fueling the fire for the Democrats to continue their narrative about Trump and America's racism. Thus, with the alleged connection between racism and the riots, we see how these protests might be an outlet for expression by the Hispanics, too. Note the Mexican flag on display here:
Bear in mind that Hispanics have become the majority population in nearly all of the cities where Blacks have not; thus, with the drop in the White population share from around 83% to just over 60% in 2020, we see a completely new layer to the protests, where Blacks and Hispanics are equally aware that America is changing and, perceiving racial injustice in the society led by the collapsing majority, inclined to feel more empowered to make their voice heard and demonstrate that they are coming from a position of increased strength. This may overlap with a desire within each group to project itself at the front of the new post-America. Needless to say, these animating factors did not exist within the context of the 1967 riots.
3. White social-justice warriors:
Influenced by the media, their education and social conditioning, many Whites - especially liberals - become furious at the thought of racial profiling or a racially-motivated act. These feelings translate into strong support for the concerns raised amidst the riots, and strong support for the rioting itself, as if it were a moral crusade. Just look at the expression of indignation:
The same narrative concerning Trump comes into play here, too. Trump is depicted as the one holding back progress towards - according to their world view - a better society which can be achieved only through the destruction of the white supremacist patriarchy. In any case, none of these factors were aligned in such a way that contributed to the riots of 1967.
But wait, there's more.
4. Libertarians and Anonymous:
To the Libertarians, Floyd is not a symbol of race and racial repression, but an individual who was abused by corrupt representatives of authority. Defending against such a thing speaks to the heart and fantasy of libertarians, and Floyd's case seems to fall within the parameters to invoke support along those lines. We have already seen libertarian actors, such as the famous whistle-blower and cyber-hacking cell "Anonymous", enter the fray:
Intervention by "Anonymous" could lead to an expose pertaining to the police or the elite who the police protect - perhaps something even pertaining to "Swamp and Deep State" themes, the sort of thing that Wikileaks and Q-Anon became known for.
If so, that could really expand what is at stake and amplify the outrage. We can only speculate as to what that effect would be, but it could tap into the sentiments of the dissident right.
Then there are those who are angry about police brutality, in general. They see Floyd's case and see another Tony Timpa incident, where a man who happened to be White needlessly died in connection with the misconduct of Dallas law enforcement. They might speak of Duncan Lemp, who was killed in bed by police under suspicious circumstances, and whose parents have been threatened with jail time for going public about the matter.
These types are animated by their belief that the U.S. is supposed to serve the people and their interests. They believe we live in a police state serving the government and global corporations they represent. They believe that the right to bear arms is a necessary means to prevent government tyranny, and have an itchy trigger finger for the moment that the police use violence to quell the riot, like at Kent State, which would given them the justification to launch their all-out, "good vs. evil" war against the government. Should something like that happen, it would be nothing like the riots of 1967.
5. Socialists, anarchists, Antifa and young millenials, in general
But there is another group that could play an equally-decisive role, including those who understand that the country is growing poorer, see the middle class being squeezed out of existence and support universal base income (UBI) as well as universal healthcare. These are the sort of people who, under a different set of circumstances, would perhaps have been happy to just engage the system politically. But, for the second time now, their progressive candidate - Bernie Sanders - has been betrayed by the Democratic Party ticket. They are getting frustrated, perhaps even beginning to think that the system is rigged so every U.S. Presidential Election will feature centrist candidates who vow to preserve the status quo. They have suffered during the coronavirus lockdown, and are bitter about the general population getting mere table scraps to finance rent while the ultra-rich got bailed out to the tune of trillions. They are tired of the phony "togetherness" commercials, and know that companies like Amazon have gotten only richer still during the lockdown.
The difference between this group and the Occupy Wall Street and the World Trade Organization riot participants of yesteryear has merely been a matter of restraint. But add boredom and fatigue from the lockdown to record-high unemployment, the specter of future layoffs, rage about the political situation and sentiment about a stolen future, and suddenly the anguish is starting to boil over. People are fed up.
This is true of the young anarchists and apolitical types as well, many of whom are millenials or younger, and are ready to overturn the apple cart. They hate the phoniness of the elite. They hate the student loan scam. They hate that they have been sold up the river, and that they have no future. They are also likely to be excited by the idea of a riot, especially after being in lockdown for months. There is also the prospect of individual opportunism to consider in the riots, especially in so far as looting is concerned. Helping everything along, this young generation was raised in a highly pessimistic, angry, narcissistic culture that promoted the sort of mentality that can only now fuel the riots. All of these factors point towards a situation completely alien to the one that existed in 1967, and much more potent. One writer summarized the phenomenon fairly well:
7. Conclusion
And so, we have all the ingredients for a meltdown: the race riots, the post-2016 anti-Trump agitation and the working class feeling like they were sold down the river. Mix, shake and stir that in with the increasingly bleak picture in terms of American power, rising costs of living as well as decreasing standards of living and you get a fruity cocktail of chaos and destruction. In other words, we are talking a powder keg situation to which the long, hot summer of 1967 riots simply cannot be compared. All that is missing in the long, hot summer of 2020 is one small misstep - or misfire - by the police in a riot that is already spurred by police brutality and we will be talking an eruption on par with a tsunami-causing earthquake, followed by a supervolcano and realigning of the poles. Yes, that kind of event.
In this context, however, we can begin to understand think tank Deagel's forecast for what things might look like two decades from now, with a projected population loss of 99 million (more on this in a future post):
 |
Picture at the scene of George Floyd's
death in May 2020 |
1. The Black population: then and now
Because the incident involving Floyd has been framed to illustrate mistreatment of the Black community, America's Black population has been pulled into the protests. Blacks also played a major role in the protests of 1967. But a number of important changes have taken place since that time. First, the number of Blacks living in America has doubled, from approximately 22 million to 44 million. Second, while this population is still primarily concentrated in America's cities, the number of cities where Blacks are a large minority has increased. Some cities have even become overwhelmingly populated by Blacks (recommended reading: De-Facto Segregation in the United States). This could make it more difficult to contain the protests. In fact, we might even expect support from the Blacks who these urban populations elected into office.
By contrast, in 1967, Blacks lacked administrative representation. They were the majority population in a few major Southern cities, but hardly anywhere else. This limited the scope of the riots - even if White businesses and residences were indeed affected, triggering the White flight sensation shown below:
Since that time, White flight has intensified to the point where Whites are now a minority in nearly every major city, creating the solidly-Black cities mentioned above while giving America's cities a completely new face (see: Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles) both demographically and administratively.
As if that were not enough to explain why the current situation is more explosive than that of 1967, today's Black demographic is relatively young and conditioned to be set off by the slightest notion of Black oppression; Black oppression has become a feature topic in media discourse and the education system, two sources of social conditioning that portray Black Lives Matter as a just and necessary cause. The situation today is also enhanced by the internet - or, more specifically, by social media channels like Twitter, which have become a tool to spread awareness and organize for Black activist causes. These are just a few of the reasons why the situation in 2020 is much more explosive than 1967. But there is more to consider.
Keep in mind that the death of Floyd was at the hands of at least one police officer who is White; with the assumption being that there was a racial motive in that officer's conduct, Floyd's death has been rolled into a narrative where systematic racism is the culprit. Blacks have been pumped full of this message from all angles, including the progressive press and Democratic Party, particularly in the interest of polarizing U.S. President Donald Trump of the rival Republican Party, feeding the narrative that Trump is a symbol of racism and must be destroyed (through the Democratic Party, of course). In regards to the rhetoric, the elected officials presiding over largely-Black cities also play a role, seeing opportunity to lead a movement for their kind and politicize the situation to their best interests. Of course, the average citizen understands none of this, and simply feels whatever he or she is pushed to feel. But, regardless of the source of impulse, we are dealing with Blacks who believe the entire power structure is racist and ought to be dismantled.
2. Anti-Trump and pro-migrant Hispanics:
Blacks are not the only ones who may feel animosity towards the U.S. and join the ranks of resistance. There is also the Hispanic community, which has grown at a rapid pace and is by far America's second-largest demographic. The 2016 Republican Party platform captured the sentiments of those who fear the unchecked growth of the migrant population, and it was enough to secure an election victory. That strategy has come at a cost, however, fueling the fire for the Democrats to continue their narrative about Trump and America's racism. Thus, with the alleged connection between racism and the riots, we see how these protests might be an outlet for expression by the Hispanics, too. Note the Mexican flag on display here:
Bear in mind that Hispanics have become the majority population in nearly all of the cities where Blacks have not; thus, with the drop in the White population share from around 83% to just over 60% in 2020, we see a completely new layer to the protests, where Blacks and Hispanics are equally aware that America is changing and, perceiving racial injustice in the society led by the collapsing majority, inclined to feel more empowered to make their voice heard and demonstrate that they are coming from a position of increased strength. This may overlap with a desire within each group to project itself at the front of the new post-America. Needless to say, these animating factors did not exist within the context of the 1967 riots.
3. White social-justice warriors:
Influenced by the media, their education and social conditioning, many Whites - especially liberals - become furious at the thought of racial profiling or a racially-motivated act. These feelings translate into strong support for the concerns raised amidst the riots, and strong support for the rioting itself, as if it were a moral crusade. Just look at the expression of indignation:
The same narrative concerning Trump comes into play here, too. Trump is depicted as the one holding back progress towards - according to their world view - a better society which can be achieved only through the destruction of the white supremacist patriarchy. In any case, none of these factors were aligned in such a way that contributed to the riots of 1967.
But wait, there's more.
4. Libertarians and Anonymous:
To the Libertarians, Floyd is not a symbol of race and racial repression, but an individual who was abused by corrupt representatives of authority. Defending against such a thing speaks to the heart and fantasy of libertarians, and Floyd's case seems to fall within the parameters to invoke support along those lines. We have already seen libertarian actors, such as the famous whistle-blower and cyber-hacking cell "Anonymous", enter the fray:
Intervention by "Anonymous" could lead to an expose pertaining to the police or the elite who the police protect - perhaps something even pertaining to "Swamp and Deep State" themes, the sort of thing that Wikileaks and Q-Anon became known for.
If so, that could really expand what is at stake and amplify the outrage. We can only speculate as to what that effect would be, but it could tap into the sentiments of the dissident right.
Then there are those who are angry about police brutality, in general. They see Floyd's case and see another Tony Timpa incident, where a man who happened to be White needlessly died in connection with the misconduct of Dallas law enforcement. They might speak of Duncan Lemp, who was killed in bed by police under suspicious circumstances, and whose parents have been threatened with jail time for going public about the matter.
What about Duncan Lemp who was shot in his sleep? Police won’t release the bodycam footage and threatened his family with jail time for protesting. https://t.co/rymMcqAK4t— Tyler Goble (@TylerGobl) May 30, 2020
These types are animated by their belief that the U.S. is supposed to serve the people and their interests. They believe we live in a police state serving the government and global corporations they represent. They believe that the right to bear arms is a necessary means to prevent government tyranny, and have an itchy trigger finger for the moment that the police use violence to quell the riot, like at Kent State, which would given them the justification to launch their all-out, "good vs. evil" war against the government. Should something like that happen, it would be nothing like the riots of 1967.
5. Socialists, anarchists, Antifa and young millenials, in general
But there is another group that could play an equally-decisive role, including those who understand that the country is growing poorer, see the middle class being squeezed out of existence and support universal base income (UBI) as well as universal healthcare. These are the sort of people who, under a different set of circumstances, would perhaps have been happy to just engage the system politically. But, for the second time now, their progressive candidate - Bernie Sanders - has been betrayed by the Democratic Party ticket. They are getting frustrated, perhaps even beginning to think that the system is rigged so every U.S. Presidential Election will feature centrist candidates who vow to preserve the status quo. They have suffered during the coronavirus lockdown, and are bitter about the general population getting mere table scraps to finance rent while the ultra-rich got bailed out to the tune of trillions. They are tired of the phony "togetherness" commercials, and know that companies like Amazon have gotten only richer still during the lockdown.
The difference between this group and the Occupy Wall Street and the World Trade Organization riot participants of yesteryear has merely been a matter of restraint. But add boredom and fatigue from the lockdown to record-high unemployment, the specter of future layoffs, rage about the political situation and sentiment about a stolen future, and suddenly the anguish is starting to boil over. People are fed up.
This is true of the young anarchists and apolitical types as well, many of whom are millenials or younger, and are ready to overturn the apple cart. They hate the phoniness of the elite. They hate the student loan scam. They hate that they have been sold up the river, and that they have no future. They are also likely to be excited by the idea of a riot, especially after being in lockdown for months. There is also the prospect of individual opportunism to consider in the riots, especially in so far as looting is concerned. Helping everything along, this young generation was raised in a highly pessimistic, angry, narcissistic culture that promoted the sort of mentality that can only now fuel the riots. All of these factors point towards a situation completely alien to the one that existed in 1967, and much more potent. One writer summarized the phenomenon fairly well:
[They] got a bad deal with the college scams and unprepared for real life, are deep in sublimation, that is they are channeling their own internal angers at the system through this Black Lives Matter movement. Millennials are likely to be poorer than their parents, not own a home, have less children, and over-all have a lower lifestyle than their parents or even grand-parents. And, they all know this and are pissed about it.
Millennials will get the worst of it, as they return to work to perhaps find their job deleted or asked to work for less. Many will most likely be laid off again in a few months as businesses close as the realization that there is no recovery. There is also a very large core of Millennials who lived off of their parents, who see themselves as 'entitled', view society as one big scam, and want to see it all burn down. They have no plan for any new society...they just are twisted enough to just want to burn down what they see now.
When the Millennials decide that the law should not apply to them, then its just Racism and Oppression, the Patriarchy and White Supremacy in action. For many of them, I think the riots and looting is one big live action video game. I firmly believe there is no real plan that they have, nor do they even think of any consequences that may occur.
7. Conclusion
And so, we have all the ingredients for a meltdown: the race riots, the post-2016 anti-Trump agitation and the working class feeling like they were sold down the river. Mix, shake and stir that in with the increasingly bleak picture in terms of American power, rising costs of living as well as decreasing standards of living and you get a fruity cocktail of chaos and destruction. In other words, we are talking a powder keg situation to which the long, hot summer of 1967 riots simply cannot be compared. All that is missing in the long, hot summer of 2020 is one small misstep - or misfire - by the police in a riot that is already spurred by police brutality and we will be talking an eruption on par with a tsunami-causing earthquake, followed by a supervolcano and realigning of the poles. Yes, that kind of event.
In this context, however, we can begin to understand think tank Deagel's forecast for what things might look like two decades from now, with a projected population loss of 99 million (more on this in a future post):
