So, the Jon Stewart reaction to the Charleston shooting that's going around....

Jun 19, 2015, 2:21 PM

Anybody else find it kind of nonsensical? I appreciate what seems like his genuine depth of feeling, but the stuff about the "disproportionate" reaction to something like this versus international terrorism is silly. I'll be very surprised if Roof was connected to any kind of network other than the imaginary network of black people trying to ruin whatever it is Roof values in his head. So I'm not sure exactly what it is Strewart thinks is comparable to Al Qaeda being hosted by the Taliban, or Saddam Hussein leading the nation of Iraq. Maybe it's appropriate to call what Roof did "terrorism," but I don't see how it would at all be appropriate to react to what he did in the same way we reacted to Islamic terrorism.

Also, does anyone remember the outrage some people had a few years ago when the DHS said that we needed to shift our focus towards "right wing" terror groups? If you'd asked me then, I would've told you we were actually spending a disproportionate amount of time on domestic terror.

Finally, the motive for these kinds of comments where people look for differences in how a white criminal (maybe "terrorist") is treated and how a foreign or black criminal or terrorist is treated is incredibly agenda driven. Major differences between the offenders and the events that occurred- other than race, of course- get ignored in order to advance a point. It's like these people think of everything bad that happens as just another opportunity to advance an argument about racial grievances. One particularly stupid example is the people wondering why Roof is described as "quiet and withdrawn" while some black criminals and rioters get described as "thugs" and have people looking into their criminal background. Those people entirely ignore the major differences in the crime committed, the difference in criminals' mental states, and the hilarious willful ignorance of some black criminals' background when they're first reported on. Of course, they're also ignoring that as soon as Roof was identified, people pointed out that he was a drug user and that he was illegally given a gun.

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

I think much like Islamic Terrorism, our responses to these terrorist attacks tend to go overboard in rhetoric and belief. Unlike with Islamic Terrorism though, the public's hyperbolic response to domestic terrorist attacks like Charleston tend to be almost solely for catharsis with very little action based on the catharsis. The media sees them as "content providers." Something that allows them ratings for multiple days until the public has satiated their emotional needs and goes back to being apathetic about the world. Rinse and repeat.

Islamic Terrorism is much more active in response, even if the threat level is the same or less. Things like the Patriot Act and NSA spying get implemented with the understood belief that the discarding of rights will help make us safer. A fact that even the CIA has said isn't accurate. Where or what is the balance?

That's the disproportionate response Stewart is talking about. Though, I would disagree with him that there needs to be a grand state based response to acts like this outside of what the law already directs. (I believe he's for banning guns, which I think is a disproportionate response)

The kid in Charleston had a plan to murder multiple people and to start a war. He picked a historic place that would carry the most impact. It was based on hate and race. It's closer to terrorism than simple murder, but then what is and isn't defined as "terrorism" (a tactic) is often too broad and based solely on the agenda that is driving for a particular response.

So, the Jon Stewart reaction to the Charleston shooting that's going around....

C'mon man. Didn't you hear the audience be all silent?

The whole 'way he was treated' thing is what really gets me

Yes, the connection to the flag seems pretty tenuous

Re: Yes, the connection to the flag seems pretty tenuous

No, Stewart is right, but...

Absolutely. Hard to tell exactly what his point is.

Re: So, the Jon Stewart reaction to the Charleston shooting that's going around....

That's what all those words in the post are about

TigerBoard POTD