Hello, this will be more timely newsletters/posts about the ongoings of Global Affairs Politics, Economics, Cultural trends etc. Amount undetermined. As such they will vary in length and will likely be less timeless than the posts found on medium. This may also contain more opinion *gasp* than medium, so be warned. :p
On Riots
Over the past week (May 25th 2020) America has been fraught with violence, riots, and protests. These actions have spread globally. Whether you believe these protests & riots are moral or immoral is your domain, not mine.
While the National Guard has called in to secure American Cities, America will still remain divided. Partisanship has and will continue to increase as we draw closer towards the election. A “Hot” Summer akin to the 1970’s filled with angst and violence is likely; as people weary from Corona and unable to vent their frustrations until at minimum November.
In the short term violence will probably peak the first week of Junes as the National Guard becomes more militant and policies are enforced. However, the underlying issues people believe to be the cause of this: racism, cronyism, and corruption have not been dealt with. Without that being dealt with, or at minimum the perception of it, more violence is inevitable.
With all that said if Coronavirus is as serious as we have been lead to believe, we should see a spike within two weeks thanks to the massive protests around the World. Pushing a potential second wave in the fall to a third wave by default.
The Future of Violence.
We have seen protesters use tactics similar to networked cells to organize, coordinate, and act via social media and other communication methods. Protestors have begun organically learning lessons from the protests in Hong Kong despite the lack of interaction. We should expect all future protests to be far more advanced than run of the mill flash mobs.
Given the large amount of balkanization & tribalism we should expect far more protests, riots, and violence going forward. If one man’s death can trigger millions of people into solidarity and action; many more will try to emulate certain aspects to draw attention to their cause. Paired with decentralized warfare tools such as drones, every small group can now effectively wage war against the police and their enemies.
The Logic of Violence dictates if it’s easier to commit violence and the consequences are the same, there will be more violence. Violence is the new normal of Society.
Coda
Beyond the violence and Coronavirus, I’d guess we actually have a normal summer. This of course is nothing more than a hunch. In stories and myths there is often a calm before the storm. A lull before the final overture. We have been hit with an onslaught and continuous torrent of events. Such ferocity can only last for so long, it will subside.
Enjoy the peace. If I had to guess as to the length of the peace it would be until mid-August, which is when the political machine is in full earnest.
*Note that peace does mean “quiet”, given 2020 a handful of events will still occur, but not to the same scale or speed.
Catch your breath, move, travel, be in nature, visit family, enjoy the summer.
Who knows what Life holds.
Events Missed in the News:
US & UK Opens the Door for HK 300k citizens after China subsumes Hong Kong.
Forced Social Isolation Causes Neural Craving Similar to Hunger?