...and it turned into a Barroom Blitz...

In my last blog, Never Split up the Party, I addressed the use of isolation in horror or suspense movies and RPGs to heighten tension. Some of the recent commentary I’ve seen in Social Media as well as in familial and social circles regarding past and present events regarding racially-charged clashes seem on the surface diametrically opposed ; support for either side of aisle is considered “wrong”. What I want to do today is examine social disorder (“rioting”) in its form as a protest, some of the driving factors, and how the horror industry has leveraged this dissonance as a voice to the populace.

I’ll preface this post with a reminder : THIS IS A BLOG. It is an opinion piece. It is meant to evoke thought. I did a marginal (at best) review of literature out there on these topics. I’m not advocating one way or the other of current events…unless I’m explicitly stating it. Some readers may think this cowardly, but the simple fact of the matter is that not one single one of us knows the holistic story - I’m sure the corpus of details will evolve over time culminating in a trial of some sort for the parties involved. Many of us have a visceral reaction to the images we are shown on media, or a propensity to simply play into the memes or a narrative especially if you are not a member of the oppressed (like me). It’s not my intent to venture too far into these waters, but to better understand the cause, effect, and advocate for looking five miles downrange.

TIME Magazine explored the effectiveness of riots in their 2015 article When Rioting is the Answer , which reminded the reader of the simple fact that America was founded on the act of rioting and social dissonance. As noted by historian Williard Randall Starting with the Stamp Act in 1765, the view of the American colonies was that the local colonial leaders should collect taxes for the effort that they had put forth in conquering the land - not the Crown. This led to riots against the injustice of tax collection efforts by the British ultimately resulting in revocation of the collection efforts. According to Randall, this only emboldened Americans to utilize this method to push back against anything the British wanted. For example, leading up to the Boston Massacre of 1770, Colonists frequently attacked shops carrying British goods or soldiers themselves. While I was taught otherwise growing up, the Colonists began as the aggressors that day that ended in the death of Crispus Attucks.; Paul Revere captured this Colonial view by placing a memorial on the spot which furthered ill feelings toward the British Colonialism ending up in further civil disobedience at the Tea Party (1773) and closing of Boston Harbor pending reparations (1774) and providing for British troops under the Quartering Act (1774). The latter were preludes to the Revolutionary War and Declaration of Independence.

I am a proud American, but I have to remember that while many have died to provide me the freedom I enjoy, I have to face the realization that the latter oppressive acts enacted by the British stem directly from the actions of a few. While correct that in this case, this led to a positive change - the British government being an authoritative ruler being overruled by the People, a higher narrative was in play by not just community leadership , but by the Colonial leadership as a whole. In recent events, I opine that this overarching leadership does not exist.

So, what motivates a group to riot if it is leaderless ? Some more critical posts online , the act of burning a Wendy’s or Auto Zone, or (enter the name of your favorite franchise here) has nothing to do with the victim. Still, some others question if those in protest even knew the victim.

There are many studies on group think or psychology of crowd, but I liked the explanation given In the Psychology of Riots- and why it’s never just mindless violence (pub. 2019 by the Conversation)., mostly because they reference JOKER. It breaks down the three theories of mob rule - 1. Individuals lose sense of self/rationality as a member of a mob, 2. the acts are a convergence of individuals who are there explicitly to perform bad acts, and 3. Some of 1 and 2 (as depicted in JOKER) where those who are there explicitly as an element of 2 encourage the sensibilities of normal people to act out as in 1. The behavior of individuals, specifically looking at the St. Paul’s Riot in Bristol, England, demonstrates that in such times that the actions are governed by a shared sense of social identity (a “group mind”) as members of a community; to unite against perceived oppressors. In Bristol, this translated to predominately acting out against the police , and also symbols of wealth and large retail outlets owned by big corporations.

So what is it that turns normal functioning persons into a hive mind when it comes to participation?

As Cited in the Los Angeles Riots : Lessons for the Urban Future , Tierney suggests that a large portion of the unrest stems from limited job prospects, foreign immigration, deindustrialization, global economy, and a loss of high wage manufacturing jobs serve to increase tensions in neighborhoods. According to The Effects of Legal Services Program on Riots and the Wealth of African Americans,

According to Legal Services Agency Survey of 1970, NLSP lawyers spent approximately 30 percent of their time in community advocacy and educational activities, playing a role in the enforcement of new laws related to police conduct and judicial procedure (Champagne 1974). In addition, approximately 7 percent of NLSP cases were devoted to law reform. These cases challenged local, state, and federal law in areas primarily related to welfare rights (Levitan 1969). Test cases were often brought against police departments, challenging police procedures and practices that negatively impacted the poor (Cunningham 2016).

Our results show that legal services reduced both the number of riots and their severity, the effect being substantially larger on severity. 

As cited by the New York Times, the injustices of the Minneapolis Police are many, with the culmination of excessive force complaints to include the veteran of the police department Mr. Floyd’s death. Injustice ? Obviously, there was a venue for complaints; were they valid ? Did the authorities do their due diligence ? This same article cites that :

African-Americans account for about 20 percent of the city’s population, but they are more likely to be pulled over, arrested and have force used against them than white residents, Police Department data shows. And black people accounted for more than 60 percent of the victims in Minneapolis police shootings from late 2009 through May 2019, data shows.

Numbers can be skewed to meet any narrative, in my opinion. While vocalization of perceived injustices, education and advocacy acts as a deterrent - Unfounded rhetoric, from either side of the aisle (in my opinion), requires moderation leads to inflammation. In my opinion, the platforms which are chosen such as social media, sensationalist news, etc. (to include this Blog) may entice either camp to set up barriers to communication. The entertainment industry is no exception; Horror movies have long been a venue to provide an over-the-top view into societal norms and generalizations.

In Fear and Now: How Horror Movies Reflect Societal Unease, the Cold War of the 60’s and 70’s is listed as the most violent decades in America. The blog points to racism being at a boiling point; things changing in America with the traditions of a previous generation gone, and counterculture movements beginning. While the author opines (and I agree) some of the best horror movies ever made was during this time, the reflections on racism and demonization of African Americans are central to movies such as “Night of the Living Dead”. Somehow, somewhere (in my opinion) the vocalization of the African American plight was watered down, replaced with a new fear - extremism and terrorism and made into the virus-based films of the 2000’s. No more do we see this as a venue to satire ongoing racial issues, it seems (in my opinion, but please comment if there is a relevant movie or story I’m missing).

Five Miles Downrange (all opinion):

I believe that there will be a re-emergence of the horror genre as a stepping off point in the racism discussion, but this will be more of a long-term effect; possibly related to the “virus” genre pointed out in Fear and Now in reflection of the Coronavirus.

In the shorter (mid-) term., I think that there will be economic hardships in the urban areas most hard hit by rioting; The Economic Aftermant of the 1960’s Riots cites that there was a significant depression of African-American property between 1960 and 70 and no rebound at all on these properties throughout 1970. This extended to the labor markets, and a racial gap in housing in these areas, which I would assert continues to today. I believe since the events surrounding Freddie Gray, Baltimore is still suffering the consequences.

It’s my hope that in today’s environment, those of the “type 1 rioter” characteristic will come to terms with their pain, and those that are in authority are held accountable (per the facts of the case) for their actions. I also hope leaders take action to minimize the probability of riot occurrence through stabilizing and enabling minority communities allowing them to grow and interact.

Friends, be mindful of your rhetoric; seek solutions.