Carnage in Kenosha

One way to view the carnage in Kenosha is generic Hollywood drivel packed with tropes. Much in the same way every vapid crime scene show has a quirky lab technician, it follows the standard “BLM Riot” script:

-A criminal of color resists arrest
-This goes poorly for him
-The police are immediately condemned by relevant public authorities without due process
-Evidence considered exculpatory by the general public is initially withheld
-Rioting commences, mostly unimpeded by law enforcement
-Authorities refuse outside intervention
-More death and destruction ensue
-Limited intervention is accepted, city smolders
-No blame is acknowledged by the officials who let it all happen

Rinse and repeat. Please remember to suspend your disbelief if you want to get through the whole thing. It’s just like any other show. For example, never question the wisdom of attacking an armed man displaying no aggression. That’s like asking why a character should venture down into the dark basement of a haunted house.

Likewise, after the protagonist drops the first bad guy, don’t question why the rest keep coming. Human wave attacks are the bread and butter of action scenes. Imagine if you were watching a 007 film, and after Bond smashes a hired goon, his colleagues all walked off the job? You’d probably walk out of the theater.

Most importantly, never dispute the underlying premise. Sure, you may find yourself in a rage at why anyone would feel it’s acceptable to burn down a store and beat its elderly owner unconscious, but how could anyone in Hollywood sell a script with your stodgy values?

If you’re sitting at home wondering out loud why any of this is happening in the first place since it would be simple and completely legal to prevent, then shut up because you’re ruining this for the rest of the family. Remember how annoying it was as a kid when grandpa would yell at the TV? You’re turning into a bitter old man.

Think of Kenosha as any other reboot they keep churning out. If the concept works, it gets used again and again. Like it or not, the “BLM riot” is a concept that clearly works. It’s incredibly easy, too. A bunch of chumps invest years of capital and man hours into a commercial block, and in just an hour, it can be looted and set alight. Just like superhero movies, there won’t be any end in sight.

Tom Shackleford

I’m proud to officially announce my candidacy for the office of Dogcatcher.