Bad Boys II

[Dill]

(05-30-2020, 08:48 PM)hollodero Wrote: It is besides the point, that's what I mean. For it does not matter if the owner is black or white or asian or anything. I see no reason to make that distinction, I feel it is misplaced and tribal. I consider those words to be thoughtless.
(And sure one reason for that is that his words can easily be construed as saying it is a bit more ok to burn down stores from non-black people. I did not necessarily hear it that way, bit it is not that far-fetched really.)

I assumed that Sharpton was addressing the black community in currently rioting cities and in those where riots were a possibility. Let's take a look at the fuller context. Condemning the destruction in Minneapolis, and addressing the question of how to productively channel outrage, Sharpton says:

"You don't do it by appearing criminal yourself, . . . .We are not the ones that inflict the pain. We are the ones that have been pained, and our reaction must show that and highlight that. Otherwise, people will exploit that and change the focus into demonizing those that conduct themselves in a violent way rather than those saying, as the Floyd family is saying, we want justice.". . .

"Some of the stores that are being damaged are black-owned stores!" Sharpton exclaimed. "So we cannot become so reckless that we are destroying each other in our rage."

So as any competent rhetorician should, he addresses his audience on their own ethical ground, in a manner which recognizes their interests and goals. If you want to fight the subjection of the black community by the dominant white, then how does it make sense to burn black businesses, thereby hurting the people in whose interest you claim to act?  "All lives matter" would be completely tone deaf here, for that audience, since post-racial ideology has been a major obstacle to reform.  Sharpton is more voice saying "Violence changes the subject and just helps 'the man,' so stop it!"

Unless one construes Sharpton to be saying that people won't demonize the violent if they choose to burn only white and Asian business instead of black, it would be hard to get "ok to burn non-black business" from his comments.