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Just Stop Oil Activists Who Threw Tomato Soup at Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ Get Prison Time
(www.artnews.com)
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Are you familiar with civil rights protests?
Yes, big fan.
I love this quote.
Yes, now: Where did civil rights protestors - protest?
On roads and bridges, which the white moderates of their time decried because it was disruptive and made the protest movement look bad.
Indeed.
Now. Explain why they’re all in suits.
Oh, is your complaint now that the Just Stop Oil activists weren't dressed nicely enough? If they were in their Sunday best would you say "ok, now they're protesting right"?
Do you really not see that you're doing exactly what King railed against? The hero of nonviolent protests, the Civil Rights leader so revered after the fact he gets a holiday, was constantly harangued for being too disruptive to the peace of white moderates. "I believe in your cause, but you need to do it in a different way so that no one is bothered." It's called concern trolling now, but it's just the same shit different day.
Same complaint, not new.
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/09/9991107/protest-fashion-clothing-uniform-history-blm
No one “hears” Stop Oil (or whatever their name is/are). They’re metaphorically driving a car through the diner’s window and running off. What the fuck is that. That’s a Tourette's episode, not a protest. That’s a spoiled child’s tantrum, not a plea for action. It’s a random aggression, not a collective call.
What are we supposed to hear them say? Look, they’re going to prison because their genius idea was to . . . throw soup? On a painting?? Okay, that’s. That’s deep, I guess? I don’t get it. I don’t get the meaning. Is the soup supposed to be oil? Why didn’t they just use oil? It - it’s fucking stupid. And I ALREADY AGREE WITH THEM. That’s how stupid an act it is. They really either need to re-think their methods, or just expect to be vilified by all sides for doing stupid stunts.
I don’t respect it, I don’t agree with it, they didn’t even say anything, and now when I argue to cut oil use I get lumped in with these colicky children.
This is literally the white moderates. All these same arguments were made about blocking roads or sit-ins at diners and the "reasonable" moderate of the time dispassionately agreed with their cause but passionately disagreed with their actions. How immature of those negroes to disrupt roadways, don't they know it makes the moderates angry to be lumped in with them when they offhandedly mention that black people should have voting rights at a barbeque before changing the subject to something less divisive?
https://news.gallup.com/vault/246167/protests-seen-harming-civil-rights-movement-60s.aspx
It is the same argument. It’s not the same thing.
Look, is blowing up a bus an effective protest?
Hey here’s some protests you’ll like. https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c728897wz85o