futurebird's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a riot!
I have never been in a riot. That�s probably why I maintain some sort of sense of romance about them. What if the people just all got mad at once? What if they took their anger out into the streets? I think there is something in me that longs for a good riot. That can�t be healthy. People die in riots. Riots are a sort of primal form of communication: when words fail speak through destruction of property and lives. Nothing I have to say requires that much force. Yet. I have this wonderful idea for a way to protest the freeways here in Pittsburgh. I think it would be amazing if some people planned a concert/gettogether to take place on the freeway during rush hour right where it cuts off the hill district under the over pass in the streets. It�d be like a riot but non-violent, I hope. At 5:00 a few brave soles would go out into the street and stop traffic then set up a stage and hang out there till they got arrested. The idea titillates me. Still, it�s not a very wise form of protest. Write letters, go to meetings, read, do research. That is what is required first and if that won�t work then comes the civil disobedience. Force the law to illustrate it�s force. Have them bring out the dogs and it will be clear who the bad guys are. I understand why the kids in Seattle smashed the windows of the McDonalds. I don�t condone it. But I understand the emotion behind the action. It�s the same one that could drive me to stand in traffic shouting �Stop! Stop! Don�t you see what you�ve done!?� Now the real challenge is to turn the emotion to constructive action. It�s easy to throw a tempertantrum. But all a tempertantrum will do is cause people to treat you like a toddler. Now if I care about this so much I will write the letters. I will go too the meetings. I will do my best to achieve my goal without all that extra . . . . drama. But I love drama. So, secretly, I wish for riots. It�d prove that I wasn�t the only one who was angry. That�s something. Right? 16:48:33 - 2001-02-07 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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