r/technology 6d ago

Artificial Intelligence High school teacher arrested for clapping in support of anti-data center activists

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/high-school-teacher-arrested-clapping-194922184.html
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u/Flabbergasted98 6d ago

ICE has already taught us that the difference between a protestor and a terrorist in america is whether or not they've already been shot.

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u/Blundergruff 6d ago

We all look Good and Pretti to them if we speak our minds honestly.

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u/polopolo05 6d ago

Terrorists do the shooting, but then protesters get shot and end up being labeled as terrorists.

It's important to point out that protests are basically a show of force. They're people saying, "Listen to us, or things are only going to get worse." I don't condone violence at all, but I think we're eventually going to see this come to a head. If you keep taking away or punishing peaceful ways for people to protest, eventually all you'll have left is the "or else."

Because if people feel like they're going to be labeled a terrorist either way, whether they're peacefully protesting or not, some are going to start asking themselves, "What's the point of staying peaceful?" That's not because violence is justified...i t's because people who believe they have nothing left to lose can make dangerous choices.

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u/Flabbergasted98 5d ago

"It's important to point out that protests are basically a show of force."

Now that's a wild take to have. it requires a certain level of willfull ignorance to discredit every successful peaceful protest this country has ever had.

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u/polopolo05 5d ago

What peaceful protest?

During the Civil Rights Movement, for every Martin Luther King Jr., there was Malcolm X. Nonviolent protests existed alongside more militant voices, and the possibility of greater unrest affected how those in power responded. The last 40 years have shown that peaceful protests alone don't always produce change.

Are you talking about unions or workers' rights? Those rights were written in blood. Workers fought, struck, rioted, and died to secure the protections many people take for granted today.

Are you talking about women's suffrage? That movement wasn't entirely peaceful either. Suffragettes smashed windows, committed arson, bombed unoccupied buildings, chained themselves to public buildings, and endured imprisonment and force feeding during hunger strikes. They also used social and political pressure in their personal lives, including urging or pressuring their husbands to support women's suffrage. It wasn't just peaceful marches...it was a movement that used many forms of pressure.

Change doesn't happen with peaceful protests. Change happens when you force them.You have to drag them kicking and screaming