# Violence works (Baltimore version)! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016 "2015-05-01T16:07:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/41 "2015-05-02T04:00:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > A possible analogy: you begin experiencing a sharp pain in your abdomen. It persists and grows worse. So you seek medical attention and discover you have a serious health problem. Now that it is discovered, it can be treated. And once the problem is treated, the symptom goes away as well. > > Rioting can be like that. Like pain, it’s not a good thing. But it can call attention to a more serious situation that is the true problem. And by resolving that problem, you eliminate the cause that motivated the rioting. > > Unless you’re rioting over the outcome of a sporting event. Then you’re just being an idiot. Except that, in your analogy, in order to bring attention to the pain in your abdomen, you get a stick, and start destroying all the property around you, and even physically harming other people. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/42 "2015-05-02T04:01:48Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > (And why did autocorrect want to capitalize "justice "?) [“Hi; I’m Justice.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovlp0N7ljFE&t=1m20s) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/43 "2015-05-02T04:02:09Z")
What a wonderful lesson. Riot and burn buildings to get what you want from government. I don’t know what evidence they have. But this smells bad. Six cops indicted and not even a grand jury hearing to hear evidence. One of the prosecutor’s financial campaign supporters is the attorney for the Gray family. The fix is in. America will get its show trial. Now lets see if these six men are really guilty of anything. It’ll be two years of hell for them before the trial even starts. Just wait until the next shooting of a suspect and another city burns even harder. Lesson learned. riot, burn, loot and get what you want. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-riots/bs-md-fop-letter-20150501-story.html](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-riots/bs-md-fop-letter-20150501-story.html) > [@](#): > > A Fraternal Order of Police lodge is asking Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to appoint a special prosecutor to the Freddie Gray investigation because of her personal connection to the Gray family’s attorney, William H. “Billy” Murphy Jr., and her marriage to a city councilman. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/44 "2015-05-02T17:02:06Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I heard two interviews with this man and he is denying the accuracy of the reports. In the interview I heard, he repeated the claim that he heard Gray banging his own head. He only denied saying that Gray “did that to himself”. He is apparently in fear for his life if he tells the truth about what happened to Gray. However, he has already been interviewed by the police and that is what will be used in court. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/45 "2015-05-02T17:10:55Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > Except that, in your analogy, in order to bring attention to the pain in your abdomen, you get a stick, and start destroying all the property around you, and even physically harming other people. More like you know if you don’t go on a rampage with the stick, you’ll never get medical care and you’ll die and no one will give a shit(and you know this from a long history of others). Go on a rampage and maybe you’ll get treated and live, maybe things might change with the attention. Re framed like that most people will choose rampage, I would. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/46 "2015-05-02T17:21:12Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > So if Hillary wins next year, I should burn down my local drugstore? > > I’ll keep that in mind. > > Regards, > Shodan So hearing “Benghazi” as a Fox-trained reflex whenever you see a Democrat on TV is the same as having your spine broken by racist cops? I’ll keep that in mind. > [@aceplace57](#): > > What a wonderful lesson. Riot and burn buildings to get what you want from government. Blacks keep getting whatever they want. Whites are so oppressed in U.S.A.: when are Whites going to riot? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/47 "2015-05-02T19:15:54Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Sometimes violence is justified. (post shortened) Violence is justified when a shop owner is dragged from his looted store and beaten by thugs. The shooting of the thugs would be justified, and because imminent danger exists, it’s legally justifiable. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/48 "2015-05-02T19:25:30Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > Except that, in your analogy, in order to bring attention to the pain in your abdomen, you get a stick, and start destroying all the property around you, and even physically harming other people. No, that’s not in his analogy. His analogy is this: Pain in gut = “There’s something wrong with the system,” the system being his body. Time to get it fixed. Rioting in the streets = “There’s something wrong with the system,” the system being American society. Time to get it fixed. It’s really a very short, simple analogy. It’s interesting that you failed on such a fundamental level to understand what it’s saying. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/49 "2015-05-02T19:26:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Rioting can be like that. Like pain, it’s not a good thing. But it can call attention to a more serious situation that is the true problem. And by resolving that problem, you eliminate the cause that motivated the rioting. I’d like you to go up to someone who is now broke, unemployed, or homeless because of these riots and tell them that it’s _good_ that this happened because it will Inspire People To Action. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/50 "2015-05-02T20:28:44Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Is there? I looked up a few of the stories, and the articles were rarely shy in calling them riots, or the people as vandals, looters, criminals, hooligans, etc. (admittedly, I couldn’t find any that used “thugs”).] I agree. The Vancouver example was most certainly called a riot and the participants rioters. I wouldn’t expect any serious news story to use “thugs” anyways. That’s going to be in the Opinion pieces. eta: I thought “hooligan” was the go to word for sports rioters. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/51 "2015-05-02T21:49:13Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > . . . Blacks keep getting whatever they want. Whites are so oppressed in U.S.A.: when are Whites going to riot? Whites riot at the polls on election day. (The Tea Party could be argued to have done more harm to America than any five riots.) ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/52 "2015-05-02T21:56:41Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > No, that’s not in his analogy. His analogy is this: > > Pain in gut = “There’s something wrong with the system,” the system being his body. Time to get it fixed. > > Rioting in the streets = “There’s something wrong with the system,” the system being American society. Time to get it fixed. > > It’s really a very short, simple analogy. It’s interesting that you failed on such a fundamental level to understand what it’s saying. It’s interesting that you failed to understand on such a fundamental level that the people who are having their property destroyed are innocent in the whole matter. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016/53 "2015-05-02T21:57:02Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > What a wonderful lesson. Riot and burn buildings to get what you want from government. > > I don’t know what evidence they have. But this smells bad. Six cops indicted and not even a grand jury hearing to hear evidence. One of the prosecutor’s financial campaign supporters is the attorney for the Gray family. The fix is in. America will get its show trial. Now lets see if these six men are really guilty of anything. It’ll be two years of hell for them before the trial even starts. > > Just wait until the next shooting of a suspect and another city burns even harder. Lesson learned. riot, burn, loot and get what you want. > > [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-riots/bs-md-fop-letter-20150501-story.html](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-riots/bs-md-fop-letter-20150501-story.html) Oh, so you have that little faith in the government and justice system? Gee, wonder what that can feel like… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violence-works-baltimore-version/719016.md?page=2)