Comment by vmh1928
5 years ago
You seem to be arguing throughout this thread that the President's comment is akin to saying "red sky at morning, sailors take warning." As if he's predicting a rain storm. But he's not just some guy at the marina, he's the President. It's also useful to look at what he isn't saying. He isn't calling for an investigation into the death or the lack of prosecution or the racial divide in the country or acknowledging the rage and anger of the non-white community that keeps being treated differently from the white community. His followers will hear this statement, "when the looting starts the shooting starts" as a dog whistle call "it's OK to start shooting." Or further, "I expect you to put this slave revolt down."
But again, it's an observation, not a statement of fact, nor a declaration. "When a black person is killed is when the looting starts" How is that statement any different that what Trump said? As much as you want to editorialize and censor, you can't twist a statement to fit your narrative.