Some thoughts about the protests in the U.S.

I have previously written about my thoughts regarding the Hong Kong protests. Today, there are protests all over the U.S. due to the death of George Floyd. The protests in Hong Kong were (are) about Beijing's influence/interference in Hong Kong's self-administration. Those in the U.S. are about police violence against people of color.

A peaceful protest is the most powerful. And we have seen those from Gandhi and Martin Luther King. We see them today in certain places in the U.S. too, like this sheriff who marched with protesters instead of trying to "dominate" them.

I have also written about how people can hijack a protest. Like when the protests turned violent in Hong Kong. I think we are seeing the same thing happening in some places in the U.S., as people with their own agenda mix in with the crowd and start acting in ways to incite violence and looting. This takes attention away from the original reason for the protests, which was police violence against people of color. Right now, the coverage has shifted to show the violence rather than to focus on the reason.

It is good to hear that protesters are "policing" themselves, stepping in to stop violence. But there will always be those who try to profit from these protests. I just hope the media is able to discern between the protesters, with their legitimate demands, and those who are there with their own separate agenda.

The more the media talks about the violence, the less coverage they give to the legitimate demands. Do not let the violence become yet another shiny object that draws attention away from the real issue.

Another thing. Calling in the military to quell protests... sounds really authoritarian. June 4, the anniversary of Tiananmen Square, is just round the corner. I hope Trump does not make a decision that will overshadow that fateful day, when the world saw on TV a single man standing up against a Chinese military tank.

We human beings are not perfect. There are ideals of freedom and independence and self-determination that we all want to pursue. Our human nature usually results in the implementation being less than ideal. But that does not mean we stop trying and give in to our human nature. The U.S. is not just a country; it embodies a lofty ideal that provides a shining beacon in a world dimmed by human nature. I only hope this shining beacon does not get extinguished by a single man and his hubris.