Violent Rhetoric Is Terrible, But Actual Violence Is Cool
8th June 2016
Kevin Williamson pulls back the curtain.
The editors at the Huffington Post seem to have evolved on the issue, having just published a column by Jesse Benn, whose mirth-inducing bio-line identifies him as a doctoral student in journalism, in which he calls not for a revival in violent political rhetoric but for actual political violence: “Sorry Liberals, A Violent Response To Trump Is As Logical As Any,” the headline reads. Benn argues that the Trump phenomenon is not “a typical political disagreement between partisans,” and that “there’s an inherent value in forestalling Trump’s normalization. Violent resistance accomplishes this.”
E. J. Dionne has not been heard from.
A few days ago, Vox suspended an editor (after considerable criticism) who called for violence, in the form of riots, in response to Trump.
Gary Hart has not been heard from.
Neither has the president.
What’s violent rhetoric compared with genuine calls for violence?
Actual political violence is apparently to be encouraged when the goons are on the left and the target is (I suppose) on the right. Let a couple of ranchers in Nevada get squirrely, though, and it’s the end of days.