X/@MikeBenzCyber
Mike Benz, a man known for his candid take on political and social matters, issuing a very cryptic tweet, led to a bevy of discussions on the matter at hand, which very likely concerned protest footage. A little vague about space needing to be made for the church, with bell towers playing in the unclear context, the cryptic tweet sowed confusion in the minds of many users. This, however, was just a mere precursor to the real storm brewing in the responses wherein people brawled one against the other over protests and law enforcement responding to them, and so forth, according to whichever political end they were leaning toward.
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Passing by the vagueness of the cryptic tweet, all the weight rested on its responses, which had been turned into wild battlegrounds. One user, it seems, tried to immediately link the footage to the antics of Antifa by accusing the Democrats. That naturally triggered counterattacks, with some claiming that the actual protesters were different ones in other high-profile demonstrations. This discourse almost right about then took a nasty turn when yet again a third commenter, also mentioning Ice-T, accused ex-President Donald Trump and his supporters of wanting a civil war.
One brutally honest response came, basically asking if anyone was really hurt in that footage, going through instances when people were said to have been hurt during other protests. Then that was extended onto the bigger discussion of what is and is not so-called peaceful protest, with one person sarcastically demanding that window-smashing was “totally peaceful” and asking for proof of recent incidents and specific injuries. The sarcasm didn’t go far without return, as the whole thread turned into accusations of gaslighting and bias from practically everyone.
Things soon deepened as one person shared they felt it should be a send-to-court kind of situation, with another opposing the view by placing blame on the law enforcement for turning up tensions by shooting civilians and deporting families; heavy criticisms toward the LAPD were cast, slandering them for foolishness and lies about these protests. One commentator even brought up the Governor Newsom, calling him out for focusing on lawsuits rather than protecting the citizen.
The thread bore yet another instance of the January 6 Capitol riot, whereby comparisons of the two events were made. Its opponents countered by saying that if positions had been switched, this response would have been much harsher, while others flatly dismissed it. The wet kindling upon which the mention of Rep. Jamie Raskin’s comments about the possibility of civil war if Trump were re-elected was the opposite; this mention sparked another round of discussing the supposed great plan with one user speculating that it was evidence of a great plan.
Involuntary efforts at turning conversations toward accountability occurred amid chaos with the demand that the property destructors get arrested. Yet, these intent attempts were largely brushed aside by many who questioned if these would be cases where justice actually prevails. The feeling in the thread was outright frustration; both sides seemed dug deeply in their positions, and quite near impossible to muster any compromise.
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So that originally strange Mike Benz tweet soon transpired into much deeper tensions about protest culture, law enforcement, and political divisions. Intentional or not, the tweet perfectly displayed just how far-divided the public discourse about civil unrest has become. With so much contention and absolutely no conclusion in sight, the debate surely will rage on, both off and online.