FLOTSAM & JETSAM: Hints of anarchy

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Hints of anarchy

 

Sam Smith - Above are just a few of the photos posted by Boston.com of a riot in Keene NH during its annual Pumpkin Fest. Some 30 people were reported injured by those the site called "partiers." The Daily Beast,  which prefers young Americans to kill and maim those overseas. said, "Today the city of Keene, N.H., faces a massive cleanup following a spate of riots that raged throughout much of the day Saturday and into the early morning hours of Sunday as parties celebrating the annual Keene Pumpkin Festival turned into violent chaos, adding that "the rioters seemed to delight in destruction."
Keene, incidentally, recently got a $286,000 Bear Cat armored vehicle because of threats "far reaching and often unforeseen." The Keene police also delight in destruction but it didn't seem to help much.
Although youthful riots are far from unknown, the the size and force of this one was striking, and brings to mind the thought that America is moving towards increasingly anarchistic anger. As one 18 year old participant put it, "It’s fucking wicked. It’s just like a rush. You’re revolting from the cops. … It’s a blast to do things that you’re not supposed to do.”
As we try to make sense of the rebels in the Mid East for whom we can't even agree on a name, it is worth remembering that  America, too, can be broken into conflicting cells whose major common ground is anger. For decades, liberals have given the young no conceptual alternative. Progressive activists have tried, but their causes have been too specific to create a general counterculture. If you are growing up in this society you can easily realize that much is madness, but where do you turn for help? Without friends, without a face for the future, it is easy to turn to fury.