Signs saying 'now leaving the USA' are not saying america has failed to live up to its ideals. It's saying... we don't want to be part of America anymore. That's fine, I'm not knocking you, but this is just revisionism.
I don't reject criticism as unpatriotic. I was made aware of no-knock warrants from Ms Taylor's unfortunate death, and I am against them. I am in favor of most police reform.
I am not in favor of the riots, CHOP, knocking down statues, or continued protests drawing thousands of individuals during a time of pandemic.
It's a joke on a written on a piece of cardboard. I guarantee you the vast majority of people there never thought that they had left the territory or jurisdiction of the United States.
It never was a secessionist movement. That you think that is probably because you never listened to what the people who were there had to say.
That's what I mean when you say you rejected the criticism out of hand. You didn't even listen to the criticism! You heard a completely distorted summary that was pushed by people with polar opposite goals of the protesters. You didn't take the time to listen to the criticisms that were leveled, or their demands, before deciding that they were a secessionist movement.
In general, I find it difficult to accept criticism from anyone taking over public property, whether it be the Bundies or CHOP. That's not calling for reform, that's terrorizing people. I read their list of demands, including abolishing prisons, hiring doctors based on race, and the abolition of the court system. I then decided that abolishing the courts, police, and racial hiring preferences are so far removed from the American ideals, that these are not 'reforms'. This is a radical departure from anything considered American. This is extremism, not reform.
If you're so confident in their demands, why don't you post them? Here's where I got mine from: https://www.dailydot.com/debug/seattle-capitol-hill-autonomo... . If you don't actually think this is what they want you need to (1) establish why the article I linked is incorrect and (2) establish why whatever list of demands you produced is the 'official' one. According to wikipedia, the demands in the daily dot article were posted on Medium by organizers of the protest.
And people are supporting this. We should condemn all forms of violence from both sides - white supremists and the people who counter them with more violence.
It’s unbelievable how we allow this on our social media platforms and yet we have a policy for inciting violence.
There is a race war going on and it’s terrifying. Forget social justice, we are gonna have massacres.
Well, I don't care if people march with weapons... that is their right. But if they're demanding race-based preferences, abolition of government, etc, then I have no problem calling them what they are -- extremists, not reformers.
Proclaiming Americanism failed to live up to its ideals isn't hatred. It's a simple factual statement that's painfully obvious.
Harsh criticism is necessary to reform. You can't move towards that more perfect union if we don't open our eyes to the problems of the systems.
If you reject all criticism out of hand as unpatriotic, then you cut off your ability to make progress.