When there are no other options...

Background

I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram reels when I came across a clip about Senate Democrats walking out of a judge’s confirmation hearing. The details didn’t really matter to me — something-something, broken rules, Democrat’s can’t do anything, blah blah blah.

The comments were unsurprising. Conservatives: performative, cry-baby Democrats. Left-wing: performative, ineffective Democrats.

Ok, sure. Walking out doesn’t do much. But what the hell are they supposed to do?

• Sit pretty, follow decorum, shut up, vote no, get overrided anyways, game over?
• Scream your head off, get on news, achieve nothing?

At least by walking out, they get to do something better with your time. Go home to their families a bit early or cook a nice meal.

But seriously, what do you do?

• What do you do when the rules don’t give you a way to fight back?
• What do you do when they’re directly causing harm to innocent people?
• What do you do when protest never works?
  • When they don’t give a shit when you’re peaceful
  • When they take one burning car and shoot it in 20 angles, ignoring the larger issue
  • When they don’t give a shit when your people are brutalized in the streets
• What do you do when there are no other options?

The Intrusive Thought

When there are no peaceful options, there are only violent options.

The Constitution gives us the right to speak and vote. Our politicians have construed this to mean that we must obey some abstract politics of decorum. There has been the underlying assumption that we all play nice, act reasonably, vote our conscience, embrace bipartisanship.

There has been a peace treaty of behavior that Republicans have felt free to cross. Democrats thus far have been afraid of retaliation. Republicans count on that. Hesitancy is an absurd reaction as it will only result in loss. The only logical response is return of fire and escalation.

When the system doesn’t work for us, it is our Lockean right to stage a revolution. It is our second amendment right to fight. It is in our American DNA. It is human to fight oppression — from Roman slave revolts to Frantz Fanon.

For Clarity

I am not calling on violence. All I am saying is that a system where one side completely dominates and does not make any concession to a significant part of the population is not sustainable.

Leaders should not only desire to serve the people, but fear them.