• adderaline@beehaw.org
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      6 months ago

      cop got on the news and used a bike lock chain that was used to barricade the building as “proof” that the protestors were infiltrated by professional agitators, because it was an “industrial chain” or something like that. its the bike lock that Columbia University itself recommends to students.

      • stembolts@programming.dev
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        6 months ago

        The entire conservative, pro cop playbook is “say silly things, pretend you don’t know they’re silly”.

        And if anyone calls you out, act offended. Everyone knows if you are offended you are right. Growing up in a religious household it’s incredible how many times I saw someone use, “You’re rude therefore you are wrong” as a core tenant of “debate”.

        The ‘victim card’ is the conservative ‘race card’.

            • Lianodel@ttrpg.network
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              6 months ago

              When conservatives fearmonger about immigrants and brown people, one of the current favorite talking points is to say they’re “military-aged.” It’s vague and meaningless, but it implies something sinister, and plays into just about any conspiracy theory an audience member might be inclined to believe.

              On top of that, they’re afraid from merely seeing these people. They’re just scared to death of brown and black kids and young adults.

              • lad@programming.dev
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                6 months ago

                In this context that probably means something around “traumatized and depressed by the military regime in the place where they come from”

                But they don’t always come from places with such regimes and/or wars, while local citizens are also traumatized and depressed just for a different reason

                • Lianodel@ttrpg.network
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                  6 months ago

                  At least in the contexts I’m talking about, and I’ve never seen it used in another, it’s really not that. It’s coming from talking heads fearmongering about nonwhites, portraying nonwhite immigrants as criminals, ginning up a “border crisis” narrative, and even calling it an “invasion.”

                  • lad@programming.dev
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                    6 months ago

                    Ah, well, I’m wrong then. Maybe they mean something like “it’s those guys at war with us [white supremacists]” then?

        • DessertStorms@kbin.social
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          6 months ago

          The ‘victim card’ is the conservative ‘race card’.

          Except only one of those is real, while the other is made up by those trying to use the first…

            • lad@programming.dev
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              6 months ago

              They may have meant that “race card” is real and “victim cars” is not. But I still don’t think that is a valid point

              • stembolts@programming.dev
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                6 months ago

                Possibly so.
                When they say the “first” I cannot tell if they mean the first one I mentioned or the first one they mentioned.
                Relative references in language is confusing!

                • lad@programming.dev
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                  6 months ago

                  Technically, for referencing the previous parts there are “former” and “latter”, but you never know if it was not used intentionally or not.

      • thefartographer@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        Versus some of that old fashioned homemade chain. HOW ARE THESE PROFESSIONAL PROTESTORS GETTING THEIR HANDS ON COMMERCIAL-GRADE METALS???

      • Umbrias@beehaw.org
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        6 months ago

        Of course they do know there are professional agitators at the protests, they’re them.

      • frezik@midwest.social
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        6 months ago

        Let me guess, hardened steel? Because that’s how you keep your bike from getting stolen in New York. Kryptonite calls it the “fahgettaboudit” lock for a reason.

    • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      The governor of NY, and former cop, justified the police response to the anti-genocide protests at Columbia with a statement about “outside agitators”. When pressed on that, the governor essentially said it was a gut feeling.

    • DahGangalang@infosec.pub
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      6 months ago

      Probably the Columbia University protests. I expect this means someone was arrested for having a bike lock (which can be used as a bludgeon).

      • EldritchFeminity@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        6 months ago

        They were using the bike locks to claim that the protesters had ties to terrorist organizations, because “it’s not the kind of thing a normal student has.”

        Despite the fact that the exact model of bike lock was part of a deal on bike locks advertised by the CU campus security on Facebook not 6 weeks ago.

        • DahGangalang@infosec.pub
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          6 months ago

          Wow, I think that is an instant winner for the annual “most dogshit excuse for cops to do a thing” award.

        • lad@programming.dev
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          6 months ago

          I mean, let’s think about it step by step. The protesters used bike locks, having a bike lock implies having a bike, having a bike implies using it, using a bike implies you’re riding it for transportation. That obviously means that the infiltrators are from Europe (most likely, Netherlands)