For those of us who have vacillated between the French and Russian Revolutions as the correct point of comparison to what’s happening in our current “unrest,” look no further—rioters in Portland have supplied a hint in the form of a guillotine.
Here is what is happening in the streets of Portland:
Journalist Brendan Gutenschwager tweeted videos of the riots, captioning one, “The protesters have brought out a guillotine to the streets.”
There was an appropriately juvenile element—a teddy bear:
Rioters strode through residential streets with a teddy bear set up in a guillotine, burning American flags, and demanding sleeping residents afford them shelter and protection.
One man can be heard demanding, “Get in the f***ing streets!’
Reportedly, 250 people marched through the suburbs of Portland, so rioters seem to be branching out. It’s not entirely clear but it appears that the rioters are also seeking offers of free housing:
Another woman cried, “What are you doing to protect your neighbors, people in their houses? … There are safety in numbers! We protect you every night by being out here. Please come and protect us! Make sure you are offering us refuge! We are tired and yet we are still out here! We are simply asking for one night, one hour!”
This may be funny in a guillotine humor sort of way, but I suggest people who trot out guillotines do not have your best interests at heart. The sight of a child’s teddy bear in a guillotine adds a layer of sickness and dangerousness (though also perhaps a layer of erudition—love to know what percentage of Portland protestors are graduates of expensive colleges).
The Democratic National Convention never once mentioned the “unrest” in our streets or supported the police. But we should take seriously what these people are saying about themselves. Feral adult children with headless teddy bears are not to be taken lightly.