(...)
It stunned southern Californians. Why? Because L.A. was not Birmingham, Alabama. There were no attack dogs. There were no fire hoses turned on black teenagers in white dress shirts. For years, black-white race relations had been peaceful, as far as whites knew. Why did Watts blow?
There was anger, but the victims were not whites. Anger does not explain it.
Two words do: jealousy and envy.
Envy is not jealously. Jealousy is where a person says, "You've got something I want. I can't afford to buy it. I'll steal it from you. Or I'll force you to negotiate with me for some of it." Envy is different. "You've got something I want. I can never have it. I resent it. I'll destroy it, so that you cannot have it." Jealousy can be bought off. Envy cannot be.
Jealous people steal. Envious people burn -- in every sense.
Envy does not operate between people of widely different social statuses or incomes. The average Joe is not envious of the money earned by some local athlete, just so long as he stays local. (Think "LeBron James.") The same man may be intensely envious of his boss. He sees his boss daily. He knows his boss's weaknesses. He asks, "Who does he think he is? He's not so much."
The rioters targeted local businesses. They did not target whitey. (The term "whitey" appeared sometime in the next three years, as the black power movement began to take shape -- black social separatists who did not seek integration.)
That was 1965. This is 2011. Full story...
Don't miss:
It stunned southern Californians. Why? Because L.A. was not Birmingham, Alabama. There were no attack dogs. There were no fire hoses turned on black teenagers in white dress shirts. For years, black-white race relations had been peaceful, as far as whites knew. Why did Watts blow?
There was anger, but the victims were not whites. Anger does not explain it.
Two words do: jealousy and envy.
Envy is not jealously. Jealousy is where a person says, "You've got something I want. I can't afford to buy it. I'll steal it from you. Or I'll force you to negotiate with me for some of it." Envy is different. "You've got something I want. I can never have it. I resent it. I'll destroy it, so that you cannot have it." Jealousy can be bought off. Envy cannot be.
Jealous people steal. Envious people burn -- in every sense.
Envy does not operate between people of widely different social statuses or incomes. The average Joe is not envious of the money earned by some local athlete, just so long as he stays local. (Think "LeBron James.") The same man may be intensely envious of his boss. He sees his boss daily. He knows his boss's weaknesses. He asks, "Who does he think he is? He's not so much."
The rioters targeted local businesses. They did not target whitey. (The term "whitey" appeared sometime in the next three years, as the black power movement began to take shape -- black social separatists who did not seek integration.)
That was 1965. This is 2011. Full story...
Don't miss:
- Britain's rioters: young, poor and disillusioned...
- "This is not rioting; this is an insurrection"
- Why London is burning...
- Capitalism in crisis, a warning from history: 80 years ago...
- "Get real, black people! Fight for a cause!"
- The law-abiding masses look on in quiet despair as London burns...
- The Tottenham riots were about race. Why ignore the fact?
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