The level that Trump has brought us to. Tutsi/Hutus.

[BlueBlud]

So, I moved to the only place I can afford in California. A 55+ community, called Sun City MEnifee.

Generally a sedate community. With till now, its own tiny police force.

So, I am on my electric bicycle, picking up a few things at the store. As I leave thru the side door, I see three guys, looking ominous.

The one, throws his bmx bicycle aside, and whips out a MACHETE. Rears back, and seem more than ready to chop up his rivals. Yes, he is shirtless like most other COPS stars.

I scream at him, in my most cop toned voice, to put it down NOW. Once I had disrupted him adequately, he got his bearings, and saw I was a guy on a bicycle, so I said, I am calling the cops NOW. And so, I walked into the store, and yelled, call the cops, there is a guy outside with a machete.

I couldn't take a chance on folks getting axed. Better to cause a bit of panic, than allow guys to do harm to the innocent. Most customers are olderly.

This aint your daddies America no more. Closer to Rawanda than anyone will admit.

[uponit7771]

1. Rawanda is a GREAT example of message mechanics flooding a communication medium with a singular

... simple message over a short time.

Dems ought not to adapt horrible GQP messages but we need to beat them at their mechanics

[Bettie]

14. We can beat them with truth, with facts

we just have to use their mechanic of repeating it constantly and loudly, as one voice.

We need slogan writers and then people to amplify those slogans.

[uponit7771]

18. +1, dems are at the mercy of the truth and their lies but we can respond waaaaay better than what

... we're doing now even on FAUX news.

I was just reading about Watergate and the fact there were 3 - 5 media outlets then, now there are 3 - 500 media outlets but they're mostly stenographers.

We need to flood the main feeders with our messages ... a whole arm of the DNC needs to be done to do this.

[BlueBlud]

25. We do ridicule far better than the right wing. They are THRILLED to have Gutfeld.

And he isnt that funny.

[uponit7771]

26. +1, he's not funny at all IMHO ... we should hire some comedians to be pithy and sharp

[Beakybird]

2. Without context, it's hard to see clear parallels.

You don't describe anything political coming from the guy with the machete.
However, it's clear that right wing media is priming its followers to feel like they are under attack and that violence very well might be permissible to protect themselves and their families. Hence, so much right wing violence and violent rhetoric.

[BlueBlud]

4. It doesnt matter the politics, you wouldnt see folks raising machetes at the store till recently.

It has become a stand your ground world. With folks ready to kill rather than negotiate or argue.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

6. Ummm, you are aware that MS-13 street gang uses machetes

to kill their victims aren't you?

It's not a new thing and was happening long before the Mango Menace was installed as our 45th pres.

[BlueBlud]

8. The street gangs here, like in Florida, roll dirty in golf carts.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

9. And that has what to do with my post? nt

[BlueBlud]

11. There are only old people allowed to live near me. 55+ commuunity.

I dont think he was ms13

[MarineCombatEngineer]

13. My point is that the use of machete's long precedes the Mango Menace.

Now I will say the level of violence has increased since then and I will say that the Mango Menace is responsible for that.

BTW, welcome to DU.

[Hortensis]

20. :) After a bit people will get used to your style. Welcome to DU. I think.

[PTWB]

24. This was never a common sight and isn't a common sight now.

But these things have been happening for decades.

[musette_sf]

5. not to make light of this situation

but years of watching COPS got me to thinking that if I ever started a band again, I'd call it the Shirtless Perps.

[ARPad95]

7. Menifee Police Department uses CrimeMapping.com to map crime

https://menifeepolice.org/crimemapping/

Here's a link to the map showing most recent reported crimes:

https://www.crimemapping.com/map/agency/604

[BlueBlud]

10. Yeah, the incident was not recorded, the cops never showed to investigate.

Or at least in the hour I waited to give description.

[milestogo]

12. The genocide in Rwanda was fueled by hate radio.

If they had taken it off the air, the masses would not have gone crazy.

We have hate radio, hate tv, and hate social media.

[BlueBlud]

15. I am surprised I have never heard anyone refer to Fox News as radio Rwanda.

[milestogo]

17. It was government sponsored, and really horrible.

Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_T%C3%A9l%C3%A9vision_Libre_des_Mille_Collines

[BlueBlud]

21. So, like Fox News.

[milestogo]

22. Well, Fox hasn't encouraged everyone to grab a machete, rape, and kill yet.

[summer_in_TX]

32. Radio Rwanda started by dehumanizing the Tutsis.

Referring to them as cockroaches and so forth.

It takes awhile to prepare people to kill their countrymen and women. The military have a whole program to dehumanize the enemy (whoever it is).

There's a reason our soldiers came back talking about wops, spics, chinks, rag heads, etc. They had to keep them from being understood to be other nations' sons and daughters.

Fox News and RW radio has been getting their audience ready for a long time to see us as other. I'd like to see comparative studies of empathy levels in groups of Americans. Conservatives have shown amazingly little empathy around COVID, even towards doctors and nurses.

But empathy isn't dead as the outpouring after the tornadoes shows. Of course Kentucky is a red state?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

16. Shoot, I'll be at my cousin's (newly acquired) house in Menifee for Xmas ...

Guess I better pack some heat!

[Beakybird]

19. If there was a coconut tree nearby, I'd give the guy with the machete a pass.

[BlueBlud]

23. It was in a sheath, so it was a CONCEALED machete. Soon, well have to deal with concealed bazookas.

with bump stop.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

28. In a sheath is not concealed,

just like a firearm in a holster is not concealed.
Bazookas with bump stocks?

[BlueBlud]

29. Somehow my sense of humor evades you.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

31. Sorry about that,

sometimes it helps if you use one of these: for those of us who are sometimes humor and deficit.

[BlueBlud]

30. MORE to the story. Talked to the store manager today.

Seems that he has turned in the guy before, for flashing his machete. The cops let him carry. Manager asks what in heaven would cause them to allow it? Mumble hem and haw. Should this unstable dude slaughter someone with his machete, the cops WILL be on the hook. They look the other way.