Bernie on Democratic protesters: "I am not a great fan of being rude or disrupting activities."...

[JHan]

115. Good points however..

street protests can be impactful and cathartic without violence.

There is something perverse in the way street protests against injustice are framed, especially when the most extreme reactionaries are conveniently used to define a movement. This even happened during civil rights protests and suffrage. It's a twisted form of respectability politics in the face of real violence and brutalities like starvation, poverty wages and attacks on civil rights - those injustices are real violence.

I get your point that idiots can latch on and ruin it for everyone else, but I really think we're past the point of civility at the moment. Tea Party crazies were described as authentic grassroots activists, even though they were "rude" and used racist overtones in their objection to Obama. The fact the movement was birthed partly of Koch astroturfing wasn't paid much attention to.. but now I'm seeing "paid protesters" and civility arguments against vocal opponents to this administration. I'm seeing a double standard that needs to be exposed.