Why Is It That So Many People Are Looting?

[0rganism]

56. to me, riots, vandalism and looting all speak to the failure of the social contract

one alternative question we could ask is, "why don't people loot normally?" why should people let you leave up a quasi-permanent storefront with valuable merchandise just sitting around inside after you depart for the day? how does that happen? all i have to do is bust your flimsy window and grab the necklace and leave quickly, why don't i just do that?

it hinges on a social contract and the idea of public space being at least nominally safe and accessible to the general public. when that trust is violated, the most obvious symptom is a riot with property damage and theft. in the absence of that, society turns a blind eye and moves on, assuming that the social contract is secure and existing mechanisms are adequate to resolve any aberrations. peaceful protests are largely ignored or openly mocked (cf Colin Kaepernick's peaceful and quiet knee-taking), but the violent ones get coverage, get people talking, make society look for solutions to re-establishing the social contract.