I was talking about it with a younger friend tonight. He has similar fears and feels things may come to a head at the republican convention.
There's a few things though that give me hope.
Virtually all Sanders and Clinton supporters are peace loving people.
We've had divisions in our country for years. I remember after the terrible invasion of Iraq someone saying they feared violence and that 'our country has never been more divided.' But I gently reminded them that the Civil War and late in the Vietnam era things were much more violent and much more divided.
Unlike those days, we now have the internet and cell phones. Cell phones are significant because any large scale brutality is immediately posted and shared. The internet is important because people love chilling and talking with friends (like we do here at DU) and watching netflix and all those things. I don't see a bunch of violent people taking to the streets and perpetuating violence without getting busted for it.
Unlike the old days, if there is white on black violence the police will protect the black people. Most significantly in major cities (like Cleveland, where the republican convention will be) where police forces are diverse.
Occupy Wall Street, the protests against the Iraq War were all peaceful.
The potentially explosive protests in Baltimore and Ferguson included virtually zero violence. People are much more educated today about starting crap with police.
People feared unrest in the Raleigh-Durham area after the verdict of the frat boys accused of raping a black woman. Nothing happened. There were meetings with black and white people and all different types of community leaders and police and elected officials involved. I think those kinds of things take place much more effectively now days.
Having said all this, I think we all benefit from talking with different types of people. That's one of the reasons it breaks my heart that there's so much 'tough talk' and nonsense on social media. We all benefit greatly by toning down our defensive and often straight up hostile and personalizing rhetoric. Here at DU I've been greatly disappointed by what I see as incredible insensitivity toward people of color and people from diverse backgrounds. I will continue speaking out about it as long as I'm still allowed here. I think it must end NOW and not continue being delayed 'until after the primaries.'
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