Some may blame video games, others the music. Some may lay the problem at the feet of years of progressive education and politics, while still others point to the prevalence of social media. Some will point out that the nuclear family has been atomized over the ages through sexual liberation, federal intervention, and feminism. Others will look to conservatives who dithered about taxes while the country rotted from the inside. More than likely, it was all of the above that contributed to the chaos that reigns in the United States.
To a certain degree, cops have always faced a certain level of animus. Even when I was a kid, there was an element of society that hated the police. That element has grown exponentially for the reasons mentioned above and, in recent years, has spread its hate to firefighters and EMTs.
Case in point: Click on Detroit reports that at 3 a.m. Monday, an SUV crashed into the side of a building. Emergency crews made an extremely timely response. But by the time responders arrived on the scene, a crowd had formed. What a crowd is doing out at three in the morning is a whole other story all on its own, but there it was. Perhaps people heard the noise and converged on the scene to rubberneck. At any rate, the crowd became angry and began throwing rocks at the firefighters. One person grabbed a piece of equipment and used it to smash the windshield of an engine. Responders were unable to reach the two people in the SUV, and the driver died.
There was some speculation that the mob was angry that the responders took too long to arrive. That seems to be a specious excuse since most people out and about at 3 a.m. are on business of their own, either fair or foul. And by and large, the American public doesn't think that way, if it ever did. Protesting Israel is one thing. Demonstrating on behalf of accident victims? That pitch is too lame even for the latest incarnation of Saturday Night Live.
The television station's report is below:
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As with any online article, there is a comments section. One in particular stood out:
Could you tell the whole story and stop making it seem like people just attach first responders for no reason. Shawn Ley, you should be ashamed of yourself for leaving out important info (sic)
Important info? Such as what? A wreck occurred. Emergency crews responded, rocks were thrown, windows were smashed, and a person died, by all accounts, because of a violent mob. I suppose the commenter is going to make the case that the fire crew took its time because of the location of the accident and that systemic racism and racist firefighting policies ensured that at least one person would succumb to their injuries. Ah, racism! Is there anything it can't do?
Well, it can't be used to negate personal accountability. You cannot burn down businesses and then complain about food deserts. You cannot loot stores and then complain that retailers have left an area. You cannot block first responders from reaching a victim, literally throw rocks at them, and then complain about poor emergency response. You cannot defund the police and then gripe about crime. You cannot throw open the borders and then grouse that your sanctuary city is out of space, money, and patience.
Well, you can, but that does not change anything. Social justice does not guarantee social improvement. Or, as Oscar Wilde once wrote, "In this world, there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. The last is much the worst, the last is a real tragedy!"
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