Who Was Morally Justified to Be in Kenosha That Night?
Before we get started, if you’re a subscriber, be warned that I may be writing multiple pieces today. As you know, I’m fascinated by human behavior, and I have a million thoughts watching the reactions to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict that I need to get out of my brain. So, if I annoy you, I apologize in advance, but you know I love you <3 -Chris
With the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict coming in and him being found not guilty on all charges, there is an endless amount of hot takes, biases, misinformation, and irrational thinking. I want to discuss them all, but in this specific piece, I want to focus on the question of moral justification of who was there that night as well as what led to the events of the night. I keep seeing people discuss who should or shouldn’t have been there that night, and it’s not a simple answer.
The first thing we have to recognize is that if we hope to get as close to the truth of the reality, we need to set aside our biases and emotions while taking a look at the facts and doing perspective-taking. One of the biggest problems we face today is that we think moral questions are black and white, but if they were, philosophers wouldn’t be debating these questions for thousands of years. So, let’s all take a deep breath and try to find the truth.
I’m going to present a series of questions from different perspectives about various events leading up to Kyle Rittenhouse shooting three people. Personally, I think a lot of labels are being thrown around all willy nilly, and I think that’s a dangerous game to be playing if you want to have a mature discussion. With that said, I’m going to refer to one group as “blue” and one group as “red”. Just think of it as people on Rittenhouse’s side as “red” and those against Rittenhouse as “blue”.
Lastly, I’m going to work backwards in time from the shooting. But I think what ignited the events in Kenosha has some of the most important questions to be asked. So, let’s get started.
Who Was Morally Justified to be There?
Remember, if we want to get close to the truth, we need to look at the facts. The red says these were riots and the blue says these were peaceful protests. I personally remember these images from that day in Kenosha.
I’m going to write a separate piece about biases and why some people saw a protest and others saw a riot.
Blue: The blue showed up in Kenosha due to anger about the shooting of Jacob Blake. When looking at the moral justification of who was there that night, we must realize that people are individuals and there were different types of people from the blue.
There were legitimately many people in Kenosha because of the injustices and violence they see toward Black people in this country. Should they have been there?
The people who believed they were morally justified to start fires and destroy property based on the same beliefs, should they have been there?
The people there to protect and offer medical assistance to the blue, should they have been there?
The business owner: Between the red and the blue are the business owners. An argument I’ve heard is that insurance will pay for the damages.
Is a business owner morally justified to protect their business?
Should the business owner be OK with the damage due to the injustices in America?
Should the blue assume business owners have insurance that will cover these damages?
The Kenosha residents: There are plenty of people in Kenosha who don’t own businesses but live in or around the city.
Should they be OK with the fires and destruction?
Should they protect the businesses and neighborhoods?
The red: Rittenhouse and others claim that they were in Kenosha to protect the community and protect the businesses. Rittenhouse’s defense says he was offering medical assistance in a similar way that people from the blue were offering medical assistance. The red also believed that the local police and first responders were either not doing enough or letting the events escalate.
Were they morally justified to be there?
Were they morally justified to get involved and protect businesses and the community?
Guns, Guns, Guns
I’m going to set aside my opinions about gun laws and the 2nd amendment for a moment to focus on the moral justifications.
The red: If the red were there to protect businesses and the community, were they morally justified to bring guns?
The blue: The blue knows the red is likely to have guns. Are they morally justified to bring guns as well?
Everyone: I think a question to ask is this one: Is it morally justified to bring a gun to this type of situation if you are not educated about emotional regulation nor have the tools to regulate your emotions?
Aggression
The blue: Is it morally justified to be aggressive toward someone with a gun? And is it morally justified if you have a gun to be aggressive toward someone with a gun?
The red: Is it morally justified to be aggressive when you have a gun? Is it morally justified to be aggressive toward someone without a gun? Is it morally justified to shoot someone who you believe will take your gun?
Parents
Maybe it’s because I’m a father, but when I ask, “Why was Kyle Rittenhouse there?”, all I can think about is the parents and the environment Kyle grew up in. There are so many questions.
What was the home environment like?
What was the political talk like within the household?
What were discussions like around social issues?
Should a parent teach their kid how to use a gun?
Should a parent be alright with their kid having a gun while you’re not with them?
Should a parent know that the prefrontal cortex (involved in emotional regulation and impulse control) doesn’t fully develop until their late 20s?
Now, scroll back up to the images I included above
Should a parent allow their child to go into this situation?
More importantly, should a parent allow their child to go into this situation with a gun?
Jacob Blake
Lastly, we need to discuss what kicked all this off. People were in Kenosha protesting, burning buildings, and destroying property because Jacob Blake, a Black man was shot 7 times by the police and left paralyzed.
Coming off of the heels of the death of George Floyd, tensions in this country were extremely high. Personally, I believe this is why there was such an instant reaction in Kenosha before the evidence came out.
When I heard the news about Jacob Blake, I was pissed about what happened. How could the police shoot this unarmed Black man that many times in the back while he was unarmed?
Well, that was until the facts started to come out.
The following are from this New York Times piece, but be sure to check other sources as well.
How did the cops encounter Jacob Blake?
In July, a warrant was issued for Mr. Blake’s arrest on charges of third-degree sexual assault, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
Here is a link to the 911 call:
Was Jacob Blake a threat?
Before the police shot Mr. Blake, officers twice tried to use a Taser on him, state officials said. They also said that Mr. Blake had admitted that he had a knife, which was later found on the driver’s side floorboard of Mr. Blake’s car. There were no other weapons in the vehicle.
So, that’s where we’re at, and then there are more questions to ask.
The blue:
Was everyone in Kenosha aware of these details?
If they were, was it morally justified to be there?
The police:
Was shooting Jacob Blake the only option after they tried to tase him twice?
Our lives are a result of decisions we make on a daily basis. Many of these decisions are based on our personal moral compass. Our moral compass is based on previous experiences, our upbringing, and most importantly the information we get from others that may or may not be true.
Where do I land on all of these questions? I’m not 100% sure, but they’re questions we need to be asking when looking at who should have been there and what started these events.
I’m currently writing a book about how we’re manipulated by the news, social media, technology, advertisers, and each other. It dives into the psychological history of manipulation, our biases, tribalism, and more.
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