Just saw the story on Rittenhouse… what a tool. His parents and the GQP aren’t doing him any favors in life.
The ironic part? He’s proving Lebron James correct, and if he had a defamation case against him… well, he better hope he gets a judge like the one he had at trial.
That trial was such a joke, but it happens all the time. Judges across this country are sympathetic to young white men, even when the victims are young white girls who were sexually abused, or other young white men.
The verdict may have ended up the same regardless of the judge, but that goofy old sack certainly boosted Rittenhouse’s chances of acquittal.
Much like Zimmerman, this kid will probably dig himself into being a pariah.
I’m of the opinion this is a very complex case. I believe on the one hand the evidence shows he was attacked, attempted to retreat, had nowhere to go, and legally defended himself- but that doesn’t mean he’s righteous. The fact he was where he was doing what he was doing that night is beyond ridiculous. He should have never been there. The fact his mother drove him there and endorsed this armed security guard LARPING is insane. In my mind the mother holds some liability for allowing her son into such a situation. I suppose the argument is then to what degree, if any KR is responsible based on his actions leading up.
Then there is this conundrum where Rittenhouse shoots the guy who chases and attacks him- I think we can all agree he was not a stable individual. But ostensibly the subsequent attackers attacked Rittenhouse because they believed their lives were in danger. And such attacks prompted Rittenhouse to defend himself. I suppose the argument is that these attackers were in a position to retreat whereas KR was on the ground. But I also understand situational awareness for the average person is going to be roughly 0 in such an environment of chaos (against the already chaotic backdrop of a night full of protests and riots and people stampeding around). And all of this is happening in a blink of the eye.
If I look at the big picture, there was no winner in this case. Everyone lost greatly- some more than others. Rittenhouse may have been acquitted but his life and how he relates to himself will never be the same. The cloud of that night and the trial will follow him forever.
Regardless of what I feel about the circumstances, the prosecution did a pretty dismal job. But I have no desire to re-litigate this case.
Regarding Rittenhouse’s Twitter posts… I suppose everyone handles trauma differently. I can only imagine the psychological torment of killing 3 people and going through a highly publicized murder trial, especially if you believe you did nothing wrong and nothing differently could have been done. I imagine you have to tell yourself that for your own mental preservation after killing 3 people due to a situation your willingly inserted yourself into dispute known dangers of what could happen.
But regardless of how one copes with such a conflict, in this case evidently poorly conceived humor, you have to have some awareness of your audience and how they might interpret it as joking about killing 3 people. Even if he believes his lethal actions were justified, you still have to demonstrate respect.
Working in the psych field, I’ve talked to a number of ex-military servicemen who have killed people. And in every single case they speak of the dead with a sense of respect and dignity because they understand the gravity of what it means to take a life, regardless of who they are and what they did. Even if they killed “the bad guy” they have enough insight to know most humans are not one-dimensional cartoon villains.
If I were in Rittenhouse’s shoes, thank god I am not, I would get as far away from the spotlight as possible and move on in solitude, grateful for a second chance to live a life. I cannot fathom why he keeps inserting himself into the public eye and drawing negative attention to himself.
www.google.com
www.theroot.com
