There may be times when it is appropriate to fight, though it will probably not be a really cool fight with lots of cinematic moves and gunfire. Sometimes, it may just require words.
There are several recent examples that let us explore this. We are going to start with the one that ended up being kind of joyful, at least afterward: the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl
https://www.today.com/news/alabama-montgomery-riverfront-brawl-rcna98690
Perhaps you have seen the video.
Well, I say that like there was only one video, but as the original footage spread, people started sharing other angles, versions with special effects added, commentary, and re-enactments.
People found humor in it, but there are some really not funny things about it, too.
A dinner cruise was returning, and there was a private pontoon boat blocking the dock.
Two employees went to move the boat. There was a Black man and there was also a younger white one who doesn't figure as much in what you see. I don't think he was sure what to do. Pickett, the Black man, was the assistant boat captain so in more of a leadership role. Also, he would have had to respond somehow once he was hit in the face.
Now, I know there are some pretty strong traditions around letting someone else touch your boat, but making 200 people wait for half an hour and you are still ignoring requests to move your boat three steps, well, maybe you should consider yourselves lucky that all that happens is your boat being moved without any damage.
Except they were drunk and entitled. And racist.
We will spend more time on that, but I want to touch on the response first.
Historically, a group of white people attacking a Black person has ended far too often in death. Pickett's defenders came quickly, but he already had bruised ribs and bumps on the head.
That a Black man was successfully defended and that the police did not come in and start clubbing the Black people is huge, especially in the South.
There is a disorderly conduct charge against one of the defenders. The folding chair was the most iconic part of the brawl, but perhaps it was over the top.
You will see that the mayor has refrained from calling the incident racially charged, but there are clear racial elements.
In general, people rely on conventions, like not cutting in line. Politeness does not provide clear instructions for what to do when someone is violating those unspoken rules. There are people who benefit from ignoring those conventions.
That in itself might be race-neutral, but which people are more likely to do that is often tied in with privilege, as well as whom it is safe to do that to.
That these drunken white people felt safe ignoring a Black man who was not only right but acting in a professional capacity, and then felt safe assaulting him... that has a racial component.
Add to the mix that Donald Trump had just given a "fiery" speech in Montgomery four days earlier, and connections have been drawn between Trump rallies and hate crimes.
https://www.vox.com/2019/3/24/18279807/trump-hate-crimes-study-white-nationalism
So here is when you can get to defend people: when it is against oppression and against marginalization.
There are going to be a lot of instincts that will feel inhibiting for that, and those are things we need to root out.
This will become more obvious as we talk about other incidents.
Related reading:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/09/opinion/montgomery-brawl.html
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