The article below is the text from an e-mail
I'm subscribed to, (another one of those you don't remember subscribing). This title caught my eye, so I read it with interest. I think there are some reasonable thoughts here worth
sharing. I've pasted the article to my blog, so readers don't have to
wade through the advertisements and pop-ups that come with going to this site.
|
The Rationale for Riots
A Note From the Managing Editor: A year ago, our hometown of Baltimore found itself in the national spotlight. Unfortunately, it was under considerably negative circumstances. Those of us who live in the city were inundated with calls from out-of-town friends and relatives. Is everything okay? Are you safe? Will you stay?
My answers to those questions were simple: No, yes and absolutely. Baltimore is my adopted home and has its problems... but it's an amazing place. It has a rich, storied history. Yet at the same time, it maintains a small-town charm. (Hence the nickname "Charm City.")
Still, what happened last April is significant and worth revisiting. That's why today we're rerunning a piece by our Editorial Director that originally went out in The Oxford Club's Members-only e-letter on April 28, 2015. In it, Andrew picks apart the violence - and the circumstances leading up to it - and applies it to our mission.
And to that end... I'd like to add that we have some exciting philanthropic efforts in the works. They're our way of giving back to our community. We're still in the planning phase, but over the days and weeks ahead, we'll reveal more. Stay tuned.
We had quite a night in Baltimore. Riots. Vandalism. Violence.
Members should know the Clubhouse is safe and so is everybody who works in it.
To be honest, it's an emotional time at the Club and throughout the city that we call home. It simply was not safe to be outside last night. The city was out of control. The police were outnumbered and, in many ways, they were defenseless.
The question now is why. Why was the city a tinderbox ready to explode?
Of course we're biased, but we say it's about money.
We've written often about the idea of liberty through wealth. With enough money, we argue, comes the liberty to do what we choose.
We remind Members that freedom and liberty are two very different ideas.
As we've written:
- Freedom is a word with German origin that simply means the
ability to make decisions or perform actions without external control.
But liberty, with its French roots, means freedom that has been granted by some sort of external element, typically our society or government.
Boiled down... freedom is something we are born with. Liberty is something we must fight for.
Behind the violence and destruction, it's a fascinating study of the effects of wealth... and the lack of it.
By the very nature of our being, we all have the freedom to travel where we want, when we want and to do what we want. Outside the 200 or so who were
|
But as they disgracefully showed the world on live TV, they're convinced they don't have the liberty to do it.
Despite the folks on the receiving end of the tossed bottles and bricks, it's not the government holding any of us back.
It's wealth.
When we understand that idea, we understand why the looters targeted a new mall and a new drugstore and why they burnt down a new housing complex. They weren't stealing bandages and pain pills from that CVS as it burned... they were stealing somebody else's wealth.
They were displaying rage for what they feel they can't reach.
Their rage will cost the city millions in lost revenue.
Baltimore is an extremely tough city for the poor. Its distinct neighborhoods make for a diverse town, but they also make it easy to flaunt what others want. We can name many spots where a mere two blocks separates pure affluence from abject poverty.
It's a constant tease... a harbor filled with million-dollar yachts within spitting distance of a neighborhood called Pigtown... a homeless park just blocks from the hottest real estate in town... a new mall where most of the community surrounding it can't afford to shop.
The poor know they have the freedom to reach for those riches, but, as they showed us last night, they are far from convinced they have the liberty to do it.
There is no excuse for the violence and destruction we've seen in Baltimore. It's disgraceful and ugly, and it will only make things worse. But it is a strong reminder of why we take our mission of building and protecting the wealth of our Members so seriously.
It's that wealth that creates liberty.
As we've seen, true liberty feels desperately impossible without it.
