Although masks were technically banned, I brought one to the protest against Ben Shapiro on the University of Utah campus Wednesday evening.
Shapiro, editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire and former Breitbart News editor-at-large, is a well-known liberal baiter. Past protests against him, most noticeably at the University of California, Berkeley, have erupted into violence.
The mask was necessary. Although a media member, and therefore technically a nonpartisan observer, I worried a great deal about being singled out by the police.
I have any number of brothers, nephews, cousins and close friends scattered among the various law enforcement agencies tasked with keeping the peace at the demonstration. I know how cops think.
If they spotted me — even if the entire crowd was engaged in a silent joint prayer of mutual respect — I’d likely get gassed, shot with rubber bullets, and/or drubbed just for laughs.
In addition, I’ve been to riots before, including a couple I helped start. They’re unpredictable, at best, so it’s good to be prepared for the usual melee emergencies.
I packed eye wash, emergency gauze, a mouthpiece and my old military dog tags so as to identify my body in the event I was run over by a tank. Hey, no matter how prepared you are, someone else will be better prepared.
Here’s what happened at the Shapiro demonstration: virtually nothing. Nobody got killed, no vehicles were burned, no windows broken, and nobody I saw got beaten into a jamlike substance by the police. Sure, there were some minor scuffles, some major stupidity and plenty of swearing. But it was, in fact, boring. I’ve been to more violent Mormon Boy Scout camps.
This is not to say that the protest was bad. It’s healthy for people to get out and voice their opposition — as long as nobody gets hurt. In that respect, the Wednesday night demonstration was something of which we can be proud.
Some interesting things did occur which I should probably report on as a public service. These are things that should occur to people naturally. Unfortunately, when emotions get involved, reason sometimes has a way of leaving early.
First, chivalry may not be entirely dead but it’s a mere ghost of its former self. If you are a 95-pound nonwhite woman who starts punching a 200-pound white guy whom you honestly believe to be a racist, you’re not a champion of racial equality. You’re an idiot.
Not only have you lost all claim to reason, but you’ve also just picked a fight you have zero chance of winning. Furthermore, any fence-sitters out there are now less inclined to give your cause the benefit of the doubt.
Second, chanting should be done in unison. They are not supposed to come off as sing-arounds. Everyone chanting should be together and in time. Otherwise, those 20 feet away will just hear a bunch of noise.
Finally, try to shout things that make actual sense regarding the issue at hand. I was standing with a bunch of media when a Shapiro supporter yelled, “All of you who are from a country that put a man on the moon, raise your hands!”
Print, web, TV, radio, we all looked at one another like, “What the [flip] does that have to do with anything?”
As the demonstration dragged on, I gradually lost interest. It was my fault. I’m easily bored. I walked back to TRAX and went home.
However, on the way, I talked to people from both sides of the Shapiro issue. One on one, each had valid points that I could get behind. But then we weren’t yelling at one another. So.
If disappointing because of a lack of excitement, the protest was still managed well. Kudos to those who organized it for keeping their senses, plaudits to the police for hauling away the few who lost theirs, and thanks to the University of Utah administration for allowing the event to go forward.
