Comparative Rioting

• PHILLY: This week Philadelphia baseball fans broke bank windows, flipped over cars, started numerous fires in the streets, tipped over lamp posts, took over fire trucks, and defied police orders. Police respond by arresting 76 fans.
• ST. PAUL: In September, protesters in St. Paul broke bank windows, slashed tires, blocked traffic, and defied police orders. Police respond by charging protesters with "terrorism" under the Minnesota version of the Patriot Act. The police, FBI and Homeland Security also pre-emptively raid numerous homes, arrest journalists, and used heavy-handed techniques to physical hurt demonstrators. Over 700 are arrested.
  

• PHILLY: In Philadelphia, the riot happened after a street party at the end of the World Series baseball games.
  
• ST. PAUL: If these were "riots" that occurred, they are more aptly related to protesting. and civil disobedience. Beside the first day when protesters damaged property, the rioting was initiated by police unleashing tear gas, pepperspray and violence on crowds of people standing up to the Republican Party.

• PHILLY: Philly fans are not described as "violent" and some reporters have even denied the event was in fact a "riot".
  
• ST. PAUL: RNC protesters are indiscriminately described as "scary" or "violent anarchists", "nut-cases", and the incidents were categorically labeled "riots".

• PHILLY: there was not an articulated message defending the disruption other than to celebrate a baseball team's winning performance. However, Sports columnists willingly come to their aid.
  
• ST. PAUL: The thoughtful analysis of political culture and political issues is articulated and presented well ahead of time, but the analysis is completely avoided by mainstream observers.

Philadelphia

St. Paul

One of the things that Hyperborea loves doing more than anything else is critiquing the spectacle. The critique of the spectacle has already replaced the critique of reality.