Why do people say wars are sometimes necessary, but seem to condemn all riots?

[Anonymous]

***Just to be clear, I'm not advocating for either or, just asking the question for your opinion.

Just about every corner of the earth has been touched by wars and I would argue that both wars and riots stem from the same exact problem, an inability for two sides (or more) to come together in agreement to agree to something, fix something, or change something that is effecting the other.

Along with wars, riots have happened around the globe---they are not unique to any one country, but they tend to be a more localized group of people against a government/law enforcement/political figures.

Both can be be destructive, both can take lives, and injure people, but why is it that wars are sometimes deemed as necessary by some, but riots are not. Is it not the same concept? There are many riots that led to change just as there are wars, obviously at the cost of a lot of property/lives, but it would not be true to say no good or positive change has ever come from either in the history of both.

[Ryan1979]

Riots are not wars. Wars have rules of engagement and often send those committing war crimes to a ruling body to punish them. Riots have no rules and during a riot, rioters often target innocent members of a community in business owners the elderly or anyone who refused to partake in the riot and causes them harm steals from them or destroys their business. I don't care what the riot is in support of I would never support any riot for any reason.

[Asker]

If wars have rules of engagement, then why are there those committing war crimes if they are being respected?

Second, and I quote: " rioters often target innocent members of a community in business owners the elderly or anyone who refused to partake in the riot" So what do you think war criminals are doing exactly? Bullets and bombs have no way of determining at the distances they are often fired at who is innocent and who is not.

This is what I mean---people give so much deference to war, and not to riots but they are in the same boat. There are bombs that are dropped every year that kill THOUSANDS of innocent people and level businesses and not all of these incidences are considered to be war crimes just "unfortunate collateral damage."

Also, if you are indeed an American, America was born of riot and you are the direct beneficiary of not only that, but several wars that led to America being America, so if you don't support the riot or it's outcomes, then maybe pack a bag.

[TDDMS]

If there were no rules of engagement, then the concept of "war crime" couldn't exist. For a crime to be committed it requires a rule/law to be broken.

[Asker]

@TDDMS All this does is assert my point again by illustrating why one is really no better than the other which is why I don't understand why people give war such deference. It's not just those who commit war crimes that kill innocent people in a war or destroy businesses and clearly, there are plenty of rioters who don't kill people in a riot.

[Guy13]

Wars in our history are righteous acts in that we were attacked or an ally was attacked and we responded. Riots are unrighteous attacks upon property and people based upon events that are in opposition to another’s beliefs.

[Asker]

Some riots are simply destructive without reason, true, but there are many that occur for reasons like people are starving and a corrupt government is hoarding food or a police force continue to unfairly attack one religious group and because they also control the power structure, people of that group can't simply go to court. What should they do? Wait to die? Continue to be beaten and harassed for the rest of their lives? How are these not the same so called noble causes on the same level as wars?

[Guy13]

You need to be specific in your questioning.

[supercutebutt]

"Wars in our history are righteous acts"
LOL!

Vietnam & Iraq wars were righteous? They were both started due to bad intelligence.

[Guy13]

@supercutebutt Vietnam were allies of USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Baltic States and it goes on... And China, Soviet Union, and Communism as a whole was in Vietnam Know some facts so you don't look so stupid please.

[Anonymous]

It's not that wars are necessary, but rather that a nation sometimes needs to protect itself or its allies, or protect its interests, against the actions or aggressions of another nation.

Riots are never necessary. There are other, less destructive / violent ways to accomplish things. Riots are just a way for immature people to take out their anger, but the people they typically hurt are not the ones they are angry at.

[Asker]

How is it you can defend one and not the other? There are senseless wars and senseless riots, but so too are there riots that create change and wars that create change or are the catalysts for justice. If all people had to do was work it out diplomatically or by other means, by that same logic, there should be no wars AND no riots.

There are plenty of cases where the government or a religious party, or a corrupt police force holds so much sway over the traditional means of peacefully handling situations that it becomes impossible for the people to go that route to seek justice or change. In many countries the opposition are killed for merely writing articles asking for justice. There is no black and white in these cases which often lead these people down the path of the riot that may turn into an eventual war.

[Opinion Owner]

I never advocate for starting wars or starting riots. What I said was that I support fighting a war in defense when it is brought on by the actions of another nation.

Riots are never justified, just like starting a war is never justified. Riots are a violent, destructive, extremely costly and often deadly act that is never justified, period. People who participate in them or try to justify them are the lowest form of life that could be considered human. I advocate for law enforcement taking down rioters just as I advocate for fighting a war in defense against invaders of a nation or an ally.

Your logic could be (and is) used to try to defend what Trump supporters did at the Capitol on January 6th. That was indefensible, just as all riots are, and I'm glad the perpetrators are being brought to justice, just as all rioters deserve to be.

[Asker]

" Riots are a violent, destructive, extremely costly and often deadly act that is never justified, period. People who participate in them or try to justify them are the lowest form of life that could be considered human." This is what you've said, but this is war as well. Thousands die including many innocent people, many people's homes, businesses, neighborhoods are leveled in wars, and recovery can take decades if ever.

Again, to be clear, I'm saying riots are in the same boat as war, but people seem to elevate war to noble levels especially if they are the beneficiary of said war. If you are an American, you are the beneficiary of riots and war---these things built this very country. People write songs about this and they have pride in this. There are people who riot because they are tired of being killed or being starved---so I don't always think there is a clear well defined absolute yes/no line that exists in terms of every single riots or all wars ever.

[Kaneki05]

Both are needed obviously. Cannot start a revolution without one, many revolutions have been a good thing along with many bad just like war. Without riots dictators would rule forever.

[Asker]

It seems that people aren't taking into account a lot of wars and change have been born out of riots, but it seems only justifiable if it's done by certain people over others or certain causes that people agree with over others. The same could be said about war, especially if you're on the winning side.

[Anonymous]

riots against "the people" ARE evil and should be condemned and stopped. If a cop did you wrong on one side of the country, it in no way justifies burning down a police station on the other side of the country to express your anger or call for change.

Nobody's grandma deserves to be pepper sprayed in the face when violent pieces of shit decided they need to riot and attack random people because they disagree with something the government did.

[Asker]

So there are justifiable riots as long as they are specifically executed against the people who caused harm? What if the problem is systemic and those in power are corrupt? How does one then specifically fight against said persons if they are the ones controlling the means with which to fight them diplomatically?

[Opinion Owner]

... that's why we fight so hard to keep our 2nd Amendment. ;)

[Agagagagaga]

Somehow Gandhi managed to get independence in India from the British after hundreds of years. And he didn’t need to have a riot to do so.

Hell, even the Bolsheviks didn’t riot. They armed themselves and were led. Directed. Achieving objectives. Riots don’t do that. It’s just chaos. It can be understandable, but it is never justified. Did the LA riots really change anything for the better? In my own city there were riots back in the 60’s that completely changed the economic make up of the downtown area. Businesses closed. Shops closed. People moved. No one wanted to live in an area that had that kind of violence. 60 years later and that section of the city is still under developed. It never recovered economically. And now you have pawn shops, liquor stores, and bums who hassle you at the gas pump. All because of a riot that resulted from one traffic stop in the 1960’s.

[jshm2]

You're confused.

Wars make rich people richer, riots give poor people a reprieve.

[Googlemyahoo]

WW1 the leaders of Britain, Germany & Russia were first cousins. Rich men playing with toys.

[OddBeMe]

Dont really see the connection besides violence. But I’d never say a riot is ok. WW2 was necessary. Every war since then…not so sure.

[maximumpower]

Would venture to say that anyone with that outlook has never truly experienced war.
There are no winners.

[MisogynisticPig]

Ecclesiastes 3:8 - A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

[joeldalton]

Riots are more akin to terrorism than war.

[Juxtapose]

Deep state logic.