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THREAD: I think it's important to ask why the media is so virulently opposed to "looting." This book review was far from "delightful"--it's hard for the media to even have a rational discussion about property destruction. 1/ https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/1302602036333228033
I've enjoyed @mtaibbi's books and reporting, often recommending them to students and friends. But instead of engaging with important ideas about looting and the nature of property, he makes fun of Vicky Osterweil in mean ways that aren't interesting. 2/
The media and police constantly call destruction of property "violent" crime. This is important: it nurtures moral stigma and justifies years in a cage as punishment for threatening wealth accumulated by powerful people through (mostly illegal) exploitation. 3/
There is a long history of exciting scholarship on these issues, including this classic piece On the Phenomenology of Giant Puppets by David Graeber, who just died this week. https://libcom.org/files/puppets.pdf 4/
It's odd that we leave a review by someone with @mtaibbi's intellect with no idea what he thinks about looting as a strategy or why. Why would someone of @mtaibbi's profile spend so much time writing a review just to make a few nasty jokes without saying anything interesting? 5/
He was angry about something, but what? Why let that stop you from exploring interesting ideas? I'm curious to see if @mtaibbi would engage in a more in-depth debate about looting and the interesting issues it raises about resisting illegal (and racist) wealth accumulation. 6/
