It’s not a riot unless something is set on fire.

We aren’t having a riot in Saint Paul by my own definition. I’ve seen what real riots look like, and this ain’t it. What we have are a bunch of children throwing a tantrum, pretending that violence gives them power. It doesn’t. It gives them a chance to feel the blood course through their veins and feel the deep intoxication of delusion. It gives them the taste of blood on the tip of their tongues, bubbling out as nonsense posing as language as the air is scented with the strange sweetness of tear gas.

This isn’t about smashing the state or any other grand ideas. It’s about children getting away with whatever they think they can get away with.

We’ve taken to calling them “anarchists” locally, a name the children gave themselves. That’s a sad insult to genuine anarchists, who acted strategically and struck at the real institutions of power. These kids smashed windows at Macy’s and the American Composer’s Forum because it felt really good to them. They don’t understand that power comes from putting out the fires, not starting them. The state went on pretty much as before through all of this.

Sadly, the Saint Paul Police are starting to over-react at times, harassing permitted and peaceful demonstrations and arresting anyone who steps even one footstep out of line. That’s what’s awful about this. The cops that I know and trust are getting exhausted and frazzled enough that they are doing stupid things. The “anarchists” will tell you that was their goal, but somehow the state manages to keep on. Few recruits are won over by what we’ve seen so far because the images of smashing windows is far more powerful. These kids fucked up bad, but they don’t care. They’re having a great time.

What does any of this mean for the future? If these children think they have a future in this nonsense, they’re dead wrong. I understand why some people want to thrash out at the system, but this isn’t going to change a thing. It’s all about their needs to feel like they have power rather than something that will really change the world. More to the point, every major outbreak of political violence, from the French Revolution to 1848 to 1919 has shown that eventually it leads to totalitarianism. Whether the right or the left wins, someone has to clamp down once they gain power. Not knowing this history shows how ridiculously stupid these children are in addition to being self centered.

Meanwhile, nothing is burning in Saint Paul. No one knew enough to set a tire store ablaze, a tradition in Miami; those things burn fast and long and send acrid smoke for miles. No, these are just stupid kids who don’t have the slightest idea what they are doing. Fat and stupid white kids who feel a need to impress the fat and stupid white Republicans.

Nothing is burning. They don’t know what they are doing. We should be glad that they are nothing more than children, I guess. But I still pity them even as I mourn the fact that they stole my city from me for a few days.