The ObnoxiousWhite Privilege of the January 6 Defendants

Were they non-white, they’d probably be dead.

Photo by little plant on Unsplash

Most governments don’t equivocate when it comes to treasonous acts.

If these people had attempted a coup in nearly any other nation one of two things would have happened. They’d be executed or jailed and tortured.

But for various reasons here in the United States, many of them ‘got away’ with it.

Only a handful of defendants were charged with sedition or treason. Most were slapped with misdemeanor charges of breaking and entering, or unlawful entry of private government property. Some were indicted and convicted of more serious crimes. But my point is that were they non-white, they would not have even made it to trial. They’d be dead or injured.

Since January 6th, 2021, there have been various news stories about the January 6 insurrectionists. One posed with firebrand Republican Representative Lauren Boebert at the Mexican Border. Another claimed they needed to go on vacation. In Washington D.C., a jailed group of them called their treatment ‘inhumane’ and degrading. While also alleging frequent beatings and discrimination.

They said they’d rather be in Guantanamo Bay. If that’s how they feel, let’s send them there. After reading a survivor’s account of that place, I’m confident it would be worse than the DC jail.

Don’t comment and tell me it wasn’t an insurrection. You know it was. Even the Trumpiest of Trumpers said it was a major problem when it was happening. They’ve changed their tone since then, bowing before their supreme leader like the sycophantic cowards we know they are.

But at one point, during the day’s activities and shortly after, they all were condemning the mob’s actions. They were calling on Trump to do something. We know this, it’s not conjecture. We have their texts and emails. In the case of Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy, there are videos of them denouncing the day’s events in Congress.

The Warning Signs

But before we look at the aftermath, we should discuss the preceding days. Various message boards and email traffic flashed unmistakable signals of forthcoming violence. White privilege…