What happened at Keene, NH pumpkin festival needs to be studied for what

[CK_John]

it forewarns about the post 911 generation.

This was pure flash rage mob with no planning nor reason. Watch up society a bad wind is blowing.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/18/college-arrests-injuries-during-pumpkin-fest/17533999/

[MADem]

1. Studied? This kind of stupidity has been happening for eons, don't blame this generation.

Every time a sports team wins, there's a riot going on.

Bunch of drunk kids from a college....bunch of out-of-towners....lots of booze and drugs... things are gonna happen.

[joeglow3]

2. I laugh when every generation think they had invented something

[Kalidurga]

3. In some circles...

It's not a party til a car is on fire. I am thankful I haven't ever been near one of those circles.

[MADem]

8. I know, I don't 'get' it, either--it's just craziness and blatant stupidity.

Thing is, it's not new! "Kids" have been jerks for generations, now! All over the world, too!!!

None of those idiot kids in Keene were even alive when this happened!!!

[CK_John]

4. This was different for reasons I can't seem to put my finger on, but it was not

normal for NH, nor was it about football, it was pure rage without a reason.

[MADem]

13. Well, there was no football game, it was the Annual Pumpkin Festival, a regional excuse for

a weekend party involving a good deal of alcohol. There have been incidents at previous pumpkin fests, they just took it a step further this time. Good weather probably "helped" the situation along.

Sports are a popular trigger for riots, but not the only reason. Sometimes, it's politics, social justice, that kind of thing...other times, it's just stupidity.

[Fumesucker]

5. To a big extent it's the alcohol

If it was large numbers of high people that causes riots Woodstock should have ended in a bloodbath..

But the Woodstock reboot with the beer vendors and freely flowing alcohol ended in drunken riot of all things.

Jesse Ventura had a great rant about this.

JESSE VENTURA, HOST: Imagine an alien suddenly dropped into the 21st century America. He goes to a Monday night football game and witnesses thousands of people guzzling a liquid refreshment as fast as vendors can supply it. Observing the spectacle of the game itself, the alien is constantly distracted by fans whose behavior seems to become more and more bizarre. He watches as fights break out between half-naked fans with painted bodies.

By the end of the contest, on the playing field, he notes that most of the people around him seem to have lost their ability to walk and for some reason, their speech has changed. Words are less audible. They seem to be talking in slow motion. Once the game is over, he watches the fans stumbling toward their cars, cursing and threatening other fans.

Clearly, the alien observes, something has caused these fans to have a mind-altering experience. But whatever is going on, it seems to be acceptable behavior for this society, because all the while, many police officers observe the behavior, but remain at a distance and don't interfere.

The next day, the alien attends a lecture on a college campus. After the lecture, he's invited by some students to a party. At the party, students are sitting around drawing smoke from a bottle-like structure with water in it. The smoke is inhaled into their bodies, the conversation is friendly, calm and respectful, and music is playing in the background. But all of a sudden, many police officers arrive with guns, grab the water-filled bottle, put handcuffs on everyone in the room, and take them off to jail. The alien is totally confused.

Welcome to the United States of America, the land of hypocrisy.

[MADem]

10. Sure--"lager louts" as they say over the water. Some people just can't have "a" drink or two.

They get shitfaced and stupid.

It's not just USA, as the video I've posted elsewhere notes. Lots of places have this problem. UK, Germany, Russia...even gentle CANADA!!

[lunasun]

16. + 1 never read that before ! Good one Jesse

[meow2u3]

6. Where are the warrior cops in riot gear and tanks?

Ooops, the criminals are the right color, so they get off scot-free.

[Recursion]

12. Well, people got tear gassed and beaten

Last edited Mon Oct 20, 2014, 12:13 AM - Edit history (1)

Maybe Keene PD missed out on the tanks, though? (See the John Oliver piece from a few weeks back.)

[MADem]

14. I think they dragged out the Bearcat for this riot. Really.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/10/19/comedians-poke-keene-pumpkin-fest-long-before-disturbance/EjbOB19yb7dJXlpJ3be8dJ/story.html

[TorchTheWitch]

7. we already know about mob mentality

Have for ages. They aren't planned nor do they ever have good reason. They just break out at times and have for ages ever since people got together in large groups. Alcohol tends to fuel violent behavior. In societies whose cultures don't curb violence and/or don't curb outward expression of emotion riots are more frequent and more deadly. But even the most staid societies can have instances of rioting behavior in times of widespread anger, hopelessness and/or misfortune.

[aikoaiko]

9. Same as it ever was.

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[Brickbat]

11. College kids get drunk, try to out-epic each other, and do stupid things.

[jwirr]

15. Was there a politcal issue? Further down in the thread they show several riots against intergration

and the war. Don't you think they were a bit different than this pumpkin fest? They had a serious cause behind them. I was pro-integration but I will admit that southerners were not just having fun.

[KingCharlemagne]

17. I blame 'absent

white fathers'



Best take on this came from DUer Riverwalker this morning:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025687035