I don’t know how much interaction you’ve had with leftists regarding the OWS agitators but I’ve kept a pretty steady stream of conversation going with some (mostly for purposes of ridicule ;-).
They’re sensitive to the justifiable criticism about the violent nature of many (if not most) of the agitators, and try desperately to split hairs (”We’re not like them”) in lame attempts to dissociate themselves from the more violent among them. As the police reports piled up into the fall of last year and the weight of all the criminality became undeniable most of them went quiet.
I believe that what we are seeing is the light-weights falling away leaving only the hard-core anarchists. I don’t think it’s will peter out just yet - mostly because so many of the equally leftist local governments have been so accommodating towards them - but soon because they can no longer hide their true nature.
I still believe that we will see riots as things heat up.
They’re sensitive to the justifiable criticism about the violent nature of many (if not most) of the agitators, and try desperately to split hairs (”We’re not like them”) in lame attempts to dissociate themselves from the more violent among them. As the police reports piled up into the fall of last year and the weight of all the criminality became undeniable most of them went quiet.Same thing happened in the Bolshevik Revolution back in November 1917. Those who were mere idealists "went quiet" back then too, except they went quiet permanently.
“They’re sensitive to the justifiable criticism...”
In 45-years I’ve never seen a violent leftie protest that wasn’t caused by “outsiders”. It’s all a lie and they know it as well as we do. It’s all done with a wink and a nod between leftie groups.
In my OWS discussions, I rub the violence in their faces; make them eat it. If they cannot control people that they call out to “peacably assemble”, then they have no business getting out on the steet.
In fact, it’s all coordinated. The organizers know exactly who the violent groups are.