At the time of writing we’re already on the second wave of riots with more to come later this summer. It’s pretty much guaranteed something like this will happen when you combine mass unemployment with hot weather with the generally tense cultural and political climate. Make no mistake, police brutality is merely a convenient catalyst for the riots, not the underlying cause. And they’re only about race insofar as black people tend to lead the way in these sorts of things.
What does this mean for NEETs?
Well for starters, if you live near one of these big cities and don’t leave your room now you forfeit the right to complain about being “bored”. This is the most exciting time in to be an American in over 50 years. Society is about to re-revolutionize. You think work and wealth inequality are bad now? It was even worse before the labor riots over 100 years ago. The things we take for granted now like weekends and the 8 hour workday we only have because of riots such as the infamous Haymarket affair back in 1886. Arguably both the right to weekends and 8 hour workdays have slipped away as the workforce migrated to a service/gig economy i.e. as jobs became less endeavors necessary to the success of humanity and more like blood sacrifices to the god of Economy.
Ever since the 2008 Great Recession this general malaise has permeated the country. Then during the COVID pandemic people realized the government could print out (sorry, “borrow from the future indefinitely”) $2,000,000,000,000 dollars and give us each $1,200/month with solely positive impacts on the citizens, megacorps, and the economy to boot. Turns out the stock market is just fine and inflation doesn’t occur when we get a UBI, at least for one month. The malaise of the 2010s isn’t just being replaced with understanding though, it’s being replaced with anger. People are pissed that as much as we got during the pandemic, megacorps who didn’t really need the cash were bailed out way more. People are pissed that the current system is unfair and more importantly, nonsensical. People are pissed that they could have been living the comfy NEETlife they were forced to during the pandemic lockdown this entire time. As more and more of them start to retire, even boomers are starting to realize NEETlife=sweetlife.
In some ways things haven’t changed that much since 1886. Riots are still how you get rights. Unfortunately it’s still difficult for a large portion of the population to outright admit they want to be NEET. They still have NEETshame instead of NEETpride. So we get all these bullshit reasons to justify the riots to give them a veil of puritanical ethics. People are burning down way more stores than police residences/precincts. It’s just kind of silly to pretend this is solely about some black guy getting killed by a cop, but I can’t deny it’s much better optics. If the rioters were honest about why they’re doing what they’re doing it’d be much easier to paint them as spoiled children. With an organized group like BLM supporting the rioters and many establishment politicians submitting to their righteous anger, the rioters are seen as more moral than plain old NEETs.
But should you go?
Given that being a NEET is epitomized by being comfy, I actually think no… unless looting is rampant like it was in NYC and LA. Things got crazy enough near where I live that someone tried burning down a courthouse but I didn’t go because there wasn’t any looting. I weighed the risks and rewards and decided that despite the fact most rioters weren’t arrested, if I can’t get at least a PS4 out of it I’m not risking going to jail. Although being in jail is technically a form of NEETdom it’s definitely the lowest form of NEETdom.
Don’t let my selfishness stop you though. Like I said earlier, it is necessary to create a world where everyone can be a NEET. Even without the opportunity to loot a ton of free shit with potentially no repercussions from police, participating in riots is certainly a once in a lifetime experience. Just be aware of the risks. Of course there are also the other rioters to worry about, not to mention armed store owners. Several people have died in shootouts resulting from store owners defending their store. Apparently some of the wealthier store owners have started employing mercenaries to guard their shops. So not only do you have to be prepared to be arrested, you have to be prepared to die. There’s a pretty small risk of it happening, but it’s there.
What should you do?
So, you decided to go to the riots. First of all, know that you can be a support class by leaving bricks, gasoline, fireworks, vinegar-soaked bandanas, goggles, cardboard boxes, water, crowbars, and first aid around the area. Just $200 goes a long way. You can be a spotter for other rioters as well; maybe invest in a $100 police scanner if possible. If you prefer creation to destruction, you can become a memer class and put up flyers and graffiti. Cover your face. Prioritize ability to move over protection with your clothes. Don’t bring your phone. Acquire a $50 4 pack of walkie talkies if you can though, because the most important things to bring are friends. To be honest I don’t have too much to say about this, but here are a few helpful things I found:
NEETpride 