Elected officials on the Left and Right, Progressives, Democrats, and Republicans have become increasingly bold and often crude in their public comments attacking the opposition or decrying some development they do not like. Traditional four-letter words are passé. Now it's vulgarities like the F-word. Apparently officials think this makes them sound tough or sincere or authoritative. But more importantly, elected officials are now calling for citizen followers not simply to "protest peacefully," but to "resist," to pushback, to fight, and this is specifically aimed at law enforcement officials. Leaders don't seem to realize that, though they did not say "become violent," followers hear their cranked-up rhetoric and take it to the next level of physical altercation. This is called a stochasic effect wherein public speakers use vague, coded, or inflammatory language that demonizes a target, allowing the speaker to maintain "plausible deniability" for any subsequent violence. It's happening regularly in American political discourse and it is dangerous. For more Christian commentary see my website www.rexmroger.com or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers. #violence #mobs #anarchy #FreedomOfSpeech #protest
