In an interview with The Cut on Wednesday, Rep. Maxine Waters explained that she rejects the term “rioting” because it is part of “negative language used far too often in a description of black people.”
Waters claimed that “a lot of negative language gets used against black people, describing what whites often believe is true about us: that language includes ‘lazy,’ ‘criminal,’ and ‘rioting.’ It’s all negative language used far too often in a description of black people by folks who fundamentally don’t see black people the same way they see whites and others.
“So yes, I said ‘insurrection’: People acting out of frustration and hopelessness and understanding that they don’t have an establishment — political or otherwise — that really cared about their ability to work or have good health care,” she added.
“Rioting” is not racially charged. It is proper terminology for the violent assaults and wanton destruction raging across the nation, and it applies to thugs of all colors. The fact that Waters wants to legitimize it by calling it “insurrection” speaks volumes about her.