MT. HOOD ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSES CAPITOL UPRISING

Led by MHCC communications instructor Brady Carey, a brief yet informative roundtable discussion surrounding the United States’ present protest culture was held on Feb. 10ruary, particular focus being placed on the Jan. 6 D.C. Capitol insurrection.

Hosted by a panel of various Mt. Hood social sciences educators, the Zoom meeting held a clear intent to compare and contrast the events of early January with other contemporary and previous protest movements, and to understand how our collective comprehension of that day can be influenced by greater understanding of the context from which it was born.

Opening with a powerful clip depicting MSNBC correspondent Joy Reid covering the Capitol siege, the tone for the rest of the roundtable would be set, with Reid repeatedly highlighting the hypocritical way in which the insurrection was being toothlessly referred to in real time, as opposed to how the previous summer’s far more peaceful ‘George Floyd’ protests were disdainfully acknowledged.

A presentation by history instructor Elizabeth Miliken followed, describing the sizable past of attempted overthrows in the U.S., false election fraud claims and all. She also was sure to mention the great connections in the country’s record with white supremacist ideology.

Elaborating further on his colleague’s observations, history instructor Patrick Casey focused his own presentation on the civil rights era of the 1960s. He was sure to emphasize a deep divide between those who were under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his contemporaries, and the far-right factions behind the Jan. 6 assault this year. Communications instructor Karina Bjork used her expertise regarding the power of language to call attention to the rhetoric commonly being used to refer to various movements, and its implications. Among other examples, she noted how white protesters are often immediately referred to as “patriots,” while POC protesters are “thugs” and “rioters,” from the get-go. In this way, her lecture served as an appropriate companion piece to the earlier Joy Reid statement.

Psychology instructor Nicole Bragg-Scott utilized her experience in her field to highlight the social psychology at play behind protest movements, again mentioning the disconnect present in how nationalist movements are referred to vs. how liberation movements are described.

Fellow psychology instructor Jessica Scott briefly added to the points made by Bragg-Scott and Bjork by recalling how during the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the South, Black individuals scavenging for vital supplies tended to be labeled as “looters” while white individuals doing the very same tended to be labeled as “survivors.”

After a thoughtful Q&A session, the meeting concluded, many participants expressing the desire to resume the discussion at a later date.

Given the sentiment shared by the panelists behind the inspiring and respectful event, MHCC, an institution long attended by a fairly diverse student body, seems likely to continue to benefit from ongoing expert-led deliberation on the constantly changing social attitudes and expectations of American society.