Why We Riot. Ethical Loops in the George Floyd Uprising

Abstract

The following article is the result of a research project that explores the experiences of individuals who fought on the front-lines of the George Floyd uprising. Combining participant observation with in-depth interviews, this work analyzes why certain individuals developed strong attachments to the riots of the George Floyd uprising, even despite differences of strategy, ideology, and biography. Emphasizing the role of direct experience, I argue that a key appeal of participation in these events was the opportunity to engage in subjectively meaningful forms of collective action. This was especially important in the late spring of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the human population and transformed how we experience everyday life. In a context of widespread uncertainty and social paralysis, the George Floyd uprising gave people an opportunity to engage in group actions which they understood as valuable in themselves, creating an experiential loop through which they could enact principles of bravery, virtue, and dignity – in short, an ethics of revolt. Far from being a marginal aspect, I argue that this generative loop – and its ability to circulate within a crowd – was a crucial determinant for why riots and rebellions happened in some American cities in 2020 and not others, even when those cities had similar background factors.