July 26, 2026
Midnight Basketball with a Midnight Special
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Timothy Birdnow
He's right; the purpose of these big "youth" gatherings in Chicago is to intimidate decent Americans, particularly white middle class Americans, to push us into the shadows and make us despair.
And Chicago's Bolshevik Mayor "Let's Go" Brandon Johnson blames a plethora of things for this:
"Naturally, Mayor Brandon Johnson — Mayor 6.6, as we call him — has an explanation. Like many progressive politicians, academics, and activists, he argues these incidents are rooted in a lack of opportunity, insufficient youth programming, inadequate "safe spaces,” lingering effects of COVID, poverty, mental-health challenges, and other social factors.
But who has controlled this city all along? Why hasn't the Mayor fixed this problem when he is so confident he knows the causes? If the kids are lonely and bored why doesn't the mayor set aside spaces where the kids can go and socialize? (Of course we all remember "midnight basketball" was supposed to be the solution to all our inner city problems back in the Clinton era. So why didn't it work? Why so many youths running amok in the streets>) Where are the youth programs? Hasn't he been the mayor; why didn't he allocate resources for such? Why is there lack of opportunity? Could it be he ran all the businesses out of town? Could it be these kids never learned any responsibility at all making them unemployable, and that because his ilk ruined the educational system and broke their families with welfare programs?
He's more like mayor 6.6.6 if you ask me.
This guy really gets it:
The tragedy is that many of the young people participating probably don’t fully understand the consequences of what they are doing. Teenagers have always tested limits. That’s one reason civilized societies created institutions that impose discipline and teach responsibility. Families did it. Schools did it. Churches did it. Community organizations did it. Police and juvenile courts did it, when necessary.
He forgot the military. There is a reason why the military recruits in colleges and even high schools, and likes 18 year olds; these kids need guidance and the military will remake them into soldiers, with a code of honor.
In fact a civilized society understands that children are savages by nature and must be taught decency and civility. Those are not natural characteristics. But the Left long ago flipped things on their head with the idea of the "noble savage" and that civilization was unnatural and if we rid ourselves of it "nature" would assert itself and people would become like angels. It is the system that makes bad people in this view. This is exactly what Marx meant when he said the state would "wither away" when Communism was established and nature would make a paradise on Earth. The basic assumption of the whole Liberal movement since the eighteenth century has been that Man is inherently good.
That is at odds with the Christian faith which preaches Original Sin. Man is NOT inherently good but evil and he must be taught to be good, something that does not come naturally and which is inculcated through a long, laborious, and often painful process.
Children are animals until they are taught not to be. Kids raised by wolves, for instance, behave just like wolves.
And that is what so many teenagers, especially the poor and usually black or Hispanic, are so prone to crime. It's fun and profitable and makes them feel good because they can show their bravery and strength, important qualities in a feral culture that admires ruthlessness and power.
Of course the one thing that all feral cultures despise is civility; they see it as an oppressor. But who is the oppressor? The gangster and trouble maker, that's who. That is the true tyrant.
The author mentions churches have lost influence. True. But I would argue it goes farther than that. Churches are often now the very source of the infection, excusing bad behavior under the guise of Christian forgiveness and the liberal brand of Christianity, which assumes the kids are good by nature and so the real fight is social justice. How many black churches in ghetto areas get involved in such things, in political rallies and marches and demonstrations? Many. And all that does is reinforce the idea that the kids are being abused by the system which simply asks them to act like civilized people and obey the laws in place for everyone's safety and security. But so many preachers instead fight against "the Man". I saw a lot of that from Christian pastors in Ferguson; instead of calling out the rioters they marched in solidarity with them.
Ferguson happened BEFORE Covid. So did most BLM riots.
He says:
Teen takeovers are not occurring in a vacuum. They occur against the backdrop of years of de-policing, de-prosecution, and declining accountability. When young people repeatedly see others avoid meaningful consequences, many conclude that the rules are optional.
He's right, although I would argue it is a vacuum that leads to this in the first place - a vacuum of leadership from those who are charged with keeping order in society. It is their leadership failure which left a void and the kids simply act out because they can. Anybody ever read Lord of the Flies?
That is what our inner cities have become.
At any rate that is just a quibble and not a particularly important one; the author (George Shay) understands this point. It's just a quibble about wording.
This is an excellent essay and one that everyone should read.
Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at
11:49 AM
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