Recent attack on Paul Pelosi is an example of how democracy is being threatened by extremist ideology

By CLAIRE SCHAD — cfschad@ucdavis.edu 

There is no denying that violence is intricately woven into the history of the U.S. In times of transition, those who oppose radical change lash out. This can be done through protest, showing up at the ballot box, or if all else fails, resorting to violence. And, unfortunately, violence gets attention. Or, at least it used to.

Former president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated just eight months before the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which aimed to abolish slavery in the U.S. Many Southerners opposed the amendment causing political unrest. John Wilkes Booth claimed that in assassinating Lincoln, he was acting for his country, standing up to the supposed “tyranny” promoted by Lincoln that was tearing America apart and doing what he thought was right. “Tell Mother I die for my country” were his famous last words. 

This use of violence in the name of “protecting the country” might seem familiar. Maybe because we saw it from those who participated in the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, the men in Michigan who planned to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer or more recently from David DePape, the man who had plotted to hold House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hostage. These individuals all had something in common. They all believed that attacking political figures would help save the country from the supposed danger those politicians posed. 

When DePape entered Paul and Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home in the early morning hours of Oct. 28 he had one goal: to send a threatening message to Democrats in power. “Where is Nancy?” DePape called out repeatedly when entering the home. 

He had planned to hold the Speaker of the House hostage and interrogate her about her political decisions and motives. According to a federal affidavit, DePape planned to break Pelosi’s kneecaps if he had reason to suspect she was lying, in order to send a threatening message to other members of Congress that there were consequences to their actions.

DePape had a history of following fringe right-wing conspiracy theories online. He had a blog where he frequently shared QAnon conspiracy theories and memes that showed support for far-right media personalities. Many of these posts were hateful towards Black, Jewish and transgender people, Democrats and the news outlets. He also had demonstrated support for the idea that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump —  a commonly-held belief among individuals committing acts of political violence. 

The House Speaker was fortunately not home when DePape broke into her house, but her husband, Paul, was. After a struggle to calm the intruder, Paul Pelosi was able to slip into a bathroom and call 911. But he wasn’t able to escape without injury. DePape struck him in the head with a hammer, fracturing his skull and leaving him incapacitated on the floor. Thankfully, after undergoing surgery and remaining in the hospital for multiple days, he is expected to recover.

While the attack on Paul Pelosi was appalling, it was clearly not an isolated incident. This is yet another act of political terrorism that is increasingly plaguing the U.S. Terrorism, defined as a violent act aimed at attaining an ideological goal, with an intention to coerce or intimidate, has increased dramatically in the U.S. in recent years. More specifically, in the years since Donald Trump was elected president, the U.S. has seen the number of recorded threats against elected officials increase tenfold since 2016, with over 9,600 threats in 2021. These acts of threatened or attempted violence have become expected.

While violence is woven into every corner of U.S. history, the nature of the violence has changed in recent years. Extremist groups and individuals no longer see elections as valid, resulting in individuals feeling compelled to forcefully intimidate or remove elected officials from seats of power.

 In recent years, attempted attacks on political figures and candidates have become normalized. Even more concerning, elected officials are spreading rhetoric of violence against their own colleagues, providing motivation for violent individuals to step in.

Each planned, attempted or successful attack threatens our democratic system. Political violence cannot continue to rise and, more importantly, all political figures must reject the violent rhetoric of their colleagues outright.

Whether you support them or not, all elected political officials deserve to live free of targeted violence. Representatives in the U.S. government must work together to dismantle dangerous extremist groups before it is too late.

Written by: Claire Schad — cfschad@ucdavis.edu 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

How to act appropriately at a concert from a frequent concert-goer

By MICHELLE MENDOZA — mimendoza@ucdavis.edu

Not too long ago, Davis students were graced with a thrilling hour-long set by Remi Wolf at Sunset Fest. As a fan, I was excited to get the chance to see her band for free. The atmosphere was perfect; it was the Friday of Halloweekend, people were dressed in costume and a bright, full moon was out. 

I have been to many concerts since the sixth grade. My first concert was The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather” tour. Standing in a crowd made up of mostly tall people smelling faintly of cigarettes, it was difficult to fully enjoy the experience. However, a few audience members realized that I couldn’t see and asked if I wanted to move in front. I was surprised by the kind gesture and it made the concert even better.

I was a bit farther away from the stage at Sunset Fest than I was at my first concert. This time, my friend was the one who couldn’t see past the shoulders of the person in front of her. As Remi’s set grew closer, people became more desperate to get a better view. They pushed forward and elbowed each other in retaliation. The most frustrating part was, during the performance, some people felt the need to move on top of each other’s shoulders. We decided that we wanted to leave the crowd, but it was difficult for others to move aside to let us pass.

Even though I have my complaints, the crowd was fine overall, and Remi put on a great show. Ten years to the day, these events made me want to reflect on concert etiquette and how it has changed.

Concert etiquette is generally defined as the social norms or the standard of behavior that is appropriate during a musical performance. These expectations change based on the type of concert you are going to. For example, the dress code and behavior expectations are different at a K-pop concert than at a rock concert. Concert etiquette is important because it ensures that everyone has a good time. This also applies to the performer, as people expect a certain quality of performance from an artist. 

A notable event where I noticed the change in behavior from a crowd was during Drake’s performance at the Camp Flog Gnaw music festival in 2019. He was the surprise performer, but fans had speculated and hoped that Frank Ocean would make an appearance instead. After all, Frank Ocean was a more fitting and exciting surprise for fans than Drake would ever be. This became clear after the crowd booed him off stage and cut the set an hour early. The initial reaction from the crowd was completely disrespectful to Drake, as he had only tried to entertain them and the organizer of the festival, Tyler the Creator. 

However, some argue that Tyler could have chosen a better performer that suited his fan’s expectations. I mean, as a Tyler fan myself, I’ve noticed that the majority of his fans are from his flower boy and post-Igor era, which more aligns with Frank Ocean’s genre of music than Drake’s. In a way, it’s understandable that fans might get angry, as Drake’s music is such a departure from what the attendees of Camp Flog Gnaw were expecting from the event.

Controversial behavior during Steve Lacy’s current tour has caused a major discussion about bad habits at concerts. A viral video shows a fan throwing their disposable camera at him on the stage and Lacy responding by smashing it. The pattern continued in a Tik Tok of a fan yelling “Can you say hi to my mom?” as he was about to start a new song, to which Lacy responded, “Can you be quiet?” This interaction clearly shows that there is a lack of respect for Lacy and his music, particularly from his newer fans. 

As we gradually come out of the pandemic and start going to more live music events, I think it is important to remember that we — fans and performers — are interacting with each other. Concerts are an exchange of human experience and energy that we often take for granted. And as fans, we are also interacting with the people around us, and our behavior affects them as much as their behavior affects ours. 

I can go on and on about how it is important to not push through a crowd or block someone’s view (which is all true), but I mostly want to emphasize it is important to be aware of the people in one’s environment. Live music is more fun when everyone is trying to make the concert the best experience possible for each other. Make sure you keep your fellow concert-goers in mind next time you see your favorite band.

Written by: Michelle Mendoza — mimendoza@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.