[simonh]

Kent state was tragic, but not only is it not subject to pervasive and draconian state censorship, it also was not explicitly ordered as an intentional massacre by the government. That particular distinction really does matter.

[robotresearcher]

So it was a less bad massacre of protesters by government forces. Shall we forget about it, and claim it doesn’t happen here?

Hell no.

[simonh]

Because forgetting about it was exactly what I was suggesting? Those straw men burn real nice, don't they.

[robotresearcher]

I named Kent State as an example of a US massacre of protestors, in response to a parent saying it doesn’t happen in the US. That’s all.

[JumpCrisscross]

> I named Kent State as an example of a US massacre of protestors, in response to a parent saying it doesn’t happen in the US

Tianamen was a massacre, but it was much more than that. If you think these incidents are comparable, you may find reading about them rewarding.

[robotresearcher]

They don’t have to be equivalent for Kent State to have been a US based massacre of protestors.

[DmenshunlAnlsis]

If we’re calling 4 people killed a massacre, then the word has just lost all meaning. It was horrible, criminal, and infamous, but massacre is hyperbole especially when compared to the thousand+ (someone else in this thread posted a BBC article citing 10,000) killed at Tiananmen it’s not even remotely similar.