The Big Black Lives Matter Lie [OPINION]

Hundreds of people who think the world owes them something caused more than $60 million in damage to Chicago's posh Magnificent Mile shopping district early Monday. They ravaged storefronts, smashing windows and looting with impunity until they had had their fill.

After all, they are entitled. Or at least they think they are.

The assault on the city's high-end retail district is unimaginable to most. But an increasing number of people feel an entitlement to something that does not belong to them. They believe that if they want it, they should be able to have it. And that should be enough to justify their desire to take it.

Too many have never had to earn what they have. The government or mommy and daddy have given them whatever it is that they want. The thought of not having something that they desire or having to earn it is foreign to them. The appeal of socialism is that everybody has the same share, and it is free – or so they believe. That's the hook. The lure. It looks good on paper, anyway.

Members of Black Lives Matter Chicago held a rally on Monday night in support of the 100 people arrested during the destructive lotting spree that occurred earlier in the day. Ralliers not only supported the defendants but their actions as well.

“I don’t care if someone decides to loot a Gucci or a Macy’s or a Nike store, because that makes sure that person eats,” said organizer Ariel Atkins, according to NBC Chicago. “That makes sure that person has clothes.”

Atkins views the looting as a form of "reparations," and believes the actions of the looters were justifiable.

“Anything they wanted to take, they can take it because these businesses have insurance," Atkins said.

Again, this is the appeal of socialism to impressionable but stupid people who believe they are owed what they have not earned just because someone else has it and because they want it, too.

In the words of my late mentor Russ Baldwin, "We are doomed."

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.