I’ve read many stories from the media and a nauseating number of celebrities claiming that Kyle Rittenhouse is a murderer, and that the system promotes white supremacy and and vigilantism. Both of these statements are demonstrably untrue, and in case you missed it, the jury disagreed.
In a nutshell, I see vigilantism is the act of putting yourself in a situation in which you hope to be attacked so that you can enact revenge on the attacker under the cover of self defense, or the act of meting out justice yourself instead for whatever reason.
Self defense is different in it’s mindset and goal. The person with self defense as a mindset has a primary desire of being left alone in peace. However, if an aggressor puts a person in a position where they must choose between defending themselves and their property and the well being of the aggressor, the aggressor will be met with whatever force is necessary to stop them, as it should be.
Self defense is the act of defending your life, people and property from those who would unlawfully take, damage or kill it once that danger becomes imminent. This is in the DNA of Americans, and I can think of no other human right more basic than protecting your life, family, and your livelihood, no matter how aggrieved the attacker feels, violence must be answered with violence or the bad guys win.