As the United States currently descend into a whirlwind of protest and riots and chaos,

I thought it might be important to look at the symbolism of protest, the symbolism of riots,

what they can mean, what is their structure.

Now, I want to warn you that this video is not going to be political.

So for those hoping to see me virtue signal or comment or make some kind, take some kind

of political stand, you're not going to see this here. But if you're interested in understanding

the mechanisms, both positive and negative, of

protest, then this might be the video for you.

This is Jonathan Peugeot. Welcome to the symbolic world.

So in order to understand protest, we have to understand first of all and accept the basic idea that societies lay themselves out as hierarchies. And so within these hierarchies, there are elements which are above and our authorities have a responsibility to care, to protect the people below.

Also responsibility to protect them from each other, to maintain order as well.

And you also have people who would be in that power hierarchy are lower and are usually there to follow the rules, to obey the rule of law, to obey the way that this order comes down upon them, and to benefit from it.

Of course, they also have to benefit from this rule because it is the manner

in which society is held together and we avoid chaos. We avoid people coming into our homes and

robbing. All of this is the first prerequisite in understanding what protest is. And so protest

always comes from below.

Protest always comes from the people.

It's the people who are complaining about the manner in which the authority is laid out,

the manner in which the authority is manifesting itself.

It can be a complaining on a scale, which can go from complaining about specific

rules, which seem unfair, complaining about how the rules do not afford you enough. It can also

be a deeper complaining, which is a complaining about the authority itself, a desire to remove,

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