a lot of the time spectacle has been the way to talk about trump era but i think that focus on spectacle is counterproductive here

there is nothing postmodern about mob power. it is the oldest tool of politics. remember antony's speech and the ensuing riot that followed?

the mob entered because the police were unwilling or incapable of defending the capitol. the mob was instigated by one component of the government against another component.

finally, the military intervened after a crisis situation -- which we will learn more about in detail over the next few weeks -- in which there was a struggle within the government about when and how they would be deployed.

these are about basic aspects of primal power, coercion, and violence. their very simplicity is the story.

spectacle is important but i'm afraid people will lose track of the actual elements of *brute power* that were absent or present today