Greg Gutfeld: Derek Chauvin is guilty, but the damage may already be done

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Gutfeld examines conviction of Derek Chauvin, state of US justice

'Gutfeld!' host is joined by Jeanine Pirro, Tyrus Murdoch, Kat Timpf and Chadwick Moore to discuss the much-watched trial

So, it turns out the American justice system works.

The verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial is a great relief. I say that for cynical, sad, selfish reasons, because I knew that if it went the other way, my city would have been in flames. I know Chauvin is guilty, but I wonder if it's normal for a country to be so worried about unrest no matter what the outcome of a trial is. I know I was, because I've seen this before.

So what has the media learned from all this? Nothing. To them, we are still some racist country. We arrested a White cop for killing an unarmed Black male under crazy circumstances. The White cop went to jail and went to court and now will go to prison. How racist is that?

Will that change anyone's minds in the media about how racist America is? Of course not, because the media has amplified the narrative to the point where there is no turning back. They ignore context because complexity kills the narrative. So this will happen again and again. Out of tens of millions of police stops, you might get eight or 10 ugly, awful events. Even if you try to do better, it can and probably will happen again, and that's all you need to keep this narrative alive.

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Sadly, we've normalized the threat of violence as a method to exact justice. After an event occurs, mayhem is now like a weather pattern -- "74% chance of arson, 90% chance of assault. Better board up those windows." Worse, our acceptance of anarchy has made it a wonderful opportunity for looters to step in and decry racial injustice by stealing a rack of expensive jackets.

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These are not people acting on behalf of the memory of George Floyd, and so we must learn that we are at the mercy of the news even as it paints a false picture about our country and our police, and that false picture results in a climate that is neither safe nor beneficial for progress.

So when something like the Chauvin story comes along, it's not just about justice. It's about how we process information, how we process our anger, and truth. If justice is predicated on a sense that mayhem can and will occur if it doesn't go a certain way, then we're all screwed for good.

This article is adapted from Greg Gutfeld's opening commentary on the April 20, 2021 edition of "Gutfeld!"