I have only followed this trial peripherally, and this thread sporadically... but I have two observations, which likely have already been made (and which are maybe the same observation):
1. We should have learned from the OJ trial that there doesn't have to be a hero on either side. OJ can be a monstrous wife-beater and a murderer and also Mark Fuhrman can by a racist, fascist piece of shit who has no problem with felony perjury about his (apparently quite frequent) use of the N word.
Pretty obvious parallels here where the victims (yes... victims) can be shitty people with shady histories who were actively involved in criminal mischief, while simultaneously Rittenhouse was a wildly unstable kid who classmates openly feared for his "school shooter" potential, a person caught on video repeatedly punching a woman in the back of the head in a street fight, a kid illegally carrying a weapon designed to kill a lot of people very quickly, and one who thought it was a great idea to wear a "free as fuck" shirt and flash a white power hand sign while taking his victory laps.
The idea of Rittenhouse as a celebrated hero is just horrifying. I mean, I have no doubt that OJ was guilty as fuck, but I'll die before you see me celebrating or justifying Fuhrman.
2. I cannot imagine the outrage if a black family got some welfare money (pandemic-related unemployment check), used the money and an (obviously, illegal) shill buyer to get an assault rifle, and then his mother (who participated in the gun-buying scheme as a shill "owner") drove him across three counties and a state line in order to drop him off at a "Unite the Right" rally, and all of that predictably ended in multiple deaths. Also, "free as fuck" shirts, gang signs posing with members of his same race, etc.
I mean, would this thread still break down along the same lines? If not, why?