Theory of Mind for Minnesota Protestors

In the context of the American political spectrum, the terms “Left” and “Right” have always been rather nebulous and prone to shift depending on who is currently in power and which positions are politically expedient at any given time. Still, it’s odd to see these kind of changes happen in real time. In the blink of an eye, the gun-toting, “don’t tread on me” Right has apparently decided that it is in fact wrong to bring weapons to a protest, and that we have a patriotic duty to obey government agents, while the anti-gun Left has seemingly discovered the utility of the Second Amendment in light of Alex Pretti being killed in Minneapolis while carrying a legal firearm.

I don’t wish to dwell on the hypocrisy; lack of political principle has become so commonplace as to be unworthy of comment. Nor do I wish to litigate the rights and wrongs of the actions of protestors or ICE agents by meticulously analyzing slowed down video footage. I’ll leave that to other, more qualified sleuths (and ideally to the actual justice system should any of these cases ever be brought to trial). What I find more interesting is the apparent inability of many online commentators and Twitter warriors to even understand where the other side is coming from.

In psychology, the term “theory of mind” refers to our understanding that other people have similar brains to ourselves, and that they have thoughts and emotions in much the same way we do. As we grow from infants into more rational adults, we gradually stop viewing other people as mere automatons in a universe designed for our benefit, and start to realize that every individual has an interior existence all of his own. This is a key component in developing an ethical framework, as we understand that the pain that others feel is no less real or unpleasant than our own pain, and that we should therefore treat others as we would wish to be treated. This is the so-called Golden Rule that underlies most, if not all, of western moral thought.

Yet, it would seem that all too many people lack a theory of mind, at least when it comes to people from a different political tribe. I’ve been appalled to see people who claim to oppose tyranny jeering and mocking the Minnesota protestors, even declaring that the ones who were killed deserved what they got. At this point, conservative readers will be quick to object that the actions of ICE agents are not tyrannical, but simply the appropriate enforcement of immigration laws. And that may be the case, but that’s not how the protestors see it.

In order to make sense of the protestors’ actions, you have to understand what they are hearing from their news sources and what they believe to be true.

From their perspective, ICE is a militarized, masked force, invading their communities and hauling away peaceful people who only came to America in search of a better life for themselves and their families. They’ve been told that ICE has carelessly deported American citizens, and sent legal residents to El Salvadoran gulags. They’ve been told that ICE is violently abducting people who have lived here their whole lives, who have never known another home, and who speak no language other than English. Some of these claims may be true and some of them may be false, but this is what protestors believe and those beliefs are what motivate their actions.

For the Minneapolis leftist, this is Germany in the 1930s. The SS is going door to door rounding up jews and threatening anyone who dares to harbor them. These enforcers are backed by the laws imposed by their government. They can charge you with obstructing justice and resisting arrest if you fail to comply. They can label you a domestic terrorist for failing to meekly submit to their demands. And while the cowards say “Well, it’s the law. We have to do what they say,” the courageous stand up to injustice, even at the cost of their own lives. No one wants to be a sniveling weakling, turning a blind eye to the evils of tyranny out of fear or convenience. Everyone likes to imagine himself as a hero. To the Minnesota protestors, Rene Good and Alex Pretti are such heroes, and those who support ICE’s actions, even at their most brutal, are Nazi sympathizers.

This should not be a difficult concept for conservatives to get their minds around. It was only a few years ago when the shoe was on the other foot. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the government prevented people from going to work, seeing their families, visiting dying loved ones in the hospital, going to church, and even enjoying nature in solitude, as harmless swimmers were chased down and dragged from the beach by armed enforcers. There were many, myself included, who considered this to be an unacceptable breach of our rights and freedoms. Disobedience to draconian lockdowns was not only justifiable, it was the duty of every free American. At the time, those on the Left shook their heads, wondering why we were being so unreasonably stubborn, and why our disinclination to temporarily wear a mask was more important than saving millions of lives. They lacked the theory of mind to understand that for us, this was a red line in the same way that mass deportations is for them.

Personally, I happen to think that the way ICE is conducting itself is reckless, unprofessional, overly violent, and at times criminal. You don’t have to agree with me on this. You can dispute all the facts surrounding the two shootings and argue that the agents acted in justifiable self-defense. You can refuse to believe any of the stories about wrongful or illegal deportations. You can think all the protestors are stupid and misguided, as they thought Covid protestors were. That’s fine. But even the most zealous ICE defender should be able to acknowledge that the people being killed are bravely standing up for what they think is right. They are attempting to avoid being collaborators in what history may one day view as an atrocity. They are doing what we encourage every American—from the founding revolutionaries to the abolitionists—to do when faced with a government that no longer represents them. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, they are refreshing the tree of liberty with the blood of patriots and tyrants. That, at least, deserves some respect.