System of a Down’s John Dolmayan Calls Movement to Defund the Police “The Stupidest Thing I’ve Ever Heard”

June 8th, 2020 at 2:24pm
Axl Rosenberg

Did anyone actually watch that fourteen-minute video John Dolmayan released over the weekend about how he and Serj Tankian can still be buds even though they don’t see eye-to-eye politically? I didn’t! Fourteen minutes! Jeezy creezy! Who the heck has that kind of time? Who the holy-fucking-heck has time to watch a fourteen-minute-long video by a drummer for a band who only made four albums, the most recent of which came out fifteen-fucking-years ago? What do I look like, a guy who blogs under the name of a musician whose band only made five albums, the last of which came out twelve years ago?

ANYWAY, if you had watched it, though, you would have heard Dolmayan assert that “I think that the movement to defund police is probably the stupidest thing that I’ve heard.” Then you have heard him elaborate:

“Any celebrity or politician who is behind the defund the police movement is doing one of two things 1. Showing you, who they consider the peasant class, how woke they are and how in tune they are with social injustice. In other words look like they give a shit but continue to live lavish well protected lives while you bang your head on a wall. 2. (Mainly politicians) Say anything to maintain their positions because the stupidity of defunding the police hasn’t fully been comprehended by the people advocating for it, they will cut budgets to show how they agree with the ‘movement’ and move the money into social programs, later once people have forgotten about this injustice and are on to the next issue they will cut funds to those programs and funnel the money right back into police department budgets. In fact they will increase those budgets because at the end of the day there can be no society without them, we are not civilized enough and probably never will be. You are being agitated into a frenzy, divided, and then placated. No real changes will be instituted except that many of you will be even more dependent on the government you so adamantly oppose. They take away your freedoms give you a few scraps and you thank them for it, wake up and think for yourself.”

Okay so first of all: why did Dolyman record this when he just got out of the shower? Wearing a comfortable lily-white robe, no less? It makes it hard to take him seriously; it’s like a broad parody of a Trump supporter (which Dolmayan is). Surely, he could have done this, like, two minutes later, when he had finished drying off and could put some clothes on?

Second of all, and more importantly: it kills me to admit that Dolyman’s point is not completely invalid. America does have a history of failing to reform our police system (and our entire judicial system, for that matter) in any meaningful way.

Having said that: I think Dolyman is being defeatist. Which I get. Defeatist is my middle name, bruh. But maybe — maybe — if we keep our eye on the ball… if we can make sure we keep paying attention and don’t just allow ourselves to be placated… we actually can enact some substantial change. I mean… we might as well try, right?

Now, I know I just made fun of someone watching a fourteen-minute-video, but I’m going to leave this thirty-three-minute video John Oliver made below and recommend you watch it. Unlike Dolmayan, it’s entertaining and relevant.