OK, that is a great response to a post and it deserves a good reply. Sadly, I don't think I will be able to do it justice.
Maybe they are looking for a little pat on the head or just reading it for some ammunition to talk about the issue with their peers.
I do often post links to articles that can be used as reference or for study purposes. It helps to be fluent in the topic if you're going to engage someone in a debate.
And even less obvious, but worth asking: are there any people left, other than children, who haven't heard these kinds of arguments before? Are there any non-deaf ears that might hear these arguments and be persuaded? Any that aren't members of the choir that are being preached to?
Here on Poal we're often preaching to the choir but there are a few people with somewhat differing views and maybe they can be reached.
I guess I hadn't really been able to put this into words until I saw the article, but this is a bit of a crisis of mine lately. It goes deeper than online articles, and I think encapsulates pretty much the behavior of everyone who is sane right now.
Everyone who I consider good people, and there are lots of them around, are all just sitting around saying things that are obvious. It's comforting to hear people agree in closed circles because you're no longer allowed to say these obvious things out in the open (like on Facebook or at work for example). But we're stuck there. The comfort of hearing your peer say "oh, yes, yes, no, they shouldn't be doing that" SATISFIES THE NEED. It makes the bad feeling go away and relieves the pressure we're all feeling. For now.
Meanwhile, our lines of communication are being cut off. Our rights are being taken away. Our history is being erased. The unthinking masses are not only being riled up to commit violence against us, but are being shown that it is tolerated and they will get away with it. This is moving toward genocide.
We need to act. I am the wrong person to prescribe the action because I'm retarded and lazy and kind of a fuckup and am probably being monitored in various algorithm-driven ways. But maybe if I could bring the right people together, persuade the right people to act, keep the infiltrators away, then something good could come about.
Maybe I need to bring Underworld back and think it out in writing.
edit: But the point is, it has to come to some real-world actions.
I am right there with you, man. I am probably the only one in my (slowly diminishing) circle of friends that still speaks his mind on anything. If someone is comfortable expressing a *leftist" view and asking for my opinion I am completely fine with giving it. No holds barred.
Maybe 'friends' is the wrong word. How about acquaintances? That's better.
In any event, I think organizing with others to act is the wrong way to go about it, unless you have absolute concrete trust in the people you are with. You're opening yourself up for a no-knock FBI raid in the wee hours of the morning. Act as an individual and serve as an example.
Maybe I need to bring Underworld back and think it out in writing.
I don't know what that means.
/s/Underworld was a thing Frosty was doing for like a second. Not important.
My situation is there a quite a few people at hand who understand what is going on. But we are all behind the curve. We are grumbling about what's happening. In bars, behind closed doors at the office, in side conversations at parties when no one is paying attention. And everyone who does this feels like a winner because they've found yet another good person who can see things for what they are, and they find yet more every day. But in spite of being able to covertly find each other and make ourselves feel better, there remains a problem that we are simply watching what's happening, completely powerless to stop things. It's telling we can't even communicate out in the open. Once it was a problem to not be able to post whatever on Facebook or Twitter. Now whether we are even able to meet and gather in person in any kind of numbers is on the chopping block. And as all our means of communication, organizing, self-funding are being cut off, we are talking about... black crime statistics!? Kaepernick's shitty throwing arm!? The times Coronavirus lockdown rules contradict each other or are inconsistent!?
I mean, there is still more ground on the information level that needs to be won even in these sane people circles. The JQ and WQ for instance, though some serious out-of-the-box thinking and care is needed to address these. But anyone who's not caught up on the lie of systemic racism at this point is broken and beyond help. We need to recognize that and move on.
By act, I mean organize, build some communication infastructure, figure out specifically who we can trust and who we can't in our local communities, know who we are and what we stand for, have leadership that can mobilize people if shtf, etc. These are the kind of conversations we should be having when we get together. I didn't mean to intone anything fedpost-y.
And then to further complicate things there are quite a few people who generally are on the right side of things, but are dumb little bitches when push comes to shove. Gotta keep them on the sidelines.
Just thinking out loud.
(post is archived)