On it’s own, it doesn’t matter at all. You can’t protest against those who don’t recognise your humanity. The exact lesson from apartheid here in south Africa. There is no peaceful way to oppose ideologies based on violence.
Exactly. And for all of this “the exact lesson from apartheid” we’re all supposed to have taken to heart about the uselessness of non-violent protest, remind me again because it’s been some thirty years since I last heard about it . . . where is apartheid now?
I love when these fifth columnists show up to shit on any individual effort toward change, no matter how tiny, and to shower any “I can” idea with contempt, because it tells me who they are, and confirms that my own infinitesimal contribution, in combination with millions of other like contributions, is anything but useless.
There’s a large part of me that thinks violence may be necessary, but you know what?
I’m kind of a cranky, belligerent jerk sometimes, and I’ve been wrong about a lot of things. I could be wrong again. I hope so.
And the fact of the matter is that a lot of people who I respect and love disagree with me and demand peaceful protest and are trying much more clever ideas than I’ve come up with. Inflatable animal costumes? I never considered that one. And damn if it doesn’t ruin their photo ops. Bravo!
Good people are having a lot stolen from them. It would be shitty if anyone steals peaceful protest away from them too.
I figure there is room for peaceful protest, support groups, and defiant Black Panthers. They aren’t mutually exclusive towards achieving a positive peace, they just have different methods. They should just agree to support each other in the ways that make sense - Panthers warding off ICE raids and police kettles, supporters feeding, healing, and sheltering, peaceful protesters giving body and voice to the movement.
The change for a better world is an animal, and an animal is made up of many parts. Without them, it would likely die.
Fascists are all about controlling the narrative. Any time we can seize that from them, they will be impacted. Trump has been trying desperately for months to encite violence and riots so he can justify massive military intervention. So far, his use of the national guard on peaceful cities is being met with contempt and resistance by the majority of Americans. Even his base is getting frustrated.
It sucks, but this is what winning looks like when we have a president, house, senate, and Supreme Court all captured by a hostile party looking to dismantle and divide the country.
The protests aren’t meant to persuade Trump. You should educate yourself on how things work in the US.
The point is to persuade the 150+ million Americans that did not vote in the last election to vote in the next one, which is only about a year away. If Trump loses the house and senate, he will be severely limited in what he can do, and many of the awful things taking place can be reversed or at least halted.
Secondarily, many people that dispassionately voted for Trump are not happy about the economy and how he’s preventing the release of the Epstein files. Those people absolutely can be persuaded to turn against him in the next election.
This is (for the moment) still a democratic republic.
But there needs to be multiple factions. These protestors are one faction. One piece of movement. Another traditional faction is the politicians. Then there are teachers… Everyone plays their part. Even criminals have a part they can play (honestly it is probably one of the most important seeing as we are dealing with people above the law… It takes one to know one type of mindset).
The fight needs multiple arms. And it’s up to each individual to play their part outside of these visible productions of display.
If you know criminals, or players of “the game”, you know they see these protests as nothing but comical and you know they can find a way to utilize them for their own gains too. So you are correct in your view. But I don’t think the protests are worthless if they are attached to the bigger spectrum and other factions of change. We just need to see those other factions have growth too. People can’t put all the eggs into this protest basket.
Learned about it from this episode of the Team Human podcast
But what is happening in Hong Kong is they come up with a slogan, which is translated as Do Not Split, which is, we know that some people are willing to be confrontational with riot police.
And when they are, that’s going to cost the state in terms of not only resources, but it’s going to cost the state in terms of political capital and support. And we know that there are some people who are not willing to do that. And we are going to abide by the protocol of Do Not Split, which means that we’re not going to criticize them openly, and they’re not going to criticize us openly.
If we’re the pacifists, we’re not going to have them criticize us for being sort of like, I don’t know, limpid or flaccid or not courageous or whatever. And we’re not going to criticize them for being more confrontational. And the thing is that the support is also tacit.
It’s not like they have to come out and tell the media, oh, we approve of our more sort of confrontational colleagues. They just keep quiet. They just keep quiet.
Understanding that a range of tactics is probably going to be necessary. Nobody really knows what’s going to work. But if everybody’s pushing back against a particularly violent state, then everybody’s really on the same side.
On it’s own, it doesn’t matter at all. You can’t protest against those who don’t recognise your humanity. The exact lesson from apartheid here in south Africa. There is no peaceful way to oppose ideologies based on violence.
There were protests in South Africa against apartheid
Exactly. And for all of this “the exact lesson from apartheid” we’re all supposed to have taken to heart about the uselessness of non-violent protest, remind me again because it’s been some thirty years since I last heard about it . . . where is apartheid now?
I love when these fifth columnists show up to shit on any individual effort toward change, no matter how tiny, and to shower any “I can” idea with contempt, because it tells me who they are, and confirms that my own infinitesimal contribution, in combination with millions of other like contributions, is anything but useless.
There’s a large part of me that thinks violence may be necessary, but you know what?
I’m kind of a cranky, belligerent jerk sometimes, and I’ve been wrong about a lot of things. I could be wrong again. I hope so.
And the fact of the matter is that a lot of people who I respect and love disagree with me and demand peaceful protest and are trying much more clever ideas than I’ve come up with. Inflatable animal costumes? I never considered that one. And damn if it doesn’t ruin their photo ops. Bravo!
Good people are having a lot stolen from them. It would be shitty if anyone steals peaceful protest away from them too.
I figure there is room for peaceful protest, support groups, and defiant Black Panthers. They aren’t mutually exclusive towards achieving a positive peace, they just have different methods. They should just agree to support each other in the ways that make sense - Panthers warding off ICE raids and police kettles, supporters feeding, healing, and sheltering, peaceful protesters giving body and voice to the movement.
The change for a better world is an animal, and an animal is made up of many parts. Without them, it would likely die.
It mattered enough for the administration to act out, post AI, and create competition stories to have anything else to talk about
This fascist administration and fake fox news both disagree with you
Fascists are all about controlling the narrative. Any time we can seize that from them, they will be impacted. Trump has been trying desperately for months to encite violence and riots so he can justify massive military intervention. So far, his use of the national guard on peaceful cities is being met with contempt and resistance by the majority of Americans. Even his base is getting frustrated.
It sucks, but this is what winning looks like when we have a president, house, senate, and Supreme Court all captured by a hostile party looking to dismantle and divide the country.
The protests aren’t meant to persuade Trump. You should educate yourself on how things work in the US.
The point is to persuade the 150+ million Americans that did not vote in the last election to vote in the next one, which is only about a year away. If Trump loses the house and senate, he will be severely limited in what he can do, and many of the awful things taking place can be reversed or at least halted.
Secondarily, many people that dispassionately voted for Trump are not happy about the economy and how he’s preventing the release of the Epstein files. Those people absolutely can be persuaded to turn against him in the next election.
This is (for the moment) still a democratic republic.
I agree in some ways.
But there needs to be multiple factions. These protestors are one faction. One piece of movement. Another traditional faction is the politicians. Then there are teachers… Everyone plays their part. Even criminals have a part they can play (honestly it is probably one of the most important seeing as we are dealing with people above the law… It takes one to know one type of mindset).
The fight needs multiple arms. And it’s up to each individual to play their part outside of these visible productions of display.
If you know criminals, or players of “the game”, you know they see these protests as nothing but comical and you know they can find a way to utilize them for their own gains too. So you are correct in your view. But I don’t think the protests are worthless if they are attached to the bigger spectrum and other factions of change. We just need to see those other factions have growth too. People can’t put all the eggs into this protest basket.
“Do Not Split”
Learned about it from this episode of the Team Human podcast