leftists on the ground need to watch their back (and front, and both sides). don’t assume someone from a foundation-funded org is automatically cool. younger ppl would be wise to take what you write to heart.
infiltration is a major problem in these non-tethered “movements.” the left would be smart to learn about how Jan 6 happened: how’d they communicate, who was tip-of-the-spear, who/what was behind the actions of the day, how’d they gain trust with normies, how innocent ppl were imprisoned, and how that served interests not aligned with their own.
there’s more brandon darbys in the world than we’d like to imagine.
i paid little attention to J6 when it happened, except to notice that cops removed the barricades (how much else does one need to know?).
it took a long time to circle back and get a full account of the fuckery. i didn’t love wading into RW-world but did it anyway, and honestly, a lot of those ppl hauled off weren’t what i’d call “political.” it was a low-info fandom as you’d say.
We are at the cattle car phase -- "they" have destroyed small community organizing. Now we have the internet and delivery.
Yes, we should begin these things, it is not too late.
However, we must also defend ourselves from tyranny.
I see comments calling on MORE LAWS to outlaw guns.
Tell me, which of the 300,000 Federal laws is protecting us? Seems the law only matters if you mind.
Do you believe that if YOU were just convicted of 34 felonies the law would let you start your new job? Really?
I see unidentified masked men smashing in windows, without even knowing who the driver is. I see unidentified masked men pulling elderly men out into the snow in his underwear.
WHAT LAWS ARE PROTECTING THE PEOPLE?!
NONE!
Your message is to go quietly to your death? NO! To stand and WATCH as people are beaten and dragged off somewhere?
While some of these white guys are all doom and gloom *what can lil ol me possibly do* it's fucking odd how you have forgotten the third world nations that have REPEATEDLY defeated the "might" of US weaponry with donkey carts and a hearty "fuck you!"
Can't never could. Can't never did. Can't never would.
"Firstly, it doesn’t matter how big this man’s gun is. It is nothing compared to the force of the US government."
This is exactly why the 2nd amendment is nonsense and the USA should outlaw firearms to prevent all of the gun deaths and killing sprees you guys are known for.
Ironically, saying this to Americans is just as pointlessly provocative as carrying a big gun and threatening ICE. 🤔 Oh well.
Two thoughts- first, the Internet has made organizing in the ways you consider real or effective an extremely niche thing. We don't have elks clubs or bowling leagues any more, we've got Facebook groups. I don't think one can force that into reverse, nor do I think we can give up on seeking change, so I'm not sure what the next step is.
Second, the dude is doing deterrence. He's not protecting anyone who isn't right there and right then, but potentially having someone willing to shoot back is a vastly different situation than one in which ICE has no risk of injury or death. Similar to how Luigi changed the incentives of insurance company execs.
Luigi did nothing at all. Both in that the incentives for insurance company executives are no different at all (lol, really? You really think that has changed?), and also Luigi is innocent until proven guilty.
>the Internet has made organizing in the ways you consider real or effective an extremely niche thing
That was not an accident. The "structures of interaction" referred to were carefully crafted to contain and commodify otherwise (potentially) threatening social activities that global interconnectivity posed.
>I don't think one can force that into reverse
If the containment is permanent, then there is nothing to be done, really. That's a checkmate scenario.
>I'm not sure what the next step is.
A willingness to examine why "mediation sits between people at every step" is a start. "I'm on the wrong side of TikTok; help me get back," a common enough refrain on that platform, betrays the price paid when outsourcing mediation. Making a choice to be one's own mediator, or at least to prioritize having more *control* over the mediation you *do* submit to, is another step.
There are no shortcuts to that work, unfortunately.
leftists on the ground need to watch their back (and front, and both sides). don’t assume someone from a foundation-funded org is automatically cool. younger ppl would be wise to take what you write to heart.
infiltration is a major problem in these non-tethered “movements.” the left would be smart to learn about how Jan 6 happened: how’d they communicate, who was tip-of-the-spear, who/what was behind the actions of the day, how’d they gain trust with normies, how innocent ppl were imprisoned, and how that served interests not aligned with their own.
there’s more brandon darbys in the world than we’d like to imagine.
Oh man, the amount of pushback I get when I talk about the NGO involvement in Jan 6th
i paid little attention to J6 when it happened, except to notice that cops removed the barricades (how much else does one need to know?).
it took a long time to circle back and get a full account of the fuckery. i didn’t love wading into RW-world but did it anyway, and honestly, a lot of those ppl hauled off weren’t what i’d call “political.” it was a low-info fandom as you’d say.
We are at the cattle car phase -- "they" have destroyed small community organizing. Now we have the internet and delivery.
Yes, we should begin these things, it is not too late.
However, we must also defend ourselves from tyranny.
I see comments calling on MORE LAWS to outlaw guns.
Tell me, which of the 300,000 Federal laws is protecting us? Seems the law only matters if you mind.
Do you believe that if YOU were just convicted of 34 felonies the law would let you start your new job? Really?
I see unidentified masked men smashing in windows, without even knowing who the driver is. I see unidentified masked men pulling elderly men out into the snow in his underwear.
WHAT LAWS ARE PROTECTING THE PEOPLE?!
NONE!
Your message is to go quietly to your death? NO! To stand and WATCH as people are beaten and dragged off somewhere?
While some of these white guys are all doom and gloom *what can lil ol me possibly do* it's fucking odd how you have forgotten the third world nations that have REPEATEDLY defeated the "might" of US weaponry with donkey carts and a hearty "fuck you!"
Can't never could. Can't never did. Can't never would.
"Firstly, it doesn’t matter how big this man’s gun is. It is nothing compared to the force of the US government."
This is exactly why the 2nd amendment is nonsense and the USA should outlaw firearms to prevent all of the gun deaths and killing sprees you guys are known for.
Ironically, saying this to Americans is just as pointlessly provocative as carrying a big gun and threatening ICE. 🤔 Oh well.
Two thoughts- first, the Internet has made organizing in the ways you consider real or effective an extremely niche thing. We don't have elks clubs or bowling leagues any more, we've got Facebook groups. I don't think one can force that into reverse, nor do I think we can give up on seeking change, so I'm not sure what the next step is.
Second, the dude is doing deterrence. He's not protecting anyone who isn't right there and right then, but potentially having someone willing to shoot back is a vastly different situation than one in which ICE has no risk of injury or death. Similar to how Luigi changed the incentives of insurance company execs.
Luigi did nothing at all. Both in that the incentives for insurance company executives are no different at all (lol, really? You really think that has changed?), and also Luigi is innocent until proven guilty.
>the Internet has made organizing in the ways you consider real or effective an extremely niche thing
That was not an accident. The "structures of interaction" referred to were carefully crafted to contain and commodify otherwise (potentially) threatening social activities that global interconnectivity posed.
>I don't think one can force that into reverse
If the containment is permanent, then there is nothing to be done, really. That's a checkmate scenario.
>I'm not sure what the next step is.
A willingness to examine why "mediation sits between people at every step" is a start. "I'm on the wrong side of TikTok; help me get back," a common enough refrain on that platform, betrays the price paid when outsourcing mediation. Making a choice to be one's own mediator, or at least to prioritize having more *control* over the mediation you *do* submit to, is another step.
There are no shortcuts to that work, unfortunately.
Excellent response. I got distracted by Luigi