You’re describing pragmatism, a solutions-oriented mindset.
I’m referring to left’s problem with edgy despair evangelists suffering from a deliberately propagated fascist contagion that must be recognized and treated rather than allowed to spread.
Why? Because it deactivates would-be activists (including, for example, voters who had the chance to prevent this fascist takeover). It is not harmless. It must be addressed.
I’m addressing an instance of doomerism. Participation of current or former military in the rebellion occupies my thoughts far less than that, currently.
I’m torn.
On the one hand, CA has no military, so attempting diplomacy and formal protocol is logical, even responsible. By “responsible,” I simply mean that picking a fight you know you can’t win, and doing so on behalf of the people you represent, is usually irresponsible, since they will be the ones who suffer.
On the other hand, the closest thing to diplomacy Trump understands is some combination of posturing and quid pro quo. Historically, formal correspondence of rival leaders tends to have a varnish of politeness like this, even in the midst of bloody wars. (Indeed this “formal request” does convey a demand, an accusation, and a veiled threat.) But is someone with a demonstrably facile notion of power capable of understanding such subtext, or will they see only weakness?
Most importantly, I think there comes a time to commit to the inevitable conclusion. If you know the authoritarian will continue to threaten brutality against your people to ensure their compliance, it becomes your duty to say “do your worst or pound sand,” since you know compliance only delays and worsens their suffering, and a threat to the will of a people is always greater.
Yep. Also exposed type A receptacle. OK for table tops. Not OK for outdoor balcony railing.
Breathe. We will get through this, and how is a question worth considering, as the commenter above was doing before your sweaty takedown.
If you need to share this burden of despair with someone, my DMs are open. Spreading it among comrades is not OK.
Very cool. It doesn’t sound like much, but you can actually do stuff with one reliable qubit.
Good point about carbon sinks. Might not be the best option but shows what’s possible.
Note to reader: I’ve met many goddesses who looked nothing like an Everquest illustration. You are beautiful the way you are and will be.
Since “greatness” is quite often defined perversely, we might rephrase to something like “suffering winds the spring of reform.”
Can someone explain to me these little self-flagellation parties (edit: meaning the replies below, not the root level comment I’m replying to) that seem to appear with every other dystopian headline in this community?
I mean like this mopey circlejerk right here, with Americans unironically declaring “no one is doing anything!” when literally every day brings more news from the hundreds of large active US protests which lately have been maturing as the fash behaves predictably. Even if that weren’t the case, isn’t the obvious solution to “be the change” or are we not doing basic grassroots work anymore?
This shit is really persistent on lemmy, like some kind of self-affirming narrative to excuse inaction, or maybe doomerist/accelerationist propaganda, or some other internet koolaid I’m too offline to understand.
But I want to know how to get the disillusioned circlejerkers plugged into local efforts. The boots on the ground reality of the work being done, not to mention all the preparation leading up to this phase, seems like it’s right in front of them yet they can’t/won’t see it. We really need all the help we can get.
And on a personal level, it’s getting hard to watch them on here whining that no one is doing anything, high-fiving each other for admitting they’re also not doing anything, and other one-downsman-ship type behaviors, because a bunch of people have been busting ass out here for a while and like, if you don’t want to or can’t help, fine. But then you don’t get to complain on the internet that we’re not doing enough.