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I can't say I agree fully with you, but there's definitely something about today's activists that seem odd. MLK protested in suits and ties to convince the amer

I can't say I agree fully with you, but there's definitely something about today's activists that seem odd. MLK protested in suits and ties to convince the american public blacks were respectable citizens who deserved equal protection under the law. When BLM rioted, activists went on TV to tell the lay public that "riots are the language of the unheard" and that white America basically deserved it. Whether that's true or not... It seems to me that the core aspect of political activism in a democracy is *convincing other people*. I see very little focus on this aspect and far more focus on accusing others of wrong think.

unethical_ban 6y ago
Funny you contrast MLK with... MLK. He said that quote, although he said it meaning that riots, however bad, are indeed a sign that a group feels unheard, and it's worth paying attention. I agree with your conclusion that politics is about convincing others. That takes more patience than many people seem to have, who are eager to tell the "non-woke" how wrong and bad they are if they don't immediately accept the new gospel.
baryphonic 6y ago
I appreciate the comment. I made an admittedly bold claim, though I do tend to believe it. Activism with skin in the game (e.g. the Tiananmen Square student protests, Vaclav Havel's dissident writings and jailing, Nelson Mandela's imprisonment, the Umbrella Movement, Mohamed Bouazizi'a self-immolation) can be extremely effective and can change the world, often for the better. America's political activists today seem to have zero skin in the game. It mostly seems like a status and power game more than an attempt to fix something. After all, if the problem was fixed, what would these activists organizations do day-to-day? Why would anyone donate to them?
- jaegerpicker 6y ago
  How can you say they have zero skin in the game after watching video after video after video of Black people being murdered. After an elected president brags about sexual assault. After Asian hate crimes are occurring all over the country. After LGBT+ people are assaulted and or murdered. Political activists in America have reached a generational level. Minorities in America have been mistreated and repressed for hundreds of years and they need and deserve it to be fixed. Not to mention that a whole generation of TV personalities and politicians have spent AT LEAST the last 20years demonizing anyone who protests for Civil rights or climate change. To say this is an extremely privileged POV is a massive understatement IMO.
  - baryphonic 6y ago
    The irony about your comment is that you're kind of proving my point about activists. Being an activist for "minorities" (I thought I heard that was exclusionary language now?) has become a core identity for you, and anyone who questions any of the social justice Gish gallop such as this merely has a "privileged POV." Yawn.
    - jaegerpicker 6y ago
      Right..... The only thing I've been an activist about is climate change. I do my best to support the communities that you ignore as SJW's but prefer to let them have their own voice. The funny thing is you don't just kinda prove my point, you 100% without question prove mine. You don't don't care about their suffering so anyone that protests that is clearly just doing it for attention. The reality is that you are so selfish that you can't see others suffering and honestly that's disgusting.

unethical_ban 6y ago

Funny you contrast MLK with... MLK. He said that quote, although he said it meaning that riots, however bad, are indeed a sign that a group feels unheard, and it's worth paying attention. I agree with your conclusion that politics is about convincing others. That takes more patience than many people seem to have, who are eager to tell the "non-woke" how wrong and bad they are if they don't immediately accept the new gospel.

baryphonic 6y ago

I appreciate the comment. I made an admittedly bold claim, though I do tend to believe it. Activism with skin in the game (e.g. the Tiananmen Square student protests, Vaclav Havel's dissident writings and jailing, Nelson Mandela's imprisonment, the Umbrella Movement, Mohamed Bouazizi'a self-immolation) can be extremely effective and can change the world, often for the better. America's political activists today seem to have zero skin in the game. It mostly seems like a status and power game more than an attempt to fix something. After all, if the problem was fixed, what would these activists organizations do day-to-day? Why would anyone donate to them?

jaegerpicker 6y ago
How can you say they have zero skin in the game after watching video after video after video of Black people being murdered. After an elected president brags about sexual assault. After Asian hate crimes are occurring all over the country. After LGBT+ people are assaulted and or murdered. Political activists in America have reached a generational level. Minorities in America have been mistreated and repressed for hundreds of years and they need and deserve it to be fixed. Not to mention that a whole generation of TV personalities and politicians have spent AT LEAST the last 20years demonizing anyone who protests for Civil rights or climate change. To say this is an extremely privileged POV is a massive understatement IMO.
- baryphonic 6y ago
  The irony about your comment is that you're kind of proving my point about activists. Being an activist for "minorities" (I thought I heard that was exclusionary language now?) has become a core identity for you, and anyone who questions any of the social justice Gish gallop such as this merely has a "privileged POV." Yawn.
  - jaegerpicker 6y ago
    Right..... The only thing I've been an activist about is climate change. I do my best to support the communities that you ignore as SJW's but prefer to let them have their own voice. The funny thing is you don't just kinda prove my point, you 100% without question prove mine. You don't don't care about their suffering so anyone that protests that is clearly just doing it for attention. The reality is that you are so selfish that you can't see others suffering and honestly that's disgusting.