We’re getting rapid societal change right now, just the wrong way. My biggest challenge to your take is that you’d have everyone always playing defense, which only slows, not stops, the evil that keeps coming.
Do I wish there were a non-violent out for this? Yes. I just can’t see it. Every day that passes, every norm that is cast aside, means that much more work just to get back to “the old ways” (which were far from perfect). The other side opened the door Jan 6, 2021, then blew it off its hinges with the pardons. The only way to win is play by their rules, or at least their rulebook of “no rules” - thank you sir may I have another and hoping they get bored/annoyed is not a viable strategy.
I won’t minimize any current issues, we are in the worst times the majority of people alive now have ever seen by far. But the world and even our own country has been through worse and survived. We aren’t in a great depression. We aren’t in a dust bowl. We aren’t dropping nukes. We aren’t lynching. We aren’t mass killing workers or non-mainstream political people. We’re way too close to many of those things, but all that stuff went on way longer in the last century or so alone than we’ve seen in our lives.
A year ago, most of us would have likely said we’re not great, but we’re making progress. I’m not ready to just say all of that is gone just yet. As far as anyone knows, we still have elections and some semblance of a judiciary, as flawed as both may be. We still have at least as many pro-democracy people as we have people in favor of what we have now, same as it’s been for the last decade. Myself and many others have been really upset with the creeping power of the presidency for almost the last half a century through R or D presidents.
Again, I don’t expect or want anyone to sit back and take abuse from those who are there to serve us. But preemptive attacks and defensive actions aren’t the same thing, and the first will get you killed and make it harder for other movements to operate a bit more under the radar so they can build up numbers, support, and resources. Even something like this post is about, it’s not my favorite thing, but nobody was hurt, and there weren’t really any threats to individuals. But getting comfortable with this stuff only leads to worse things, even if they are justifiable.
We’re getting rapid societal change right now, just the wrong way. My biggest challenge to your take is that you’d have everyone always playing defense, which only slows, not stops, the evil that keeps coming.
Do I wish there were a non-violent out for this? Yes. I just can’t see it. Every day that passes, every norm that is cast aside, means that much more work just to get back to “the old ways” (which were far from perfect). The other side opened the door Jan 6, 2021, then blew it off its hinges with the pardons. The only way to win is play by their rules, or at least their rulebook of “no rules” - thank you sir may I have another and hoping they get bored/annoyed is not a viable strategy.
I won’t minimize any current issues, we are in the worst times the majority of people alive now have ever seen by far. But the world and even our own country has been through worse and survived. We aren’t in a great depression. We aren’t in a dust bowl. We aren’t dropping nukes. We aren’t lynching. We aren’t mass killing workers or non-mainstream political people. We’re way too close to many of those things, but all that stuff went on way longer in the last century or so alone than we’ve seen in our lives.
A year ago, most of us would have likely said we’re not great, but we’re making progress. I’m not ready to just say all of that is gone just yet. As far as anyone knows, we still have elections and some semblance of a judiciary, as flawed as both may be. We still have at least as many pro-democracy people as we have people in favor of what we have now, same as it’s been for the last decade. Myself and many others have been really upset with the creeping power of the presidency for almost the last half a century through R or D presidents.
Again, I don’t expect or want anyone to sit back and take abuse from those who are there to serve us. But preemptive attacks and defensive actions aren’t the same thing, and the first will get you killed and make it harder for other movements to operate a bit more under the radar so they can build up numbers, support, and resources. Even something like this post is about, it’s not my favorite thing, but nobody was hurt, and there weren’t really any threats to individuals. But getting comfortable with this stuff only leads to worse things, even if they are justifiable.