Had someone on here try to convince me that the student protests for Palestine were bad because they distract from income inequality, I guess after reading my bio.
If you think protesting rampant militarism and the dehumanization and brutalization of any group of people takes something away from poverty abolitionism, you don’t understand what poverty abolition is about.
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Isaac Ji Kuo
in reply to Misuse Case • • •Ugh, whataboutism is so tiring.
I don't even entirely agree with what the students are saying, but all cops are bastards so I'm never going to back the frikkin cops.
(I don't care to vocally support the protesters either, but that's different. My side really need to figure out how to push out the Hamas/Houthi/etc intifada supporters and at least use clearly different language from them.
But I don't know how to fix that myself, so I've got nothing helpful to say.)
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Clara Listensprechen
in reply to Isaac Ji Kuo • •Isaac Ji Kuo
in reply to Clara Listensprechen • • •@claralistensprechen3rd
Yeah, well I wish I felt like it was even worth it.
It's like ... for a little while during the BLM protests I felt optimistic that things could change for the better. But then the fools made the slogan "Defund the Police".
Right then I knew nothing would get done. If we demanded "Reform the Police" then at least some good could come out of it. I believe that something is better than nothing. Others on the Left do not.
Same damn thing all over again.
Misuse Case
in reply to Isaac Ji Kuo • • •@isaackuo @claralistensprechen3rd “Reform the police” would have done nothing, people have been talking police reform and doing nothing for decades. It’s why activists didn’t use that word.
And the reason there is no progress is not because of the slogan, it’s because cops are an armed gang and most of the elected representatives who nominally oversee them are either in cahoots with them or afraid of them.
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Isaac Ji Kuo
in reply to Misuse Case • • •@claralistensprechen3rd
It's not true that nothing has been done for decades, though. President Obama did do things to make things better. Did he do all he could? I doubt it, but it was something.
Isaac Ji Kuo
in reply to Isaac Ji Kuo • • •@claralistensprechen3rd
At least this time there's someone at the top fighting to make things better - President Biden. Is he doing everything to my liking? Not everything. But he's doing a lot, and I appreciate that.
So I support Biden, and criticize Netanyahu and others. Mainly Netanyahu.
I don't think my pathetic contribution will do much, but at least someone's on the case.
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Runyan50
in reply to Isaac Ji Kuo • • •Clara Listensprechen likes this.
Clara Listensprechen
in reply to Misuse Case • •@Isaac Ji Kuo , @Misuse Case -- If you take the so-called 30,000 ft view of these issues, you find that the one strategy that's winning out is the language-perversion strategy. It takes what you say and twists it to mean something you didn't. That's what happens most effectively with soundbite slogans like "Defund The Police" because what was meant isn't its current meaning.
The original intention of defunding the police is to funding reduction--reduce any funding that benefits the internal police gangs in the name of law enforcement, NOT to deprive the entirety of police funding. As was pointed out, the term "police reform" is entirely too lame, has been done before and we're looking at the current unacceptable result thereof.
Using your own voice to speak out is going to involve being aware of word-twisters out there, therefor it involves being mindful o
... show more@Isaac Ji Kuo , @Misuse Case -- If you take the so-called 30,000 ft view of these issues, you find that the one strategy that's winning out is the language-perversion strategy. It takes what you say and twists it to mean something you didn't. That's what happens most effectively with soundbite slogans like "Defund The Police" because what was meant isn't its current meaning.
The original intention of defunding the police is to funding reduction--reduce any funding that benefits the internal police gangs in the name of law enforcement, NOT to deprive the entirety of police funding. As was pointed out, the term "police reform" is entirely too lame, has been done before and we're looking at the current unacceptable result thereof.
Using your own voice to speak out is going to involve being aware of word-twisters out there, therefor it involves being mindful of exacting wordcraft designed to preclude word-twisting. But also be aware of how important it is to raise your voice and add it to the voices being raised in like manner because remaining silent will produce adverse results. Be the change you want to see made.
To quote a song, "If everyone lit just one little candle what a bright world this would be"...and then Black activists would advise, similarly, that we should lift every voice.
#BlackNationalAnthem
https://youtu.be/xit09LrjJUU?si=n-5Rtcmydv42esZY
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Isaac Ji Kuo
in reply to Clara Listensprechen • • •@claralistensprechen3rd @isaackuo@mastodon.social
Unfortunately the reason why language-perversion strategy works so well is because the side that uses it neither wants nor needs to effect change that helps people who are in need.
Language-perversion only needs to sow confusion. To cause progressives to argue among themselves what they really mean.
They don't need their own message, they win just by confusing our message.
Clara Listensprechen
in reply to Isaac Ji Kuo • •______________________________
"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." --William Shakespeare
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