Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like things have been getting kind of unpleasant around here lately, a lot more arguments, a lot more “I’m right, you’re wrong, fuck you, now bend the knee” kind of discussions rather than actually explaining a position or trying to convince someone to change their mind.
I know tensions are high for a lot of people right now, but I really don’t want to see this place turn into yet another dead online leftist forum where the dozen or so remaining members declare themselves the One True Leftists after having chased everyone else away through their toxicity.
Just because you think you’re right about something doesn’t give you the right to be an asshole about it.
yeah like, it does/did serve a purpose (shutting down bad faith shitlords instead of wasting time arguing with them) but if people can’t be judicious with their dunks and withhold dunking on those who aren’t obviously just reactionaries picking a fight, then it becomes unproductive.
The point isn’t “PPB anyone who disagrees with you more than a little bit” it’s “chud dipshits that wander in and make tired, bad faith arguments deserve ridicule”. Comrades, and even earnest liberals, radlibs, clueless “apolitical” types, etc. all deserve at least a little bit of charity and explanation of why they’re wrong.
Someone just being clueless deserves an explanation but someone clearly trotting out a tired gotcha might not.
it feels like the outright wrecker chuds are just not showing up to the same extent in real life, so there there’s even less reason to have a “bullying works” mentality IRL.
The line of where it’s worth struggling it out with people (constructively, respectfully), vs just ignoring or insulting them and moving on is an important one to draw, and I think it varies based on the kind of work you’re engaged in. If you’re trying to recruit to your cause, more patience is needed, but if you’re just rallying your existing supporter ingroup or carrying out an action, that’s different. But fundamentally you do want to make a good impression on the general public for most purposes, and being too harsh with people is a great way to lose that respect fast.