well. i've never been one to back down. granted, i can speak for myself, and only myself.
firstly, i don't think you're evil. i don't think paige's evil either. neither of you are certainly fascists. that's a very strong word, and strong words deserve to be treated with care.
secondedly, again, speaking for myself, i don't expect anyone to agree with me —
especially not me. i'm a stark raving mad techno-socialist whose entire praxis hinges on 'well guys
maybe we can accomplish a post-scarcity society in the near future'. i would hope most people aren't like me. i have lots of friends from all shades of political beliefs. i think it's good to cut the teeth of your beliefs on others. if you don't, how can you know it's what you believe? one of my best friends is a conservative libertarian type who i disagree with on many occasions, and agree with on many more.
but none of those things are basic human rights. i draw the line there.
i totally understand, and respect, wanting to listen to every viewpoint, like i said, i try to do this myself, but there's a certain contingency of people who see that well intentioned desire to engage in good faith — and prey on it. they're wolves, sneaking into the sheep's pen, asking if they can sit down to have a polite discussion over the ethics of eating sheep.
they have no interest in arguing in good faith.
jean paul-sarte, asshole that he is, puts it better than i ever could.
and by clinging onto the civility we hold dear, the very civility they want to destroy — they get away with it.
innuendo studios has a great series on the alt right playbook that, tbh, i think everyone should take a look, because these guys aren't playing by the same rules we do. they act dumb, and their views are dumb, but the way they push those views is very, very, very calculated. contrapoints has a nice little primer, too. and umberto eco's essay on ur-fascism is, of course, classic.
but, tl;dr: they're smart. they know what they're doing. giving them the time of day is, in fact, dangerous, because they love to poison the well. ask any ex-gamergater who got in too deep, they'll tell you..
and here's the thing — i hate this. like, i really do. i don't like assuming bad faith. it fucking sucks. this is the worst timeline.
i don't like seeing my jewish friends worry if their next trip to the synagogue will be their last. i don't like seeing my trans friends freak out over our government's slow strip down of their personhood. i don't like having to warn my gay friends to be careful about who they hook up with on grindr, because it might be a neo nazi with a bat waiting for them. i don't like worrying about whether or not my non able-bodied friends will have to go into debt to get the care they need to live. i don't like watching my black friends get into a dust up with some skinhead punk because he felt like he was hot shit that night. and i especially don't like wondering what some jacked up guy is gonna do because he won't take 'no, sorry, i don't date straight guys' for an answer. and this is in l.a!
i don't like worrying about any of these of things. i wish i didn't have to. i got so much other shit in my life i have to worry about, like my half baked feature script, or my broken tv, or my new job. but unfortunately, that's the times we're living in right now. it's a global phenomenon sweeping every country off its feet, very akin to its origins the 1930s. and every little domino, offline, or online, helps it along.
and, seriously man, because i ain't too proud to beg here: when a jewish person, or a queer person, or a person of color, or a trans person, or a woman, or anyone tells you that someone makes them feel afraid, or unsafe, please listen. don't shut them down. talk to them. understand why they feel that way. come to your own conclusions, because, yeah, sometimes people are wrong, or misunderstand — but give them a fair shot.
that's all i gotta say, man. again, i don't think you're evil. i don't hate you. hard to — you've helped me through some tough times. i just, i don't know, i hope you read all of this in good faith. that's all, i guess.