What precisely is your understanding of how mass political change happens? The populace is just supposed to go from zero to violent overthrow of the government overnight?
Protests are part of building movements and flexing long-disused political muscles. You don't get change in a vacuum.
Oh, well you should've asked that from the start! I'll copypasta one of my earlier comments on this topic:
The best way to resist fascism is the way that YOU will actually do. So if, for you, it's calling your congresspeople from the comfort of your home, do that. If it's going to protests, do that. If you'd rather be the hero escorting migrants from their court hearings, do that. If you're the type of person who gets a kick out of making a giant ruckus outside the hotels where ICE agents are staying so they can't sleep and ultimately get evicted, do that. And if your preferred means of resistance is, let's be honest, a little more naughty, do that.
The best way to do any of the above, IMO, is to get involved with a local resistance or advocacy organization. (Here's one place you can start.) Strength in numbers and everything.
My point though is that this is an all-hands-on-deck moment. It's not the time for infighting or purity testing or hand wringing. It's the time to fight.
I appreciate the detailed comment and example scenario, but I don't agree with the reasoning or the conclusion.
For a less-political example, let’s imagine hypothetically that Lemmy is very pro-linux.
Lol. Yes, hypothetically.
I don't think this non-political example works as an analogy, because: 1. there isn't a moral component to it (or not as much of a moral imperative), 2. the percentage of the populace that hates Linux doesn't have much of an impact on the functioning of society, and 3. the target of the hate here isn't a person or class of people that, you know, has the right to exist.
The reason I'm drawing that line is because the whole idea behind being intolerant of intolerance is because doing the opposite allows the intolerance to spread unchecked and fuck up society, having a very real negative impact on the targeted people. (And not, like, an OS.)
Part of the problem is that “the intolerant” is not a single group, but many groups that hate each other.
This is the difference between the political and non-political examples. In the Nazi vs. anti-Nazi example, one of those groups is absolutely morally right and therefore we should do everything we can to stamp out the intolerance. In the Linux vs. anti-Linux example, ehh, it is closer to a matter of opinion—or at least a lower-impact moral question.
It's about cost-benefit, right? Like, what's the cost to society if Nazi propaganda goes unchecked? Lives lost, people deported, families broken, etc. Seems pretty important then to pay the "cost" of not tolerating Nazis. But what's the cost to society of anti-Linux propaganda goes unchecked? Costlier computers? More inefficient companies due to vendor lock-in and security issues? Maybe more state surveillance? It's not good, but it's nowhere near the same level as with the Nazi thing.
The result of intolerance of the intolerant is that they remain intolerant, and now the tolerant have become hard to distinguish from them, and there’s no way for pro-linux forces to be part of the conversation anti-linux people are having - allowing them to create their own culty filter bubble.
The culty bubble is going to exist regardless. The question is whether we let it infect everything else it touches.
That may sound idealistic, but I think that’s a lot closer to what we see in reality - intolerance thrives in closed off spaces, and dies in open ones.
It only dies in open ones if you shoot it down at every opportunity. But if you engage with it and allow the intolerant to do their "I'm just asking questions" sealioning, then it just metastasizes.
The best way to resist fascism is the way that YOU will actually do. So if, for you, it's calling your congresspeople from the comfort of your home, do that. If it's going to protests, do that. If you'd rather be the hero escorting migrants from their court hearings, do that. If you're the type of person who gets a kick out of making a giant ruckus outside the hotels where ICE agents are staying so they can't sleep and ultimately get evicted, do that. And if your preferred means of resistance is, let's be honest, a little more naughty, do that.
The best way to do any of the above, IMO, is to get involved with a local resistance or advocacy organization. (Here's one place you can start.) Strength in numbers and everything.
My point though is that this is an all-hands-on-deck moment. It's not the time for infighting or purity testing or hand wringing. It's the time to fight.
It's a form of inaction and doomerism. "I voted the right way. My hands are clean.. as we all march towards authoritarianism while nobody bothers to resist." I don't care how you voted. Get on the resistance train now or I guess see you in CECOT.
Maybe we'll end up with Trump again after this if people don't change the way they RESIST. Now is the time for active fucking resistance, not hand-wringing about past voting.
The reminder doesn't actually accomplish anything, though, given the gravity of the fascism we're facing. If this were a standard election cycle, sure, whatever, blame away. But we're not in a standard election cycle and we may never be again at this rate. So instead of pointing fingers, it's a lot more useful for the left to unite against the fascists and try to resist their relentless encroachment.
My point is, regardless of fault, all this backwards-looking, performative infighting on the left accomplishes nothing at this particular moment. We've, uh, got bigger fish to fry. So let's focus our animus (and resistance efforts) on the fucking fascists whose boots are on our necks, shall we?
If you're referring to California suing the Trump regime over their illegal commandeering of the California National Guard, the appeal of the lower court ruling in favor of California is still in process.
What precisely is your understanding of how mass political change happens? The populace is just supposed to go from zero to violent overthrow of the government overnight?
Protests are part of building movements and flexing long-disused political muscles. You don't get change in a vacuum.