I think my concern is that no matter the language used, they manage to wrest the upper hand of discourse away anyway. They constantly USE coarse language and are applauded for being “politically incorrect”. It’s really sort of irrelevant what WE use, because they have no respect for us or our ideas in the first place… That’s the key problem.
Yep - I don’t give a fuck that she “cursed”.
But cursing isn’t “politically incorrect” in their meaning - which is that slurs directed at and demeaning communities and characteristics is just fine. Unless directed at white cishet dudes.
That’s beyond the pale.
Absolutely agree. But their use of the term politically incorrect is a moving target, not a stable meaning. I think that’s part of the problem, is that they weaponize terms like that in order to undermine those of us who oppose their fascist world view. I don’t think that us and them are playing the same game at the end of the day, and that’s the problem for us. We want inclusion, respect, a discussion of ideas, and real solutions to real problems that we understand all of us (meaning all human beings) are facing in our near future. They just care about winning and getting theirs.
I don’t know. Are we fucked? Cause some days, it feels like we’re fucked!
I hope not - getting rid of Trump or not will be a big indicator of where we’re heading.
I do worry that the mechanisms of social control made possible by technology make opposition almost impossible once it really heats up.
So - start working on a second passport now - while you can. You won’t be able to if the fit hits the shan.
But - the blue wave is hopeful. Works towards the best. Plan for the worst.
Did I? Mainly I think I questioned it.
You’ve pointed out that the playing field is especially un-level in this situation. It’s an important reminder. I certainly understand that people leverage opportunities differently.
In my work, I have often had to operate from outside various power structures. I have never resorted to name calling, because no matter how satisfying it might feel at the time, it almost always forecloses further progress. But it doesn’t mean I never would, so long as I remember:
Everything comes at a cost.
The reason I posted the Triumph song is there’s a line in there that has resonated with me and moderated my actions since the first time I heard it:
Make it worth the price you pay.
The point is to make the other bastard pay the price.
““When I want my men to remember something important, to really make it stick, I give it to them double dirty. It may not sound nice to some bunch of little old ladies at an afternoon tea party, but it helps my soldiers to remember. You can’t run an army without profanity, and it has to be eloquent profanity. An army without profanity couldn’t fight its way out of a piss-soaked paper bag.”
One of my tutors gave an incredibly foul mouthed lecture one day - not his usual style at all, but all the important parts were bracketed by profanity; therefore we remembered it.
So you asking questions is copacetic, but @anon61221983 asking questions elicits “take it easy now”?
“In my experience, if you can’t say what you mean, you can never mean what you say. The details are everything.” ~ Minister Durano Babylon 5, S4E6, Into the Fire
You keep doing this sort of implication that it is just known that vulgarity is bad strategy or that the negative consequences will outweigh the positive, but do you have any reason other than your gut or sense of “decorum” for other to join you in that apparent belief?
Can you name a few examples of politicians generally considered successful who publicly called another politician a motherfucker?
Passion in this kind of language is an indicator that the speaker takes the issues and her job seriously. The US is going down in flames, we’re supposed to just stand by, give disparaging looks, and maybe mutter “bad show chaps!” under our breaths?
To be fair, they have accomplished getting into positions of great power. All this said, I think Pelosi got it right in her response yesterday:
Pelosi also said she didn’t like Tlaib’s language but was “not in the censorship business” — and suggested there wouldn’t have been so much hand-wringing over Tlaib’s comments if she were a man.
“What she said is less offensive than what President Trump said about John McCain,” Pelosi told Reid.
So the plan to put out the flames is to… add more flames? Would that be a controlled burn? Or just burn it all and start over? Something else?
I took out the “take it easy”. (Which should have unblocked it. Don’t know why it didn’t.) Of course, anyone can ask anything. I was only trying to bring it back around to the question of whether the language getting inflammatory would be helpful.
I agree the shit that’s been going down is bad. A Democrat controlled Congress has great power, which needs more than a day to come on line. I don’t think calling Trump a motherfucker is bad, I just didn’t think it was smart yesterday, and probably not necessary any day to get the job done.
There is a difference between fiery language and actual fire.
So the plan to put out the flames is to… add more flames?
Again, “just ignoring the flames” is no plan at all.
You’ve offered nothing in the way of actual viable solutions; just much finger wagging about how we ‘should be’ doing better. That’s not “helpful” either.
actual viable solutions;
I think the actual viable solution here is to let the now-Democrat-controlled Congressional committees get on with their work. Request Trump’s tax returns. Investigate other crap. He was only above the law while it wasn’t being enforced by Ryan, et al.
I think the actual viable solution here is to let the now-Democrat-controlled Congressional committees get on with their work.
So do that then, and quit sweating the small shit. We have far bigger problems to be concerned about than mere ‘coarse language.’