Now that I'm here: The Activism Thread!

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There’s still a bit more this awful, terrible bill has to go through but it’s clear the GOP are going to force this through no matter what and don’t care about us.

Just calling might not be enough. If you can, you might want to get a group together and make a visit to your Reps office.

Understand that even if they’re voted out this bill will enrich them and their donors. Many of them are in seats so secure they don’t need to fear outrage. For those in more vulnerable seats it won’t matter either because they give themselves a nice little going away present and then get cushy lobbiest jobs or whatever.

This year has been especially, incredibly hard. We’re in this together though. You’re not alone and I care about all of you. Stay with me.

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It’s not over yet, at least.

It’s been over a year since anyone posted in this thread, and that’s probably largely my fault. I burned myself out, injured myself, and realized that I’m just not able-bodied enough to go marching around and punching Nazis (to my lifelong remorse and shame.)

But this is pretty much the best thread to post this in so I apologize for the necromancy but I have thoughts and feelings.

This forum and community has always been very good about ensuring everyone felt welcome and safe regardless of how bad their posts are (as long as their posts weren’t hateful.) So I know I’m largely preaching to the choir here when I make these statements however I feel they must still be said:

It is impossible to be ironically bigoted. You cannot hate ironically. And bigoted jokes and memes are not funny. They are especially unfunny to the very real and very vulnerable people targeted by the sentiments they contain. They’re not harmless, they’re not just jokes, they are attempts to normalize bigotry. And anyone who makes those kinds of jokes or shares those kinds of memes is feeding into and regurgitating a narrative which encourages discrimination and violence upon marginalized people.

All those online, and off, who peddle hatred and manufacture outage for clicks and shares are accountable for all past, present, and future racially motivated violence.

And if you are more concerned with defending the honor and reputation of people who are, at best, internet edgelords and who are, at worst, knowing accomplices to the virulent spread of white supremacy than you are with the lives and safety of vulnerable people then you are part of the problem.

And if you are more concerned with the feelings of privileged people who are being called out for their participation in the demonization of marginalized people than you are concerned for the very same marginalized people who are being targeted by that speech then you are no ally of anyone but the white supremacists.

After attacks like the ones in Christchurch we are flooded with thoughts and prayers and calls for unity. But we cannot unify with people who are not on our side. There is no unity to be had with people who want us exterminated. And we can have no unity with those who are only there for us in these moments of crisis, those fair-weather friends, who cease their support once they’re finished looking good and being performatively woke.

They’re killing us out here. And I don’t want your apologies. I want neither your thoughts nor your prayers. I want you out on the fucking streets. I want you driving these fascists off the net. And I want to stop fearing for my life, and the lives of the people I love, every day.

Thank you for your time and punch Nazis.

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