in response to anarchist shit going around on tumblr

[solarbird]

If your lefty/anarchic rhetoric includes condemning people for voting and using fascist rhetoric when doing so (particularly "orange man bad," goddamn that's a tell), I have two possible reactions.

1. The realistic one, which is that you're a fascist running an op.

2. The kinder one, which is that you're a complete - and I do mean complete - fool, because either:

a. You genuinely believe that doing the one thing that might actually remove the white supremacist anti-semite using a plague to inculcate people to the idea that it's literally better to die yourself than to take any action whatever to prevent the deaths of yourself and your friends is a bad thing

(particularly given its relevance in the face of climate disaster)

- or -

b. You're unable to recognise a pretty fucking obvious fascist operator in your midst.

In neither case are you worth my time - much less, to paraphrase OP, my trust.

Comments

[kathmandu]

I remember when the news broke - maybe three years ago now? - that yes, a lot of what appeared to be "political commentary from Americans" had been, really and truly, paid Russian propaganda campaigns, one of the sources I follow went back through their intake feed, sorting things into 'paid propaganda' and 'real'.

They found that the paid propaganda espoused left-wing principles on the surface, but always argued that all parties/candidates were almost equally bad, and that trying to change anything was hopeless and useless. Real live people talking about their real views were not so consistently hopeless.

So I pretty much agree with your analysis: propagandist as most likely, with an outside chance of useful idiot.

[solarbird]

The sentiment is very real though. I've known leftists (mostly) espousing similar anti-voting (or at least, anti-voting-for-anyone-who-can-win) philosophies for a long time - some, yes, personally. They aren't Russian or any other form of foreign propaganda.

It's the fascist language that makes this one particularly odious.

[dewline]

I plan to keep on voting until I can't. For reasons of kindness and vigilance.

[gingicat]

There is a difference between an anarchist and a troll.

[solarbird]

The sentiment is very, very common, regardless of whether they're using fascist language along the way.