From someone in a family of people who watch far right news daily, this literally doesn’t work. I ask “remember when they peacefully protested?” and they say “I haven’t heard about that.” I say “this person fought back after ice pepper sprayed them” and they say “well I didn’t see that.” Then the INSTANT 1/2,000,000 people does something even remotely violent, they talk about that for the next 3 years. You aren’t dealing with someone being fair, you’re dealing with someone who is trying to do the political equivalent of papering you out the door. Do whatever is right without worrying what the people who are paid to create propaganda will say, your good actions will never be spoken by them and if not you some other scapegoat will be found.
This is how imperialist states shape narratives. When Gandhi was going on salt marches, the British wanted to focus the narrative on militant freedom fighters like Baghat Singh. The US government used Malcolm X’s advocacy for the use of violence in self defense to discredit the entire civil rights movement. These are two of the relatively rare examples where the empire / state ultimately didn’t get their way. Most of the time they do.
This is how they shape narratives and ultimately history. The people you speak of are pawns of the state. Social media and Fox news is their soma and they consume it willingly because it not only allows them to turn a blind eye to injustice, it gives them a sense of moral righteousness in it.
Keep speaking the truth. There are many who agree with you and support you.
From someone in a family of people who watch far right news daily, this literally doesn’t work. I ask “remember when they peacefully protested?” and they say “I haven’t heard about that.” I say “this person fought back after ice pepper sprayed them” and they say “well I didn’t see that.” Then the INSTANT 1/2,000,000 people does something even remotely violent, they talk about that for the next 3 years. You aren’t dealing with someone being fair, you’re dealing with someone who is trying to do the political equivalent of papering you out the door. Do whatever is right without worrying what the people who are paid to create propaganda will say, your good actions will never be spoken by them and if not you some other scapegoat will be found.
This is how imperialist states shape narratives. When Gandhi was going on salt marches, the British wanted to focus the narrative on militant freedom fighters like Baghat Singh. The US government used Malcolm X’s advocacy for the use of violence in self defense to discredit the entire civil rights movement. These are two of the relatively rare examples where the empire / state ultimately didn’t get their way. Most of the time they do.
This is how they shape narratives and ultimately history. The people you speak of are pawns of the state. Social media and Fox news is their soma and they consume it willingly because it not only allows them to turn a blind eye to injustice, it gives them a sense of moral righteousness in it.
Keep speaking the truth. There are many who agree with you and support you.
…And when they did fail, they switched to only talking about the pacifists, and telling everyone only non-violence ever works.