It’s educate, AGITATE, organize

edit: putting this at the top so people understand the basis for this:

You may well ask: “Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word “tension.” I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.

Letter from Birmingham, MLK

      • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Unlike you, however, I’m working to keep the fascist from being my next representative. Seems that having a fascist at the head of our government doesn’t bother you all that much. You might want to do some soul-searching as to why that is.

        • infinitevalence@discuss.online
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          5 months ago

          Just because someone does not want to vote for Biden does not mean they want Trump to win. That is a reductive argument and its the root of the issue with the system in the US. Picking the lesser evil is not a viable method for electing people to positions of power. What if the dems also nominated someone openly fascist, not just genocidal?

          Would we pick the least fascist, fascist? The Democratic party needs reform, and unlike the Republican party they might actually listen because they at least say they will. Its either that or were already in a fascism and were being gas lit by the democratic party to think we have a voice.

          • Nougat@fedia.io
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            5 months ago

            Just because someone does not want to vote for Biden does not mean they want Trump to win.

            Might not be what they want, but it’s more likely what they’ll get.

            • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Just because they don’t want to vote for Biden doesn’t mean they’re not voting for him anyway.

          • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            It clearly doesn’t bother you enough to stop you from working to see the fascist elected so the representative supporting longstanding-but-dogshite-foreign-policy can ‘learn his lesson’.

            • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.socialOP
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              5 months ago

              I don’t think he ought to lose because of this issue, I think he’ll lose because of this issue all on his own.

              You’re free to disagree with the method of agitation but it comforts me (barely) that you would at least still support him if he were to change his position on this. It’s my bet most people on the fence would, too.

              • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                I don’t think he ought to lose because of this issue

                No, you don’t think he ‘ought’ to, you’re just Doing Your Part to make sure he does. Like drilling holes in a boat to protest the captain bailing water instead of filling the holes.

                • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.socialOP
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                  5 months ago

                  Like drilling holes in a boat to protest the captain bailing water instead of filling the holes.

                  This is such a terrible metaphor. A good metaphor is one that cant easily be reversed.

                  Example: Netanyahu is drilling holes, and I’m (both) bailing water (by voting) and also yelling at Biden he should stop Netanyahu, and Biden is sitting calmly on the other side of the boat denying any holes are being drilled at all.

    • infinitevalence@discuss.online
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      5 months ago

      Thats lucky, we were not given any choices in my state, we had no discussion, no primary debates, and no discussion as to the viability of running with Biden.

      I love Bernie, but his real shot was 2016 and the Dems blocked his path so they would not have to have a real vote which would have embarrassed Hillary.