[Blaster]

Hacker News Comment(archive)

The comment is from almost a year ago, in a thread about Moldbug being dis-invited from a tech conference, but offers a glimpse into the mind of the enemy. The delusions and beliefs are typical and not particularly surprising. But to me what this post makes crystal clear is that these people are the enemy. Let it be a message to mincing moderates that war is upon you, whether you like it or not.

Quote:

I've been involved in anti-racist/anti-fascist work, either directly or on the periphery, for about ten years at this point. This takes many forms, from street confrontations with fascists, protests at book readings and other events, and also disrupting fascist conferences and similar.

Anti-Racist Action is the organization that has developed the most tactical and strategic influence in this space, not by design, but by chance (and it largely doesn't exist anymore). Disrupting fascist meetings by denying them space by getting hotels to drop them is the bread and butter of any ARA chapter. It's the easiest thing to do, and most modern tumblerites aren't willing to get in the streets with a bandanna and a baseball bat, so it's what gets done now. And in fact, it's likely that this sort of thing happens because ARA activists got involved in more liberal groups, etc., and the tactics just trickled down.

Personally, I have developed political differences with the "SJW" orthodoxy myself (though obviously in the other direction), and have seen the effects of this sort of attack applied on a social level. It has made my own work slightly more difficult, because I have to pick my comrades more carefully to ensure that they won't alienate me from my network. But this isn't a big deal for leftists, because there are already so many camps that are mutually oppositional that you'd need to do that already for some of your politics anyway. What's new in the last few years is having that extend away from your class alignment. (This is an answer to a question you didn't really ask, which is how the "SJW" community itself is affected by this, though it is what came to mind when I asked myself how I felt about it.)

As far as this issue and other similar issues are concerned, I'm overjoyed that, as you put it, a climate of fear exists for fascists, misogynists, racists, and similar. I hope that this continues and only worsens for these people.

I'm happy for many reasons. The first is that it has, as you've said, made privileged people afraid. I think this is only the beginning. Privilege creates safety, and as it is removed, I think the unsafety of the oppressed will in part come to the currently privileged classes. But if I could flip a switch and make every man feel the persistent, gnawing fear that a woman has of men, I would in a heartbeat. I wouldn't even consider whether the consequences were strategic, I would just do it.

I'm also happy that these people are achieving real victories. This is nearly impossible to do in a post-reformist landscape, and so the people involved in getting this fascist kicked out of this conference will have a real victory under their belt where their friends who are campaigning against some law that will inevitably pass or for some reform that will inevitably never happen won't. I hope that these victories can motivate people into taking more action. Burnout is a huge problem in activism and successes stave it off.

I would not say that I set out to defeat a "discourse-stifling" monster. The monsters I set out to defeat were patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy. These systems violently oppress, they don't "stifle discourse." In fact, they LOVE discourse! When people are discoursing, they aren't in the streets. I've seen so many promising movements hobbled by reformism that I'm glad the possibility no longer exists, though that isn't at all the fault of SJW-outrage (and is rather a consequence of the fact that the economy is in large part so perilous that nobody can afford the concessions that were previously won by reformists). So if discourse is permanently removed as a tactical and strategic option for future leftists, I'll consider it a victory.

You might be unsurprised to find out that free speech is not valued on the left or among "SJW" groups. I suggest you research this further, because I can't communicate to you in a single hacker news comment why this is, or what theoretical basis it has.

They have no respect for any rules, virtues, or institutions that they perceive to be in the way of their quest to overthrow systems they don't even fully understand.

[spokepoker]

I read it, but I don't understand what he's talking about.

[TooFineAPoint]

Great find, Blaster. Thanks for the insight.

One thing I am constantly confused about, is what do SJWs think "fascism" means? I keep hearing this tossed around as a buzz word insult, but it has no connection to its historical reference.

When I think of fascism, I think of a totalitarian government that owns all the means of production, but allows industry to be run by corporations (as specialists in this realm). This as opposed to communism, which is nearly identical, but allows for no such arms length corporate working, opting instead for pure centralized bureaucracy (full "public" ownership of the means of production).

There are also the nationalistic elements to it, and the fact that (since they are so similar) the fascists historically fought so hard with the commies.

It's hyperbolic to an extent, but the current US administration is the closest possible thing to proper fascism since actual Italian fascism.

I have to believe that when a modern leftist calls someone a "fascist", what they are really trying to say is that one is racist, xenophobic, and anti-communist. Plus, it sounds harsh like "nazi", but cooler because it feels more like a blanket term. This is my best guess.

It's just such a non-specific insult that applies nearly equally to their own ideal political/economic system, that I don't get the use.

Anyone shed some light on this?

EDIT: even in these comments from the hacker post, the majority of them are "anti-fascist", then at the end he says he says he is fighting against capitalism. What better way to defeat fascism exists than to promote capitalism? Capitalism recognizes no nation-states, and is entirely privately-owned means of production. It makes no sense to hate both, unless you have an entirely made-up definition of one (or both)!

[storm]

(04-01-2016 12:04 PM)Blaster Wrote:  

Quote:

I'm overjoyed that, as you put it, a climate of fear exists for fascists, misogynists, racists, and similar. I hope that this continues and only worsens for these people.

I'm happy for many reasons. The first is that it has, as you've said, made privileged people afraid. I think this is only the beginning. Privilege creates safety, and as it is removed, I think the unsafety of the oppressed will in part come to the currently privileged classes. But if I could flip a switch and make every man feel the persistent, gnawing fear that a woman has of men, I would in a heartbeat. I wouldn't even consider whether the consequences were strategic, I would just do it.

Quote:

You might be unsurprised to find out that free speech is not valued on the left

What it has actually done is awoken us from complacency. The real fear has made the conflict visceral and impossible to ignore.

The only reason these haters of free speech have any success is because good men ignore them.

By all metrics, it was the worst possible decision they could have made.

Also note the writer of this post was, of course, a white male: