A List, Reframed

by Maulkin

I saw a list, and found it rather humorous - mostly because the maker of the list either wasn't following it, or it was laughably wrong. All the same, I think the list does have broad applications to society at large - and we should learn from it.

"	Don't be an asshole. I know how intoxicating it can be, especially in retaliation, but really, don't.

Absolutely - and this does indeed apply to my fellow right-wingers. Don't be an asshole; let the other side make assholes of themselves. Show exactly how their argument is absurd - 99% of the time it just requires a bit of unpacking what they're saying and/or identifying exactly where the double-speak is happening - and they'll either have to take back or double-down on what they're saying. In any case, they usually end up looking like an ass. More importantly, this is far less likely to get you banned than telling them outright what kind of idiots they are. Yes, it's tempting to tell them they're sperge-lords, or shrill harpies and whiny soyboys, cucks, manlets, etc - and that may well be true. But it's also a good way to get banned. Let's face it; much of social media is an echo-chamber, and while it's unfair and despicable that there's such a double-standard between leftist and right-wing opinions, we need to accept that we're fighting hypocritical and despicable people all the way up to the highest levels of power. Turn it to your advantage; catalogue it, call it out when you see it, make it known. That's been the most effective tactic, and anyone with a sense of justice - real justice, not group justice - will be swayed.

"	Ever wonder what you would've done when (insert historical inhumanity here) was happening? You're doing it right now.

Yup. That is exactly what Antifa and the Left is doing, mirroring the uprising of the Communists by violence and hatred, making an imagined enemy. Fortunately, they're too weak to be more than a nuisance to America at large, so their violent tizzies are mostly just laughable. Keep it up - you're some of the best recruiters we have ^.^

"	Judge people on what they do, not who they are.

Absolutely - indeed, I'd go a step further and say judge by individual merit, rather than any sort of social group. Since joining Altfurry I've found several people from across the spectrum, even opposite me, who I can disagree - even strongly - and then be friendly with again later. More on this up next!

"	If you're okay with handicapped parking spots but not okay because you think minority X is getting 'special treatment', reflect on that.

Wew lads - that's a hot take if I ever saw one! Being black (or gay, or a woman, or whatever minority you might wish to cite) is the same as being handicapped. That's right; not having functional legs is the same as enjoying it up the ass from another dude. I mean, granted, both may leave you unable to walk the next day, but come on. Is this what the Left has come to - having such low expectations of minority groups that you have to give them a lawfully mandated step-up?

This is why I don't really trust Leftists when they say they want equality; they don't want equal treatment under the law, they want legally mandated equity from the cradle to the grave. They don't really care about merit or individual excellence; if they did, they wouldn't automatically prescribe bigotry and hatred to the 'inequity de jour'. Merit and excellence, and judging people as they are, implies inequality - inequality of skill, inequality of experience, inequality of character, inequality of ability, etc - and there is no reason to expect that any individuals or groups are precisely equal to other groups in those terms.

"	It's perfectly fine to block people. It's not weakness, it's making your day quieter. If someone's talking, it doesn't mean you have to listen.

A free exchange of ideas is necessary in society, and the best way to handle evil or stupid ideas is by exposing them to the world. Indeed, I disagreed with some of what was said in this list, and how it was presented; instead of trying to silence the author, however, I want everyone to see it. Indeed, I would link to the original if that was allowed, but I would likely be punished for harassment or something.

I only hesitantly use outright blocks on people; instead, if someone has me blocked, I just hide their content so I'm not tempted to comment at them, and they can contact me later if they wish to. The people I have blocked have mostly been the sort who like to drag me down into constant debates that see no end, with ever shifting goal-posts and ever-changing standards. If you want to block people because you genuinely want to have some peace and quiet from those who would just wear you down? Fine, fine, you do you - though I wish there was a 'temp block', or some way to block people from a given piece of media, to handle these situations. But if it's just to insulate yourself from opposing ideas, as is so often the case, I would strongly advise against this. I fully admit, I don't perfectly adhere to this ideal, and that's to my detriment; still, it is better to try and fail at a virtue than to not try at all.

"	They're not always 'just words'. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but they'll heal.

When it comes to spats over the internet, and unless they're actually threatening violence, yes - they are just words. If Conservatives took that attitude towards Leftists, Leftists would be in jail. And if Leftists continue to push for speech codes, I suspect they won't enjoy the ultimate results.

"

Always entertain the possibility that you may be wrong. What we understand constantly changes, and if your opinions don't along with them; if new information doesn't slot neatly into your worldview so you ignore it; if your reaction to 'What if I were wrong?' is 'Irrelevant question because I'm obviously right' (albeit not so blatantly) -- you're very probably wrong.

Absolutely. In fact, one of the ways I've changed lately is that I've come to consider the question of whether or not there are inherent differences between races. What if the differences between the races - in their average IQs, crime rates, income, overall productivity, etc - are better explained by the inherent (ie, genetic) differences in the races themselves, rather than just the cultural differences as I've assumed for years? For my own ideology, it practically changes nothing; as a free market capitalist and libertarian, I'm happy to push for less and less government and either scenario is neatly solved. The predispositions do not alter the treatment of individuals; they still must be treated as individuals with individual rights by the laws of the land regardless. If the extreme Alt-Right are correct, more freedom is the solution and the various racial minority groups will leave; there would be nothing for them here, no free ride and no tolerance for crime. If the more moderate Conservatives are correct, and the differences are primarily cultural, then more freedom is still the answer; the cultures of governmental dependence will die and cultures of independence will take their places, and all of the races will be better for it. But either way, individual merit will be decided better by more freedom, not less.

All the same, I have found myself leaning more towards the idea that the races themselves are fundamentally different, and this explains the differences - and so I'm no longer hostile to the idea of making communities where only a specific race is allowed, provided such communities are created and maintained in a non-coercive context (whereas before I was morally hostile to the idea, but had no legal objections). I may have heard more compelling arguments to the contrary if Leftists had not pushed me and other conservatives out; but they did, and so I can only decide on things based on what I've heard.

And so we go back to the notion that ideas must not be silenced, that we must have a free exchange of ideas. For those of you on the right, you already know the value of free speech and this free exchange of ideas, and I need not speak more of it. For those of you on the Left, consider; if you (to use your language) 'marginalize and dehumanize' people because you find their ideas unpalatable, if you kick them out and push them aside, if you de-platform them from your spaces, you're just taking your voice out of what they hear and increasing the concentration of what they hear from the other side. They will seek platforms where they're not silenced, where they're not kicked out for wrongthink, where they're not 'marginalized and dehumanized'. If you accept and talk with people, you have a chance to influence and moderate them. Instead you push people away, and when the other side not only accepts but encourages free speech and free thought, the people outcast from your groups find it like a breath of fresh air; they become more receptive to everything you find hateful. Pushing people out of your communities only makes them more sympathetic to the very ideas you so detest; you have created your own enemies, and until you change your ways you will continue to do so.

Of course, not many Leftists will see this - and I find that the most humorous of all. I'm telling them exactly what they could do to stop the 'Nazi threat' they always whine about, but they will never hear it because they're doing the exact thing that will drive more and more people to the Right. The Furry Fandom is in a purity spiral; the people in control are by-and-large radical Leftists, and are following the predictable patter of kicking out more and more people for having the wrong opinions. And the more they do that, the more people will be sympathetic to what right-wingers (conservative, libertarian, alt-right, alt-lite, etc) have to say, and the more 'Nazis' they'll be crying about.

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Added:	6 years, 3 months ago 21 Jan 2018 03:18 CET

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