I dont disagree with this.
As i stated in another thread, 1938 Germany didnt have the internet and people werent nearly as aware as they are today. I dont see that happening.
I know it's probably hard to visualize and understand, since our lives revolve around our personal hand-held computers and connected through the internet, but back then people read the newspaper everyday. They listened to the radio hours a day. People knew exactly what was going on. We're also not talking about some backwards country, we are talking about Germany, which was one of the most educated countries on the planet and one of the most advanced countries in the world, especially when compared to the rest of Europe at the time.
People knew EXACTLY what was going on. They knew what facism was, they knew Hitler blamed the Jews / immigration for all of their problems / they knew he wanted all foreigners expelled from the county and so on. It was pure hate which was aware to anyone who picked up a newspaper. They didn't need the internet to be fully engaged with current events within their own country. That's why so many people fled Germany in the years leading up to Hitler seizing power, not just Jews but a large chunk if the "intellectual class" and those that could afford it. Also referred to as "Brain drain".
The problem was most people didn't take Hitler and the Nazis seriously enough, until it was already too late. The smart ones did, of course, but again a lot of them fled during the exodus.
The other problem was Hitler and the Nazis were allowed to do what they wanted, largely untested, all the way to seizing complete power. Remember, Hitler wasn't even that popular during his rise (he even lost the popular vote) and the liberals simply considered him a joke for many years. They weren't laughing after the Nazis came in power, though.
The people were absolutely aware, many however didn't believe or chose to ignore all of the warnings.
Fair enough. I understand this position and i actually agree with it, however i feel the means going about it are wrong. By suppressing their chance to speak freely, all is happening is fueling the fire. Again, thats my opinion on it.
But they aren't really being suppressed though. They can apply and get their permits to protest. They can have police protect them. They have the internet to speak and spread their ideology (just look at Facebook and YouTube comments). They have that right. What we're seeing though are counter protests - people who protest the neo nazis / Alt-Right / Trump's supporters etc. and the fact that so many are out there challenging them is a good thing. We really don't want a society where it's OK and normal for people to proudly wear Nazi and White Nationalist symbols and not have to worry about being challenged.
In all fairness, i never said it was possible, or even plausible, but that would be THE way to being the end. People who have an idea, that goes against the mainstream idea of though for the most part, want to be heard. Thats their way of "waking people up". Soapbox, if you will. In order for that to happen, they need an audience...mostly of those who arent "woke" yet. Dont give them an audience. Let them speak to the fuckin air of night, like KKK folk have been doing for 150 years.
Sure I get that, I'm just saying it's not going to happen. Plus, this isn't just your regular old KKK group that would always pop up from time to time over the years - this is a new wave of mentality that had been created and encouraged by our own President Trump. This is the Alt-Right, this is Trump's core supporters and so on.
Again, i understand your point and somewhat agree...but its just not the solution. What happened over the last weekend was a shit show. Mostly on the left side, regardless of what is being framed. These idiots were just going to have some speeches and march. Thats it.
I don't understand what you're talking about to be honest. Because in my post I didn't mention anything about speech and freedom of speech. I simply stated the good thing about the Trump Adminstration and what's been going on lately is that it has radicalized more of the youth and gave specific examples of a Socialist Party that had rapidly increased in members. Which is absolutely true. I also said the best way to combat facism is with revolutionary socialism, since we are enemies. I don't know if you're confusing my post with something else, but I was confused on why you said you disagree and to on talking about how they need freedom of speech.
I also don't know how you can say it "was a shit show mostly by the left" when literally someone from the Alt-Right committed a terrorist attack, killing a woman and injuring many others. To really show their true colors, thousands of people immediately criticized the dead woman, blamed the left for the "road rage incident" and tried to organize protesting her funeral.
There is nothing wrong with counter-protests. You can't defend the white nationalists right to protest & freedom of speech and in the same breath criticize the "left" for protesting and blame them for creating a shit show. That's hypocrisy. Maybe you meant something else though.
You also stated "these idiots we're just going to have some speeches and marches" but we've seen quite a few of them admit to planning on causing violence before shit went down on forums, social media and in videos. They didn't have shields and weapons for the hell of it; they knew what they were getting into and came prepared. Any sort of potential sympathy goes out the window at that point.
The funny thing about this? Many of the ones that organized it...are pissed that the KKK and neo-Nazis showed up and we on the front line. They said they give them a bad name and make the media drool over it. And guess what happened? The Unite The Right only made it MORE DIVIDED.
Well that's mostly Kessler, who's playing victim right now. And I'm sure he doesn't want any lawsuits or be held liable in anyway possible. But at the same time he's calling for more action and has said things will get more violent if they (the government) won't "defend the Constitution" so take what he says with a grain of salt.
And again, they were dressed for combat. The shields and weapons were handed out to supporters by the rally organizers. They knew.
There were also attacks, like on Deandre Harris
It was always going to be violent. We kept hearing that over and over the last several months, people on the right threatening that they were going to get violent. And surprise, it happened.
Seriously fuck these people. I'm all for freedom of speech and when it comes to their right to organize, protest and have marches, they are protected by law. That doesn't however mean people and communities cannot counter protest them.
This is a pivotal moments in our country right now. If you haven't noticed extremism on the far right is growing and has been since Trump. We can either sit back and let this ideology continue to grow or we can challenge it. Open dialogue has not worked. The universal language that all men understand is violence
