Pretty insidious of you to imply that what I have expressed here is far right, nazism, AND fascism. Do you have any examples where I haven’t been moderate? This is what I meant by downvote brigades, it’s not just the downvotes. It’s the snakelike way in which people (such as you) are arguing with me that I’m disturbed by.
It’s not splitting hairs about semantics when I’ve been called a nazi (multiple times now) for espousing NOTHING in the realm of nazism, and have in fact only condemned it. That’s a huge problem, and it’s my current focus here.
I’m against authoritarianism from any side and I’m also against the deceptive bullshit you’re trying to pull.
How? Why would you resort to lying? I’m pro choice, I despise Trump, I’m pro gay and trans rights, I believe in UBI for everyone (as well as keeping the free market in place), pro legalization (of every drug), pretty anti gun but I still believe it’s peoples right to own them, I think police should be completely reformed and prisons fundamentally changed to be places of rehabilitation. What opinion of mine shows I’m on the right end of the spectrum? Because I believe in nuance and civil discourse? That I think all humans deserve forgiveness and a chance to grow and become better? Please, do enlighten me.
I firmly believe everyone has the right to live freely and to find their own path, provided they don’t harm others. Hate speech and violence have no place in our society, and I wholeheartedly stand with the trans community in advocating for their protection.
Nonetheless, here’s a viewpoint I have that I know is not accepted, but I’ll share it anyway. I believe the compulsion of speech, particularly insisting that all of society adapt their language to accommodate individual identities, is a terrible approach. The notion of forced speech is problematic to me, and worries me greatly.
That said, I believe it’s important to work towards a society that respects every person, but without mandating how we perceive them. Life’s journey is all about confronting adversity, and part of this involves learning to navigate the world as it is, not necessarily as we’d like it to be. Instead of dictating specific definitions, it might be more beneficial to cultivate a culture of empathy, understanding, and open dialogue around these issues. This perspective is unpopular and contentious, but it is a conversation that we should be willing to engage in.
Anyways that’s what I see as the moderate take, and it’s what I believe. I had to tiptoe pretty hard there and I’m sure what I said still comes across as hate speech to some but I don’t feel it is. It’s just my opinion. I wish there was a place I could express it and have an open debate with people about it. We can’t eliminate half of society, and we’re going to have to learn how to empathize with people we disagree with in order to actually see where they are coming from.
Oh don’t even get me started on the downvote brigades from angry leftists around here. Don’t you dare hold a moderate opinion around them, or they call you a nazi and tell you to go back to 4chan. You can read my post history. All I’ve ever expressed is the same sentiment expressed here, and I’ve been met with nothing but absolute vitriol.
That’s not the same and you know it. Your hostility and closeminded attitude only shows me how important it is for people to be allowed to speak. I’ll stay here and keep giving my opinion regardless of your (or anyone else’s) hostility. I think it’s important to speak for what you think is right, and I’ll continue to do just that. I hope you continue as well. Try doing it with less of a bullying attitude though, it’ll help your case.
I don’t want exploding-heads. I would have blocked the instance myself if it hadn’t been blocked already. My issue is I don’t like having content blocked FOR me because I’m a functioning adult that can make my own decisions about what I see and think. You should be careful with how quick you are to cede control of what you’re allowed to see to others. Might make you pretty susceptible to hate and give you a false sense of reality.
It’s fascinating how this very comment underlines my point. Label misuse does nothing but create barriers to productive dialogue. If I’ve been branded a fascist or a nazi (as I already have been), why should anyone lend an ear to what I have to say? It’s a shortcut to dismiss others, rather than engaging in critical thinking. Today, I’m being dismissed as a nazi. Tomorrow, could it be you being dismissed as a tankie? This kind of groupthink destroys our ability to understand, empathize, and communicate effectively.
I’m not aligning with nazis, but advocating against the misuse and overuse of the term (which is utterly rampant here). The problem with using such powerful labels casually is that it muddies the waters and blurs lines that should be clear but now aren’t precisely because of the misuse of the term. It’s this very misuse that is leading to misinterpretations, such as the one we’re facing here, where I’m inaccurately labeled as standing with nazis. My stance is about nuanced understanding and precision in communication, not about sympathizing with hate ideologies. I am defending thoughtful dialogue, not nazis, and it’s important not to conflate the two. Since everyone is so happy with misusing the term, what are we going to call ACTUAL nazis so that we can differentiate people you disagree with and ACTUAL FUCKING NAZIS. The semantics you’re playing with are a dangerous game, and do nothing but prove my point.
EXACTLY. Downvotes and disagreement are the cornerstone of a functioning human society. It shows that we’re engaging in a discussion where various perspectives are presented. What I’m advocating for is not an echo chamber where everyone bows to some transient and fluctuating ideal of “correctness”, but a platform for the diversity of thoughts and ideas. So, the downvotes don’t bother me, but rather embolden the importance of speaking what I believe to be true and attempting to understand the beliefs of others. If people like me don’t speak up then we will just create echo chambers of intolerance on both sides of the spectrum. Debate me, prove me wrong. Downvotes don’t prove me wrong, they only prove discomfort and anger. Despite engaging in several discussions, I’ve yet to understand the benchmarks being used here for branding someone a ‘nazi’—a very strong term used liberally here and even against me in another thread for sharing views similar to what I’ve expressed here. I shouldn’t be called a nazi for believing in individual autonomy, it discredits a persons entire argument if they can so easily warp a terrible insult like that just to fit their own narrative. The ease with which people advocate for authoritarian censorship, despite having personal control over their content exposure, genuinely worries me. I find it unsettling how readily people will relinquish their intellectual freedom.
I’m not advocating for unchallenged platforms for nazis. What I’m concerned about is the dangerous broadening of the term ‘nazi’ to include any viewpoint differing from one’s own. Neither you nor I hold all the answers. However, I’m not the one categorizing wide-ranging groups as ‘nazis’ to conveniently dismiss dissenting views, while complacently considering myself superior to all those being arbitrarily mislabeled as ‘nazis’. It SERIOUSLY weakens your entire argument when you throw that word around so carelessly.
What if you used the sun as the source of the laser?