this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2024
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A lot of those types of leftists fantasize about a glorious revolution, but many revolutions have happened and no utopias exist so…
I think Contrapoints made the same argument in one of her videos.
Agreed. I would add to that -- there's actually an incredibly instructive example to draw by looking at the non-violent-revolutionary movements that did achieve big social change in the past. The US labor movement in the late 1800s, Gandhi's independence movement, the US civil rights movement with its partial victory, things like that. There are a ton of examples of people who achieved big things to revise the systems that rule their daily lives, starting from a way less advantaged position than the left in the modern day US. It's not easy, no, but compared to an Indian person under the British Raj it's an absolute cakewalk.
Strangely enough, the people who are so incredibly upset with the broken system in the US as it pertains to this election (which, yeah, I get that), are somehow totally uninterested in looking at what actions big or small might produce positive change. They're solely focused on criticizing Biden and only Biden, or on saying that it's so broken that we might as well let Trump come to power because what's the difference.
It's like "The plane is having engine trouble and I don't know if we're going to make it. I'm real scared and upset about the situation we're in. I know! Let's shoot the pilot in the head."
I love how centrists will confidently cite the civil rights movement without a hint of irony, and then completely ignore what those civil rights leaders had to say about the objections of moderates over direct action. They'll silently downvote a direct quote from MLK without engaging with how it somehow doesn't apply to them.
Direct action on Gaza sounds great.
Are you under the impression that MLK was saying, don't vote for Boutwell in his election against Bull Connor, because Boutwell isn't good enough to deserve our support?
He's not making a comment on voting or not voting at all, in fact this is written after Boutwell was elected.
He's addressing criticisms that directing protests at Boutwell before he has a chance to govern is misplaced and ill-timed, and he's pointing out that while Boutwell may be gentler, he's still a segregationist and is still in need of pressure. It doesn't matter if one is gentler than the other, the goal remains the same, and no freedom is ever given by the oppressor without being demanded.
Biden is gentler, but he's still a Zionist, and so he is still in need of pressure.
In case you're unfamiliar with the rest of his letter, he's also saying that the purpose of all direct action is to place pressure on moderates so that they may come to the negotiation table, even -and especially- direct action that causes material (in MLK's case, non-violent) harm to those same moderates.
And I haven't even gotten to the Malcom X quotes.
They also seem to leave out the reality that without the threat of Malcom MLK would have been a lot less effective.
I know what he's saying, yes. Like I say, pressure on Biden over Gaza sounds great, and it actually seems like it's having an impact, although it's still pretty fuckin mild compared with what the US should be doing.
It's less than it should be, but it's more than anyone has done before.
I've been super impressed with most of the conversations here and how they've evolved. Early on, there was a lot of friction between the uncommitted movement and the center-left, and I saw some accounts really grabbing ahold of that divide and trying to expand it... but the community turned it around. We saw a few weeks of posts explaining the difference between primaries and the general in a surprisingly nonabusive way for social media and now those troll accounts can just keep throwing out "genocide Joe" and it becomes less plausible and more ridiculous everyday he takes another step away from Israel.
Man, do I want more, but we've gotta claw for every inch, and it's easier to do together.
Great summary. This has been my experience as well. You know what that means tho, right? WE MUST PUSH HARDER STILL!
The astroturfers will only get more numerous and hateful as we inch closer to november.
Stay strong comrade. Solidarity with workers, solidarity with the voters of which we should be a part, solidarity with those establishing systems of mutual aid, solidarity with those that take to the streets. Everyone must do a little of sonething, some will do more of everything.
Ah, well welcome to the protest then, comrade.
🫡 🚩
Later in his life Malcolm X realized much of his youthful positions on things was stupid and he retracted them.
But not before we all benefitted from his activism.
To go_go_gadget@lemmy.world 's point, MLK and Malcom ended up playing off each other in a way that resulted in the civil rights act, and for that we should certainly be grateful
Sure. But I wouldn't hold him of all people up in an appeal to authority. Or as a paragon of wisdom. He was an angry young man.
An angry young man who contributed to one of only a handful of successful civil rights movements in the country.
Doesn't mean he was right. It was luck that his anger coincided with a variety of other factors, especially MLK, that brought about civil rights legislation. I'm not saying he was useless, I'm saying he was a pawn. He was just the latest in a long line of angry, ineffective young Black people until MLK provided the right foil to his anger. He didn't consciously do anything to advance the status of Black people, that I'm aware of.
Lol i don't think you can say his protests or writing were ineffective.
Perhaps that was the wrong word...what I mean is, he would not have achieved any of his goals without MLK.
....And MLK his....