Post AHLOjgOZZ5wPh8WabQ by sabogato@sunbeam.city
(DIR) More posts by sabogato@sunbeam.city
(DIR) Post #AHLOjYrLaECkK3vSLI by sabogato@sunbeam.city
2022-03-12T12:57:33Z
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"[White Anarchists] want to demand ideological conformity, to make those incoming people of color toe the line"Lorenzo Kom’boa ErvinThe Progressive Plantation---I'd go as much to say that this demand of ideological purity makes anarchist spaces unwelcoming to all. The contempt and scorn that I've seen thrown at "impure" leftists make our spaces feel like a minefield. How can a newcomer ever feel safe if they're always afraid of not being good enough?
(DIR) Post #AHLOjZK3rTAnl7MO6C by sabogato@sunbeam.city
2022-03-12T12:59:06Z
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What makes matters worse, the people I see who are the biggest culprits insist they are welcoming and accepting, but demand purity in back channels.
(DIR) Post #AHLOjZpxwqh5M4HrpQ by sabogato@sunbeam.city
2022-03-12T13:06:23Z
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Let me clarify. These demands aren't explicit. They are not welcoming the newcomers and then taking shit about them in a back channel. These people just create an unwelcoming environment by talking about misery endlessly, talk about how others don't live up to their personal purity tests. Just overall dogmatism of in groups and out groups. They shield themselves by being hypocritical and theoritical.
(DIR) Post #AHLOjbV7lJD8W0YFcW by sabogato@sunbeam.city
2022-03-12T13:08:09Z
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Sometimes I ask myself, is leftism a new religion for these people? Have they rejected the fundementalism of their parent's generation only to reproduce the dogmatism and judgement?
(DIR) Post #AHLOjd4xtXTTPSKO7k by sabogato@sunbeam.city
2022-03-12T13:14:24Z
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A personal anecdote, when I got started with community organizing, my enthusiasm shielded me from this. Slowly by slowly, this environment wore my down. I started getting paranoid about what my leftist peers would think about every decision I made. What will they think if I took this job? What will they think if I bought a house? What will they think...It made me miserable. It made me depressed.
(DIR) Post #AHLOjegDwUs8NIleq0 by sabogato@sunbeam.city
2022-03-12T13:18:11Z
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The hope I had that a better world was possible was worn away by the constant anxiety that I was not good enough. This depression came to a head when I attempted suicide twice over the existential crisis I had about being forced to use a 401k to retire.I decided then and there, that I need to stop this behavior in myself, and others. It is harmful. It hurts people.
(DIR) Post #AHLOjgOZZ5wPh8WabQ by sabogato@sunbeam.city
2022-03-12T13:20:06Z
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This behavior doesn't show people that a better world is possible, it just shows us that the world is burning. We can feel the fire. We don't need to be reminded that it exists. We need to be reminded that we can escape the flames together.
(DIR) Post #AHLOji0Bajceg588rw by sabogato@sunbeam.city
2022-03-12T13:30:13Z
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I need to stop finding comradery in misery, and start finding comradery in hope.
(DIR) Post #AHLOoxniHNLh7nnmgi by alcinnz@floss.social
2022-03-12T17:24:49Z
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@sabogato You're reminding me of dynamics within the "free software" movement!There's a very vocal subgroup, particularly those worshiping the FSF (who did a lot of the early work starting the movement), who thinks everyone should run only software copyright-licensed in a way we consider ethical. Without understanding how infeasible that is for most people. Without understanding why the FSF-themselves created JShelter (yes, I've been in that argument).
(DIR) Post #AHLOoyFMcZT0VYjrmq by sabogato@sunbeam.city
2022-03-12T17:49:24Z
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@alcinnz yeah, unfortunately this kind of thing is endemic in many communities.Gatekeepers are super vocal because that's how they get their power.