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Old 10-11-2020, 06:08 PM   #8
Flint
Snowflake
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Dystopia
Posts: 13,136
I’m sorry you dislike me that much. It’s difficult to disentangle personal feelings from the subject at hand, so I’ll just say your reasons for not liking me are justified and I totally understand where you’re coming from, re: me being an asshole and a pain in the ass to deal with.

“I don't believe that the threats you speak of are existential threats to your friends and family.” -Sorry, but you don’t get to decide that. Every single item I mention are actual IRL events that are unfolding in my “60% Blue, 40% Red” rural/tourist community. A place that’s so small and close-knit that we all know each other by name.

“Right-wing extremist groups are meeting, recruiting and organizing” –at a specific church that’s a 5-minute drive from my house, they post pictures of their meetings online.

“They skirt the community guidelines of social media outlets, and even when making direct threats to specific people, are not held accountable” –myself and a growing list of my IRL friends and neighbors have been doxxed and identified as targets, wherein the public version of these posts contain weasel language that the police say “could mean something else” when you file a report about it.

“My gay friends and allies are scared to fly a Pride flag at their home or place of business.” –during Pride week, the right-wing terrorists posted a public event, “Bring me the ashes of Pride flags”. These people are friends and allies of Jeremy Christian—the Portland throat slasher. Portland is two hours away, the throat-slashers come here in their spare time (or live here). Random machete attacks have just recently started. I invite you to come here and take a walk at night, holding hands with someone of the same sex. When a lifted truck revs its engine and swerves towards you, stay calm they’re just having a bit of fun.

And about the trucks… people are being followed to their homes by trucks full of rednecks—this is real, it doesn’t need you to believe in it. Loud trucks and gunshots outside your house at night are the new normal. People are collaborating on a list of truck descriptions and license plates. Community organizers are compiling a list of threats which is used to keep law enforcement updated. Local government, law enforcement, even the Mayor are in a position to continuously post statements re: their position and what they are doing/ not doing. All of this is real. One day, the right-wingers are in my town yelling in people’s faces, the next day the same guy is arrested in Portland for shooting at protestors.

The right-wingers are not making empty threats—ask Governor Whitmer. We have a Lesbian Governor here, who has faced violent extremist opposition to cap-and-trade legislation, and of course for taking action on the pandemic. How easy do you think she sleeps at night? What about those of us who don’t have 24/7 security details? The threats to my friends and family are what they are, regardless of how they fit into your world view.

When my friends go to work and get yelled at by mask protestors, it’s 1) the immediate threat that they are getting infected, and that leads back via me to my son’s best friend who is immune compromised, or to my elderly mother whom I live with, 2) the immediate threat that they are about to get their throat slashed, and 3) the result of a society that downplays terrorist threats and disinformation campaigns.

When a new/unknown user account starts immediately posting extremist talking points, “I don’t own a mask,” “New World Order,” “Bill Gates is the Antichrist,” [muddying the waters about vaccines], it’s a HUGE FUCKING RED FLAG. Posting long-winded platitudes with zero context or reading comprehension is a failed Captcha. We’ll assume someone is spam for trying to advertise 35% off Golden Bus Tours, but “I hope your friends and family die” doesn’t meet that threshold of scrutiny. Jesus Fucking Christ, what was the harm in selling bus tickets? Nobody literally DIES. Unless the bus crashes— but that never happens with Golden Bus Tours, because each one of our trucks undergoes a rigorous safety check before each trip. In closing, just remember that I’m a real person and I’m not selling Golden Bus Tours, the very best way to travel, at a price that’s easy on the pocketbook! Call 1-800-GOLDEN for the Ride of Your Life™ --now 35% off!* **

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*masks are required for all passengers
**please don't slash anyone's throat
__________________
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There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there
it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your
expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever
gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio
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