It's June, which means I traditionally write a little thread about Pride and being queer and optimism and hope but this year I've been really struggling with it.
This is prejudging a fair number of people with different motivations and levels of understanding of the world. Some really do want debate. There's a whole generation of young people, some of whom are being radicalized by actual fascists, who see people like you, and who are repulsed by your inability to articulate the validity of your position using anything other than force.
> the only answer that's ever worked against fascism.
This is definitely not true. To give one of many possible examples: in canada, we would take captured nazi POWs and hold them in camps like one near #tbay, where they were treated with respect as prisoners of war with basic human rights, treat them with 3 square meals a day, and shelter, and gradually talk them down from being radicalized, and get intel from them. Treating nazis with respect actually wound up with some of them integrating into society with much of their bigotry cut out. Obviously they still felt some hostility towards jews or whatever but gradually the hatred became irrelevant, and increasingly marginalized. Force and violence can be useful, and necessary including but not limited to dealing with people who hate you in many contexts but it isn't the only tool you can use. Do you have to treat them with respect? Hell no. But saying stuff like "violence is the only thing they understand" says more about your lack of humanity than theirs