luna

This is coming from someone who really would like to believe pure nonviolence is possible but who does not see much of an actual way forward for that. That said I do not see those billionaires and politicians as "nonhuman", I don't think that's productive and I think dehumanizing anyone who is factually a human person as a practice is dangerous so I am in agreement with you there. Thanks for your time if you choose to share your thoughts.

What I like about Against the Logic of the Guillotine is that it isn't for pure nonviolence. It breaks down the false binary that our options are "let the streets run red with blood until our every thirst for revenge is slaked" or "punching nazis makes you as bad as them 🥺"

& i think that binary is tempting because it absolves us of a responsibility to think deeply about things. if all revolutionary violence is good and justified, then you don't have to think too hard about the violence, you just see it & condone it. If all violence is bad and morally evil, then you still don't have to think too hard to condemn it. Our options are like, moral baby food.

But if we reject that binary, then there is no easy answer. Its not as easy as "yes leftist violence is always justified" or "any violence ever is always unjustified." You have to ask yourself, what am I doing? Why? What does this accomplish? Who is affected by this? What do they have to say? It makes us look at the actual nature of our violence and pick it apart and see where we have fucked up and where we might fuck up again. Its a lot more messy and also requires that we form relationships with others & genuinely listen to what they have to say. Its much much harder than Violence Good or Violence Bad but its also much more capable of adapting to the needs of people in the complicated situations where we find ourselves.

My opinion is that we will not reach anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism without violence. But more than anything, its because the systems in power will not let us. I think the foundation of the Revolution (in a more abstract sense of the word) must be community. We should focus our efforts most on building local networks of mutual support. If people suddenly find themself in a community that has free public food gardens & a community fridge, where people are already practicing transformative justice, etc. etc. then it will become materially obvious that we don't need to rely on the current system to survive. It will become clear that the current system is more of a hindrance to what we could do if we were not being controlled. And then people will be more likely to support any revolutionary violence that becomes necessary, because they will see their neighbors and know that when the dust settles, they know how to care for each other through shitty situations. Violence should really be the topping on a cake of community & indispensability politics.

Also this line from AtLotG really changed my perspective on "punishing the rich":

The worst punishment anyone could inflict on those who govern and police us today would be to compel them to live in a society in which everything they’ve done is regarded as embarrassing—for them to have to sit in assemblies in which no one listens to them, to go on living among us without any special privileges in full awareness of the harm they have done. If we fantasize about anything, let us fantasize about making our movements so strong that we will hardly have to kill anyone to overthrow the state and abolish capitalism. This is more becoming of our dignity as partisans of liberation.

Absolute loser behavior, but not completely unique. We’ve all gotta stop saying only x people can talk about x issues for us to listen. Too many people in the in group will have dogshit takes no one wants to challenge because “well, they are x identity.” Likewise, plenty of people on the out group actually know what they’re talking about and have something to contribute to the conversation.

Even from people who are supposedly "supportive" of addicts and users, I see so much hateful vitriol toward smokers, as if nicotine addiction is somehow The Worst Kind, and it's okay to target them as Terrible Monsters, even from people who should know better.

"But I have TRAUMA--" Trauma doesn't give you the right to be cruel to every single smoker in the world. It does not give you the right to assume the worst of every single smoker you meet.

"But they pollute my air--" Designated smoking spots in public areas have been a thing for decades now, and I have never met a single smoker who wasn't perfectly willing to move to another location to smoke, as long as they are asked respectfully and not treated like criminals or monsters just for smoking. If you approach a smoker and treat them like a criminal and act like they're intentionally trying to poison you, they have every right to get annoyed at you. And if an individual smoker is a dick about it? That's still the individual, not smokers as a whole.

"But it sets off my asthma--" This is what is known as a "competing access need." Smokers deserve space to smoke, because drug withdrawal is severe and is a legitimate medical issue. Non-smokers and those with respiratory issues deserve smoke-free air. Two things can be true at once, and the answer is not, "so we dehumanize smokers!" Also, y'all may be shocked to learn this, but there are asthmatic smokers. I know several. Using asthmatics as a gotcha against smokers is not productive or kind to either group.

"But tobacco companies--" Are not the individual smokers, and are not responsible for tobacco companies' actions. Blaming Joe Schmoe Smoker for the actions of Big Tobacco is the exact same as blaming someone for climate change because they bought a pack of Walmart-brand hamburgers. Not only is it not effective, it doesn't target the core issue, and it's a douchebag thing to do.

"But it's bad for you--" Suicide and self-harm are worse, and cigarettes are the only thing keeping some people alive. Blame the system, not the individual.

"But vaping is obnoxious and bad for kids--" Vaping originated as a way to help people stop smoking, and it is not the fault of individuals that vaping became another predatory industry. Removing access to vapes, which are commonly still used as a tool for addicts to help quit, is not the fucking answer.

[ID: A screenshot of the original post highlighting the text, "And if an individual smoker is a dick about it? That's still the individual, not smokers as a whole." End ID.]

People keep telling stories in my notes of individual smokers being shitty as some sort of gotcha, and I would like to highlight where I already addressed that.

Can you read.

keep in mind that in the "socialist communist" society that conservatives warn you against, this sort of thing would not only be discouraged, but punishable to varying degrees.

if that sub would have came up without incident when it was supposed to, they would have continued to do this shit again and again and again until eventually tragedy struck or they grew bored of the risk

1. What they have experienced or are currently experiencing is something I find deeply haunting and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. A true nightmare.

2. …But why would you cut every corner and ignore every expert telling you that submersible was unsafe? And sell the experience to people, knowing the risks?

3. …And why would you get in that thing? Look at it! Look what it’s made of! You get bolted in from the outside! Have some common sense! Don’t pay $250k to get in that tube!

4. …Did they trust it more because the CEO got in too? Why did he do that, knowing that it was an accident waiting to happen? Knowing it has gotten lost before? Knowing about all the cut corners? Hubris? Greed? Blind faith that nothing bad would happen?

5. But also what a HORRIBLE way to die!

idk how much this made the news in the Americas but the Hellenic coast guard watched as a vessel carrying more than 400 (some estimates say 700) migrants capsized and sank in the Mediterranean. 104 people survived. official death toll is 79 because the rest is missing, and might never be found. There are claims that many children were below deck.

Survivors and rescuers claim that the boat capsized after being towed by the coast guard at high speed.

tweet one, from niki kitsantonis, reads: "Photos of migrant boat taken by Greek coast guard helicopter on Tuesday indicates hundreds were aboard. Official death toll so far 79 with 104 survivors. Shipping Ministry official says boat sunk in spot where sea is 4,000 meters deep, so retrieving other victims may be impossible."

the photos attached are of a blue (?) boat with people packed like sardines in the middle of the water.

tweet two reads: "The vast search and rescue operation continues with hundreds missing and at least 78 dead, the Hellenic Coast guard said in a statement on Thursday. A new photo has been released by #Greece's coast guard showing the fishing vessel that appears to be photographed at night time."

the photo attached is of the boat at night time.

tweet three, from iasonas apostolopoulos, reads: "[thread emoji] New item that completely changes the data! Rescuers revealed that the new coast guard was towing them at high speed, this destabilized the boat and sank it! If this is true, we are not talking about criminal negligence, but about an act that caused the death of 600 people."

the video attached is of a middle-aged man, with his arms folded, wearing an n95 mask, surrounded by people.