@SmashTheState
See what I mean? if you recall, in my original answer I said that the mods were more than capable of figuring out who requires banishment. And we just had a perfect demonstration of that. No need for an unpopularity contest.
There is a big difference between you and honz 123etc.
Every Sesame St. needs their Oscar the Grouch and if he left, they’d miss him. So, you’ve sorta nominated yourself as our own Oscar the Grouch but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re unpopular to quite as many folks as you’ve built up in your own mind.
My impression is that it isn’t so much the anarchist viewpoint you express but more the broad brush with which you paint all the members of Fluther as some evil cabal. Some people tend to take that kind of personally.
I guess one of the reasons I don’t is because of the old axiom, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” Well, it doesn’t fit me so I’m not wearing it just because you seem to think that everyone who is a member of Fluther should. As far as I’m concerned, you’re wrong so I don’t have to personalize it.
I find the anarchist viewpoints you express interesting to contemplate. Perhaps some of my attitude towards that is a carryover from my previous experience of the anarchist community in Phila when I lived there.
A lot of people were familiar with the A-house (since the anarchist symbol was painted large on the front door) in West Philly and some of their activities to do as much as they could to even out the huge disparity between the rich HAVES and the less fortunate HAVE-NOTS.
For quite a while (until the rents got too high) they had a used bookstore called The Wooden Shoe on South St. which they used to raise funds for their various projects. They were quite active in support of the LGBTQ community and also had regular prison visitation teams among others.
However, their primary difference from you was that they were, by and large, a happy and welcoming bunch of people. That doesn’t mean that they ever bypassed any opportunity to iterate clearly the basic anarchist principles by which they chose to live. But they weren’t so off-puttingly hostile about it constantly as you seem to be.
And, from my personal observation, their methodology seemed to effectively reach more people than yours. At least if your chosen demeanor on Fluther is any indication. You might want to give that some thought one day when you’re in a contemplative mood.
Or don’t. It’s your decision. But if you really want to reach people with your message it might be interesting to remember that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, to borrow a phrase here. Constantly insulting people and ascribing the worst possible motives to their actions doesn’t exactly make anybody more eager to hear your message. And I’m not saying this with hostility towards you for every time you return from one of your long absences, I’m genuinely glad to see you back. You’re an interesting person.
You keep assuming that it’s because of the viewpoints you hold that people don’t flock eagerly to you. It’s not the anarchist position which is the primary problem here. It’s the anger and hostility with which you’ve chosen to express it. I’ve met and had quite a few meaningful conversations with enough anarchists of all stripes to know this.
You describe yourself as a shit-stirrer and if you’re in the streets with a bullhorn protesting against an uncaring bureaucracy then that calls for some anger. But Fluther is not the streets.
There are many intelligent and thoughtful people participating on Fluther (which you will acknowledge if you give yourself a moment of honest reflection) so an angry bullhorn approach isn’t really the best way to present your views. Unlike politicians and bureaucracies,
most regulars of Fluther do have the ability to thoughtfully consider what you are trying to get across. That doesn’t mean instant agreement, of course, but you will be heard and perhaps even challenged. That’s pretty much the whole idea behind this place, unlike a self serving bureaucracy.
But if you muddy the waters with so much hostility, it just creates too much static for a lot of people to want to wade through. So, in essence, you’re creating your own static which interferes with your views and then blaming it on your unpopularity or the oppression of Fluther.
Why not take a more thoughtful approach? This is basically what most of the folks at the A-house chose to do in addition to their various projects. If there were any angry insulting types among them, I never encountered them. Although, truth be told, I certainly wouldn’t have bothered to try conversing with them and would have avoided them like the plague in the future. Not because of their ideas but because of the attitude.
I have no idea whether anything I’ve written might be helpful to you but it’s the truth, as I see it.
I don’t know whether you remember this, but a few years ago you posted a Q about the toll it was taking upon you personally to constantly be so confrontational and shit-stirring and how to prevent burnout. I forget precisely how you worded it but that’s the basic gist of it. You were clearly experiencing depression from it but since your role was basically to organize protests it was difficult to find much happiness or joy from it.
Well, why not drop the protester shit-stirrer persona when on Fluther and just relax a bit and be yourself. That doesn’t mean abandoning your ideas or principles. Just present them thoughtfully without the bullhorn, insults and anger. Just relax and let the ideas speak for themselves. As I said, Fluther is not the streets so you really don’t need your street protester attitude and persona. Give it a try and see whether a more relaxed approach makes life here in the lagoon just a tiny bit more enjoyable and fulfilling. Who knows, you might even enjoy it more.
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