05-07-2022, 12:13 AM
(05-06-2022, 05:33 AM)JasonBlack Wrote:(04-22-2022, 06:28 AM)David Horn Wrote: I can't argue with one word of this. That said, we're in an odd spot here. Advocacy is assumed to be self-serving, and the more strenuous it is the less any message is received in the intended manner. I try to keep my message to anyone tied to their life experience, to the extent I'm able to know it. Am I making gains? Are any of us? I guess we'll see in a few months.
It's assumed to be self-serving because it usually IS self-serving. The people most likely to engage in advocacy work tend to be intellectually and moralistically arrogant, preferring to talk at, rather than with people. Not only do they fail to understand their intended audience, they often don't even understand the very people they claim to advocate for, because they don't actually listen to anyone. All 95% of them have managed to do is contribute to a metastasizing cultural tone of disrespect, accusation and outrage over mutual respect, understanding and self-regulation. Even this assumes the opposition is even their target audience in the first place. Most of the time, they'd rather just parrot cliches back and forth with people who already agree with them, taking no real risks, but congratulating each other like they just got back from active combat duty.
None of this should suggest there aren't causes out there worth fighting for, but frankly, most of today's "activists" deserve the hate they get, and if they want to start making any real progress, they need to take their attitude down about 5 pegs.
So, how do they substitute the "bravado" you advocate for their current attitude? While advocating the same things?
You seem to know what to do, so tell us.
Obviously "from my cold dead hands" is no better.