THREAD
BIDEN NEEDS A BETTER PEACE AND DE-ESCALATION STRATEGY
People may not want to hear this—but @JoeBiden’s remarks today are unlikely to de-escalate the increasingly tense situation in our country.
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There is no doubt: Biden made an admirable effort toward unity and healing.
But his remarks continue to suffer from fundamental mistakes that have hampered the resistance movement to date.
It is emergent that he and other leaders begin adopting better strategy.
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Biden’s speech might be summarized as follows: “He may believe mouthing the words ‘law and order’ makes him strong. But his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows how weak he is.” Biden went on to call Trump a “toxin.”
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Even if these remarks may be factually accurate, presentation of facts is bound to fall short in de-escalating a crisis that has already reached late stages.
To achieve de-escalation, resistance leaders like Biden must be much more strategic in the framing of their messages.
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Biden’s communication strategy goes wrong in implicitly blaming Trump supporters as well as insulting their leader as “weak” and “toxic.”
Now, don’t get me wrong: I am not saying that Trump supporters are not accountable for their acts, nor am I defending Trump.
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The reality, however, is that such statements are unlikely to be received positively by a group of individuals who have been brainwashed into pathological loyalty to their leader.
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Our country is now essentially in a state of tribal warfare, and facts alone often do not work in appealing to warring factions. Rather, Biden’s statements will be perceived as an attack, and they will only be used to drive further division.
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In a continuation of the flawed resistance strategy to date, Biden’s approach assumes that the current existential threat to our nation will be resolved in the 2020 election solely through the vote.
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But the real threat to our nation is extremism, which, in fact, Trump intends to use to undermine the election.
Resistance strategy has never adequately grappled with this dynamic.
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Even though Biden’s remarks may appeal to the logic of the majority of voters, it is profoundly problematic if those driven to extremism in our country are left untouched or even increasingly hardened by his statements.
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For the past four years, the resistance has repeatedly made statements of this nature that effectively play into Trump’s hands.
Most of all, the communication strategies are not attuned to some of the deeply held ideologies of those on the extreme of the political spectrum.
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Given where our nation is currently at, the strategy that has been employed for the past four years clearly has not been working. At this juncture, as our nation teeters on a precipice, we cannot afford to continue making such strategic missteps.
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If the goal is de-escalation, we must earnestly pursue it. Let’s speak the truth, but let’s do so in a positive and uplifting light. Let’s extend an olive branch to Trump supporters.
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Let’s reach out to extremist groups and create the space for rehabilitation and reconciliation. Let’s give them love. Let’s respond to them humanistically. Our country may not survive if we do not.
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I therefore renew my call for Biden to initiate a peace process by organizing a meeting with the leaders of all major extremist groups, militias, and law enforcement organizations.
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While many people will likely balk at this call, Biden is in a unique position of leadership to perform this task.
We would call for such a peace process in other countries, so we should do the same in ours, before the cost to human life reaches catastrophic proportions.
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The current moment in our nation’s history demands creativity and bravery. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
17/END
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