Thread by @AlexandraErin

Think I'm going to delete those tweets about certain Bernie fans because as I said towards the end, I don't think they accomplish anything.

But it's frustrating. I don't come online and think "I think I will cause problems on purpose" - I see something and I talk about it.

And honestly, the small subset of really toxic Bernie fans might be less toxic overall than the large subset of Bernie fans who flock to reply to people talking about it as it's happening with "DIDN'T HAPPEN" or "HEARD YOU WERE TALKING SMACK ABOUT ME, JOKE'S ON YOU, I'M NICE."

...and I've decided I'm not deleting. Talked myself out of it. Because talking about stuff I see is like 90% of what I do on here. I'm not putting something out of bounds just because the we're-not-toxic segment of Bernie fans thinks I'm thereby besmirching Saint Bernard.

I don't demand Bernie fans do something about the toxic group because I don't know what there is to do. Just. Quit erasing it. Quit acting like the people who smelt it dealt it. Quit acting like it doesn't matter. You want to ignore them? Then ignore people talking about them.

If the "negligibly small" toxic subset of Bernie fans "who might not even be real Bernie fans" have got nothing to do with Bernie and nothing to do with you... then let them have nothing to do with you or Bernie. Get off my case for talking about them.

There's a five hundred mile air gap between you and them. A firebreak and a firewall and an actual fire. Sure. I'll buy that for a quarter.

Then stop taking it personally when people talk about them.

Every single time I have made a tweet or a thread about toxic people who stan Bernie, it's been in direct response to me watching one or more person I care about getting attacked by them. Every single time.

And every single time, I get "Stop making things up."

And note that I didn't say I do it every single time. Frequently I don't. Because the backlash is not worth it. I don't feel better. I never feel like I helped anyone. I wind up feeling devalued and attacked and dispirited.

He's still my second choice, with a wide gap between him and everyone else in the running after him and Warren. I'll still GOTV for him if he wins the nomination, and if he becomes president I will be fighting for his agenda.

But.

There are tiers of toxicity in his fandom, from the small group who are the big problem to the people who can't allow us to discuss the big problem. The latter group is less toxic but way more widespread.

Does he get unfair attacks from establishment democrats and their supporters? Sure. It's politics. Everybody's trying to sandbag everybody else. And you can defend him against those smears all you want. And you can defend his positions against misinformation. And so on.

But if the toxic hate fan club has really got nothing to do with him and nothing to do with his movement and nothing to do with you... you don't have to defend them. You don't. Have. To. Defend. Them. Or deny they exist.

If there are Warren supporters who won't vote for Bernie in the event that he's the nominee, we're statistically not numerous enough to show up on polls. There's no fight to be had here. Anybody who's for Warren on issues is already to fight for Bernie's legislative agenda.

I think she's given the best route for Medicare 4 All, most likely to make it actually happen, but I don't go around to people who have criticisms of her and go "Well I guess you don't want M4A."

And we're not even talking about a criticism of Bernie.

Anyway.

I muted this thread when I started it. I'm not checking the replies because, again, there's no fight to have here. I'm not interested. I don't care.

Positive Bernie fans, don't want to clean your house? Don't think it's your house to clean? Can't say I 100% disagree!

But Jesus, if I am talking about the house next door -- which again, I'm not even insisting is your problem -- I'm not making things up and I'm not saying it to make you look bad and I am not trying to sandbag your savior.

I'm talking about something I'm watching as it happens.

NOTHING about how any Bernie fans react to this, of the ones who react to this kind of thing, makes me feel less like their movement is a cult of personality based around worshiping a superman. Nothing makes me feel like he could actually, you know, do anything in office.

So I tell myself that the people reacting are also a small minority, a small subset of the people who make up the movement, and even the movement is a subset of people who are prepared to vote for him, and that makes me feel better.

Anyway, end rant. At least until the next time that I see some garbage happening to someone I care about and I feel in that moment less afraid of angering the "good, nice non-toxic and positive" Bernie fans by talking about it than I feel angry that it's happening.

Viva la revolution.