1/ Um, the reason many are silent on the issue is not because they secretly support the other side, or are afraid to debate the other side. It's because they are afraid of their own side, the hyperpolarized elements who will attack them for deviating from orthodoxy.
2/ Social-media has become a cesspool of toxic behavior, where your only two choices are to join in or be silent. If you take the middle ground, express original ideas, challenge the excesses of your own side, seek to understand the opposing side, you'll be ostracized and blocked
3/ It's "black lives matter" not "all lives matter". But if somebody insists on "all lives matter", I'm not going to tell them to "fuck off" as is the norm on social-media. I want to have a friendly discussion because they probably are a reasonable, caring, good human being.
4/ But I can't. Anything less than telling them to "fuck off", asking questions trying to understand their point of view, expressing my own point of view that doesn't conform to orthodoxy, gets me labeled as a heretic/racist, and attacked. I must either be toxic or silent.
5/ My twitter feed is just free flowing outrage. People don't want the truth, to see the complete picture. They see the photo or short video and insist they know everything what happened. Some are actually true and worthy of outrage (like the first one), most aren't.
6/ People have an unhealthy fixation on Trump. Well, yes, he daily tops himself with some new feat demonstrating his unfitness for the office. But this issue of police brutality and racism is a LOCAL GOVERNMENT thing.
7/ Obama makes that point in a blogpost today. It's the only bit highlighted. None of you are going to behave like you read it and are still going to fixate on Trump instead of your local governments.
medium.com/@BarackObama/h…
medium.com/@BarackObama/h…
8/ The opposition's toxic arguments justify our own toxic arguments. They are trying to smear all protesters as being violent. This leads to arguments on our own side justifying and rationalizing the violence.
9/ Obama in that post can get away with taking the heretical view that this violence should be condemned, but for most of us, if we tried, we'd get attacked. I can't express this in my own words, I can only remain silent, or repeat Obama's words.
10/ I don't always uphold my ideals. Trump has an amazeballs ability to troll me and get me outraged, as in the tweet below (OMG WTF??!!??). But still, most of the time I just don't want to play this toxic outrage game.
11/ So yes, I'm largely silent. I'd like to use what influence I have on social media to address the chronic racism in our country, but I can't. My only two options are to join in the daily outrage and toxicity, or self-censor most of what I'd have to say and be silent.
PS: Seriously, I admire Trump's bravery. All the past presidents would have done something cowardly like have the military police clear out the protesters first with flashbangs and tear gas.
PPS: This snarky tweet is based on the many videos showing them clear out extremely peaceful protestors with flashbang grenades and tear gas just so Trump could have this photo op. As I said, I try to be good, but even I get trolled.
PPPS: Item #3 above is subtweeting how Seth Rogan is trending. Everyone is cheering the toxic behavior.
PPPS: Hours after I post this thread, Emma Watson starts trending for exactly this reason.
