Thread by @Writagal

I want to talk about this, today.

It’s really been bothering me & I’m going to try to articulate why.

I think what it comes down to, ultimately, is the ripple effect.

I think, what it comes down to is tangible, real harm.

Once you start to platform fascism as normal life, it’s really hard to go back.

It’s like any kind of hate (or love) - once you platform it, it takes on a life of its own - and, crucially where hate is concerned, *it validates the position & makes it mainstream.*

Hate is easy.

Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is quoted as saying that there are essentially only two human emotions, love and fear.

Hate is driven by fear. So when editors choose to allow columns of this nature to proceed, at a base level it’s reinforcing the fear.

It normalises it.

The motivation for the writer might be entirely different - to present an opposing viewpoint to generate clicks, to remain relevant in a world that *is* slowly moving on from reckons that centre ego over critical thinking.
But the result is “XYZ high profile person gets my fear.”

“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” - James Baldwin
Hate is easy. We saw this recently in the NZ election, when it went largely unchallenged - & it earned votes.

We are not at a tipping point in New Zealand.
We’re not on the brink of authoritarianism.
But I think we’re at a point where we need to decide how we’re going to show up in the world - & if the values we hold still apply.
We need to decide what we’ll challenge - uncompromisingly.

Donald Trump, who without a doubt, is an authoritarian, is a fascist, convinced people to vote for him using fear as a weapon - much like Hitler did.
We see echoes of it here, from “5G” to the concerning “These people are communists.”

It’s on us if we fail to learn from history.

It’s on us if we fail to listen to experts & continue to treat Donald Trump as “entertainment” when we write.

It’s on us if we decide to treat facts as optional, even in opinion columns.

We do a disservice to democracy & to the values we say we hold by not providing the truth.

“Many of the worst man-made events that ever occurred were not the product of evil geniuses. Instead they were the product of a parade of idiots and lunatics, incoherently flailing their way through events.”

It’s important to remember that there’s a reason for “Lest we forget.”

There is a reason that prior to the 2016 election, The Huffington Post put this against every single article they wrote about Donald Trump.

Normalising fear and hate means allowing writing about Donald Trump to skew towards admiration.

There is *nothing* admirable about this.

NZ, as an example of a functioning democracy, can express a range of views in our media.

But I also know that hate spreads, quickly - and that “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

It’s because hate is easy that opinion platforms need work.

It’s because hate is easy that we need to stop celebrating buffoons & think about what the end result could be.

It’s because hate is easy that we need to platform ways out of fear as a priority - over normalising it.

Today I’m using my voice to say that I’m afraid of what happens in 3 years, if we spend 3 years unquestioningly reporting things said by those who wish to be able to say those things without consequence, to actively harm.
If we spend 3 years continuing to centre ego as opinion.

Hate has real, tangible effects.

When we posit it as a sideshow, not only does it not negate the original harm, but it minimises the threat.

The ripple effect might take time - but it has real, lasting consequences.

👇/

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