Narratives are *very* important and Twitter has become one of the main platforms (if not *the* main platform) over which battles of narrative are hashed out. Never in world history have so many thought leaders from across the world been in the same space in real life.
That said, I worry that Twitter has created a situation in activism where social media engagement is a replacement for institutional power building, strategic planning, and organic work. Being on Twitter is a very important part of our work, but it's not all of our work.
On narratives: Decisions are never taken in a vacuum. All decisions, be they political decisions or decisions related to business, culture, etc happen within the wider sea of narratives. Once you "win the narrative", the policy is also won sooner or later.
Realized there's a typo in the first tweet in this thread; I meant "in real time*" (not "in real life")
But back to "winning the narrative" and its impact on political (and other) decision making. Importantly, some of these decisions are also funding decisions, hiring decisions, product development decisions, etc. Winning the narrative is a gateway to power
A reminder here that human beings have been a storytelling species for far longer that we've been a political species (in the modern sense of "politics"). We've been doing "narratives" for far longer than we've had organized societies and states
For this reason narratives are more fundamental, more primal, and longer-lasting than political ideologies or policies or proposals. And the proliferation of media in our modern life has us immersed in stories (narratives) all day long, making narratives even more powerful
All of this is to say that narratives are important, and that winning the narrative is important, and that activists must be mature narrative-minded thinkers. But power building still mandates institutional and strategic thinking. Narratives are important but not enough.

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More from @iyad_elbaghdadi

7 Jun
Your proposed solution of a problem depends upon your conception of the problem. In my 20 year career in strategy, I've seen people mess up *bad* because they're unwilling to let go of their definition of the problem, or to consider that maybe their definition is only one layer.
It's like they want their problem definition to be right more than they want the problem to be solved. I mean fine if it's a personal problem then you have every right to mess up your own life, but if it's at a social, national, or global level then... no.
Here are all (?) the layers to the struggle for justice in Palestine:
- A struggle against military occupation
- A struggle against extremist ethno-nationalism
- A struggle against apartheid
- A struggle against settler-colonialism
- A struggle against neocolonialism
Read 5 tweets
7 Jun
Stream of consciousness thread. A recurring debate in anti-authoritarian conversations is whether overthrowing authoritarian orders is simply a matter of the oppressed adopting the right organization/strategy, or whether there always needs to be external action to tip the scales
It's an ongoing debate. If an authoritarian system firmly dominates a society, is overthrowing it always possible without any intervention? By "intervention" here I mean it in the broadest sense, including measures in the diplomatic, economic, media, etc realms
I think the question is moot because in the real world, there are no closed systems where it's nothing but the oppressors and the oppressed face to face with no external parties involved. Most authoritarian systems have significant, institutional, continuous external support
Read 11 tweets
6 Jun
The world is changing. The previously crushed are not yet powerful, but no longer powerless. If you went after members of a marginalized group in 2000, you may well get away with it. If you try the same shit in 2021, there will be a price. We'll all make sure there's a price.
Will the price be big enough to deter, or will it be more an inconvenience? Will it make a difference on the short term, or only the longer term? All of those are valid questions and a lot of it depends on what we do. But the point stands that this shit isn't cost-free any more.
You want to beat journalists? Rip apart families? Deport vulnerable refugees? You think it'll help you at the polls to kill a few more children or crush a few more asylum seekers? There will be a cost. People will organize and go after you for the rest of their lives and yours.
Read 5 tweets
5 Jun
All attempts to "save the culture" of countries with disfavorable demographics by restricting migration + attempting to boost native birth rates will fail and may actually cause more damage. The only way to actually save the culture is to have an attractive culture
Focusing on having more humans of the "right" ethnic descent isn't only cringy, it's also a failed strategy. This is just maths. No modern country has ever managed to boost natural birth rate back to 2.1 after a generation-long (or even shorter) demographic maturation
Long term, your country will either die a slow demographic death, or it'll have more humans of a different mix of genetic descent. If you choose demographic survival, the question is what culture all these new humans will embrace. Hence the focus on having an attractive culture
Read 4 tweets
4 Jun
It is racist and unacceptable to constantly blame Arab hatred of Israel on "propaganda". Arabs have been watching their brethren killed, brutalized, and humiliated for 70 years. Israel hasn't exactly been spreading love and solidarity. Don't fucking gaslight us.
Fucking racists can't help be racist.
We *will* liberate it. We *will* return. We *will* replace this regime of apartheid with a regime of equality. And your hypocrisy and racism and ethnic supremacy will find their rightful place in the ash pile of history.
Read 4 tweets
4 Jun
If you disagree with me and you recognize that we're toiling for the same cause I expect you to reach out and talk to me, not cancel me. About time we grow up and realize the cause is more important than our egos.
This idea that we have to be in full alignment all the time or we should cancel each other is so childish. If you're aligned with me 51% then I owe *the cause* to try to find common ground. Our egos aren't important.
And while we're at it, don't expect *any* human being to ignore or suppress their own lived reality for your sake. Their pain, their history, their dreams aren't less or more valid than yours. You cannot build coalitions premised on getting people to gaslight themselves.
Read 4 tweets

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