Is there any line of leftists that are either developing ways to use the same online tactics as the neofascists (eg. flooding every comment section with the same opinion to dominate the narrative, with real comments or not) or ways to render these tactics obsolete?

This kind of stuff is extremely effective, as the last decade has shown. Then, why is it that I only hear of the fascists developing and using it? Why is the left ignoring this efficient stuff?

  • jabrd [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    We need a national victory that can spark a national movement that can achieve a national victory that can spark a national movement ad nauseam.

    “The left” as it exists, if it exists, in america needs to sack up and do the shit eating work of grinding against the foundations at the lowest level like a termite infestation. We can only build a movement upon successes but we’re always going for a fucking hail mary play like it’s the only way we can win (this ignores the context that most serious movements in the west were taken behind the shed and shot in the back of the head before they could become too successful)

    • 420blazeit69 [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      I broadly agree with this, but you'll run into at least the following criticism from other leftists:

      • "You can't reform the system from inside it"
      • "This is woefully insufficient"
      • "Why are we spending time and energy on this small thing when there are all these bigger issues"
      • Intra-left squabbles about topics that are largely meaningless at lower levels like school boards, e.g., what middle schoolers should learn about the Korean War

      There have to be some principled answers to all these and more if the idea is to eventually tie local victories into a larger leftist project.

      • robot_dog_with_gun [they/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        i'll take a crack at it:

        the objective isn't to reform the system, it's to take power where we can in the workplace, and improve people's lives where we can in local politics

        it's woefully insufficient because there's nothing sufficient we can do unless you know how to make bombs and want to die or go to federal prison

        school boards have a lot of influence in a lot of peoples lives and things like school breakfast were good enough for the panthers to be doing, so making sure kids are eating every meal is probably good enough for us

        "shut up and go do some propaganda of the deed"