Post #1223394

2026-03-25 09:11 UTC

Sometimes, but not always. Many people were radicalized by Gaza, others were radicalized by Trump threatening to invade Greenland, others still by local stories and events. I know from my colleagues in the US that ICE in MN radicalized many people, too. Most of our new members actually weren't personally affected, unless you count seeing TikToks of atrocities as being affected. Look, I understand where you're coming from, I've been in this fight since I was 17, and I know how it has felt like swimming against the tide for a long time, but I am categorically telling you that things are actually finally changing. You can be a part of it, or not, but please can you just stop trying to discourage others from doing something to help?

Replies (1)

@minorkeys@lemmy.world 2026-03-25 21:46

And I'm telling you it's an illusion. It's a temporary change in behavior by a small number of people who were personally affected, either by their own emotional outrage over a circumstance or because the American Gestapo was shooting civilians in their city where they live. Once the threat is out of sight, their eagerness will fade, despite the wisdom you probably preach about vigilance and *keeping up the momentum*, however right you are. People don't act because of the wisdom of a distant thing, they act when they are personally affected. *Masses* of people acting that is necessary for real change only occurs at critical moments when mobs form. I can not give you a single example of masses of people acting when it is wise rather than when it is desperate. Can you? If you can't find those moments in history, perhaps you need to rethink your strategy for change to align with how people actually behave and not how it would beneficial for them to behave. What ever convinced you that your strategy is good? How many organizers and unions have utterly failed *because* people failed to stay engaged and committed? Business knows this, governments know this, they use it to break and prevent opposition all the time, they're very good at it.

Open ##1223395