Tom Morello is too mean to Nazis


The NY Post claims — consider the source, and be skeptical — that Tom Morello is being canceled by his fans for being against Nazis. Tom Morello! Rage Against the Machine Morello! He said something on Twitter.

Rage Against The Machine rocker Tom Morello, 59, is getting blasted on Twitter for sharing an anti-Nazi quote…

Wait for it,  w a i t  for it…

…with fans accusing him of fascism and intolerance.

“Fans.” I don’t think actual fans would be mad at Tom Morello for being aggressively anti-Nazi. Have they listened to any of his music? Especially since this is the quote they found offensive.

German saying: If 9 people sit down at a table with 1 Nazi without protest, there are 10 Nazis at the table

Uh, yeah? That’s right. The people who are complaining are the “change my mind” folks. The debate bros.

“While that sounds principled, it isn’t,” one Twitter user wrote. “It’s a mechanism to stop conversation. 9 people can sit down at a table with 1 Nazi and talk and educate said single Nazi on the issues and the truth with evidence and convert that Nazi. It’s called diplomacy.”

“So do you think it’s impossible to politely converse with someone to change their mind?” another asked.

You can’t debate Nazis, full stop.

Hey, man, shouldn’t you go back to listening to Hootie & the Blowfish? Rage Against the Machine isn’t your jam.

Comments

  1. wzrd1 says

    I calmly and quietly remind the objectors that I have a fine family tradition that I wish to retain. We killed fascists and especially Nazis.
    There never were any questions. Probably, because they didn’t want to see how well my cane fit around their empty heads.

  2. raven says

    Twitter is overrun with Russian and Antivax trolls.
    It is also overrun with Nazis.
    In fact the guy who bought Twitter, Elon Musk, might not be a Nazi but is
    at the least Nazi adjacent.

    If the Nazis on Twitter hate you, you are doing something right!!!

  3. says

    “9 people can sit down at a table with 1 Nazi and talk and educate said single Nazi on the issues and the truth with evidence and convert that Nazi. It’s called diplomacy.”

    But…I would also say that could be called “protest:” “a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something.” So if someone is trying to talk a Nazi out of Nazism, they’re likely expressing disapproval in the process. Thus, they’re protesting. But, sure, it’s not surprising that the “change my mind” folks cannot be bothered to use a dictionary.

  4. Artor says

    Remaining on Twitter seems uncomfortably like sitting at a table with Nazis and not protesting. I’m glad to have never set foot in that festering cesspit.

  5. moonslicer says

    This could also be said about the anti-trans crowd, with whom there’s a significant overlap with American Nazis. I couldn’t say how many of them I’ve engaged with down the years, and I don’t recall getting through to a single one of them. Educate them? Convert them? Ha! They don’t want to be educated, which is why you’ll never convert them.

  6. silvrhalide says

    “While that sounds principled, it isn’t,” one Twitter user wrote. “It’s a mechanism to stop conversation. 9 people can sit down at a table with 1 Nazi and talk and educate said single Nazi on the issues and the truth with evidence and convert that Nazi. It’s called diplomacy.”
    “So do you think it’s impossible to politely converse with someone to change their mind?” another asked.

    Never argue with idiots. Or Nazis. Onlookers might not be able to tell the difference.

    From the NYP article:

    “Do you consider Trump supporters to be Nazis?”

    While I suppose that it is theoretically possible to find Trump supporters who aren’t Nazis, you’d be hard pressed to find any.
    https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/15/full-text-trump-comments-white-supremacists-alt-left-transcript-241662

    https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-defends-2017-fine-people-comments-calls-robert/story?id=62653478

    The Venn diagram of the GOP, Nazis and Trump supporters are just a series of concentric circles.

  7. lotharloo says

    It depends on what kind of Nazi we are talking about though. In many online places most Nazis are 15 years old immature boys.

  8. Ada Christine says

    i’ve moved on to telling bigots that i pity them and their sad obsessive hatreds. shouting angrily at them does nothing but encourage them. trying to educate them only validates them. this way is less of a waste of my time and energy and doesn’t reward their behavior.

  9. hemidactylus says

    I recall watching Rage live on some cable music channel and Zack de la Rocha saying radical stuff that made me uneasy. I knew for a fact they were far left from decades ago. Didn’t they play outside a Democratic Convention? Maybe rightists like the sound and don’t grok the lyrics.

    I could have gone without being reminded of Hootie and the Blowfish. Eeek!!!!

  10. microraptor says

    In general, when someone challenges you to debate human rights or science, don’t bother.

  11. Timothy Hamilton says

    I wonder what the crowd complaining about Tom Morello’s tweet would make of “Sisu”. If you haven’t seen it, I’ll just say the Nazis don’t make out none too well.

  12. drew says

    You can’t debate Nazis, full stop.

    Yet there were so many “good Germans” that apparently didn’t need debating. You know . . . the ones who dined with Nazis.

  13. birgerjohansson says

    Timothy Hamilton @ 16

    Another fan of the film “Sisu”!
    Any proper WWII film should have the kind of ending “Inglorious Basterds” had.

  14. acroyear says

    which part of “without protest” did they miss.

    the ‘debate’ is the protest. if there is no protest, there is no debate, everybody is complicit in their silence.

    if there is debate, there is protest, there is no silence, the 9 (or at least some of them) are not complicit.

    But if nobody speaks, nobody opens the debate, nobody protests – THAT is when you have 10 Nazi’s.

    It isn’t that g.. damn hard.

  15. silvrhalide says

    @19 For that matter, what kind of “diplomacy” can be achieved by debating Nazis? What’s the hoped-for outcome here? That Nazis will only stalk/kill/harass only half as many nonwhites?

    Nazis are Nazis because they CHOSE to be repellant unfuckable useless little snotrags. (Yes, I said unfuckable. Because misogyny is the gateway drug to alt-right white supremacy recruitment.)

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/08/very-fine-people-charlottesville-who-were-they-2/

    The 207-page independent review commissioned by Charlottesville also makes no mention of peaceful pro-statue demonstrators.

    But sure, let’s keep “debating” Nazis. Because they are otherwise open-minded and willing to listen to other opinions.

    You want diplomacy? Nuremburg was diplomacy. Nazis got a fair trial and then we hung them. Which is more than their victims got.

  16. StonedRanger says

    No longer surprised by things like people thinking you can be mean to a nazi. You just cant fix stupid sometimes.

  17. Rob Grigjanis says

    silvrhalide @21:

    Nazis are Nazis because they CHOSE to be repellant unfuckable useless little snotrags.

    Some were brought up in a toxic environment (ask some of those hereabouts who were brought up as fundies). Some managed to escape it. Some of those needed help. Very few people are beyond redemption. That doesn’t mean ‘debate’ or ‘diplomacy’, just doing what you can, where you can, to educate. Some people are on it.

  18. indianajones says

    Surely Mr Morello’s response to ‘You should debate Nazis!’ has to be ‘Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me’. Right?

  19. says

    Didn’t these maroons ever stop to think that the entire catalog of Rage Against the Machine is a “debate with” and “education of” Nazis?

    Oh. That would require listening to it first. Carefully.

    Can I suggest New Model Army or The Clash instead?

  20. wzrd1 says

    Timothy Hamilton @ 16, Sisu ended perfectly for the Nazis.

    As for diplomacy, the use of diplomacy universally ends very badly when dealing with a rapid animal. The last time diplomacy was used with Nazis, the Nazis brought guns. It was unpleasant, killed millions and overall proved to be an experience not to be emulated diplomatically.

  21. chrislawson says

    Jaws@26–

    Just to be aware, but ‘maroon’ as an insult is one of those covert racial slurs and should be avoided. It’s easy to use unknowingly because it’s not obvious and it was used a lot in Looney Tunes cartoons so it’s in the culture. Bugs Bunny calls a lot of people ‘maroons.’

    Its use as an insult derives from perjorative references to the Black runaway slaves and their descendants in the Caribbean and Florida. Weirdly, it didn’t acquire this meaning because of any reference to the colour maroon or to being marooned, but as a shortening of the French cimarrón, for mountain, because escaped slaves would flee to the mountainous interior of Jamaica.

  22. chrislawson says

    The only fans Rage Against the Machine are losing are culturally illiterate asses who never understood the not-even-remotely-subtle lyrics or took a second to look into the band’s history. I am pretty sure that RATM is fucking delighted to lose those fans.

  23. chrislawson says

    Actually, I might be wrong on the etymology there. It could be that cimarrón was meant in the sense of ‘wild’ or ‘feral’ rather than mountains when it became attached to meaning of runaway slaves. Either way, maroon the color comes from the french and italian words for chestnut and does not appear to be related.

  24. chrislawson says

    Oh, and the idea that opposing Nazism is fascism shows just how deranged the right-wing noise machine has become.

  25. silvrhalide says

    @24 I notice in the link you posted that the Road to Damascus moment for all the neo-Nazis listed only came AFTER there were consequences for their hateful shitty behavior. Consequences like prison, the spouse & kids leaving, etc. Nobody “debated” them out of being neo-Nazis.
    I also noticed that ALL of them became neo-Nazis in their teens and in some cases, their early 20s. IOW, they CHOSE to become Nazis.

    Lots of people grow up in toxic households. Not all of them become hateful alt-right edgelords. “That’s how I was raised” is a reasonable explanation (NOT an excuse) when you are SEVEN. Not when you are TWENTY SEVEN.
    For the record, my mother was a real-life version of Dana Carvey’s Church Lady and my father is an alcoholic.
    I am neither of those things.
    Maybe all the choices they had sucked but those choices were still THEIR choices to make.
    Did you read yesterday’s post “Ken Ham was right”? There are plenty of people out there who were raised in objectively terrible households and yet they still found the will to break free and live different lives.

    Very few people are beyond redemption.

    Yeah but how many of them are actively seeking it? Or working on it?

    Some of those needed help.

    Everybody needs help in this life. Nobody gets by without it. Anyone who says differently is either lying or delusional. But you’ll find a lot more people willing to help you if you aren’t a hateful edgelord.

  26. chrislawson says

    @32–

    Spot on. I’m all for extending some slack for people’s upbringing and culture, but there comes a time when a person has to take responsibility for their own attitudes and beliefs. And in general, mid-20s is about where I start to think ‘nah, you enjoy believing this crap or you would have seen through it by now.’ That’s not to say people can’t change later in life, but as you say, it often takes a life disaster introducing them to the concept of personal consequences rather than a developing awareness and self-reflection .

  27. gijoel says

    (of light or lighting) able to cause photochemical reactions, as in photography, through having a significant short wavelength or ultraviolet component.

    Because diplomacy with nazis works so well. Just ask Neville Chamberlain. /snark

  28. Simple Desultory Philip says

    tom morello has literally performed on tour with a projection on the stage behind him that says in gigantic letters “NAZI LIVES DON’T MATTER” lol it’s been my facebook header photo on and off a bunch of times over the years. nobody replying to that tweet critically is in good faith at all.

  29. John Morales says

    Huh. re the Jaws/chrislawson thingy about ‘maroon’.

    “Just to be aware, but ‘maroon’ as an insult is one of those covert racial slurs and should be avoided.”

    Nothing specifically racial about it, it’s a jocularisation of ‘moron’, as you noted popularised by Loony Tunes.

    (And this would-be distinction between a racial insult and any other kind of insult is feeble. Insults are insults)

    BTW, same source also (in the modern sense) popularised ‘Nimrod’ as an insulting epithet, applied to Elmer Fudd. That the use was inverted and ironic escapes most people.

  30. wzrd1 says

    @Jaws, I usually plead first, third and fifth amendments.
    Usually, only attorneys recognize the nonsensical pleading.

    As for Nazis and diplomacy, I’ll reiterate the suggestion that diplomacy against the rabid has never, ever, ever worked, at all, it only killed the “diplomat”. Violently.

    Oh, Bugs used maroon and ultramaroon, the context I was unaware of is outlined by others above and also moron, which was suppressed at the time, some Hitler guy ordering morons, elderly, infirm and otherwise disabled gassed in carbon monoxide vans long before camps were built.
    You know, test case, like is being tried today.

    Although, I know they’ve underestimated idiocy, the far right misleadership thinks they’ll stop at, oh, Gays. Nope, the rank and file of that extreme won’t stop until they eliminate brays from equines.
    I’ve actually had neighbors who were proud to announce that they were illiterate. I do know their opinions well.
    And no, there is no convincing those willingly adopting that, for a lack of a better term, religion.

    Still feeling like poop, so excuse me if I missed a few points that otherwise should be readily apparent.
    Walking feels like molten iron was poured down both calves. There’s other pain, but it’s largely drowned out and my gait is likely rather entertaining.
    Although, if the fire alarm were to again alarm, my descent via the emergency stairs would challenge the best of those profanity well versed…
    All because I didn’t bother looking at a fucking map first…
    Although, I’m also annoyed with myself. Not that long ago, 20 – 30 mile walks were tiring, potentially exhausting, but that was it. Now, 10 miles is basically disabling for multiple days.
    I’m not getting better, I’m getting older. (The antithesis of an old advertisement for a now forgotten senior’s product)

  31. John Morales says

    Re movies, I’d like to see The Forever War which is admittedly a reaction to Starship Troopers. There are others, of course.

    Not that long ago, 20 – 30 mile walks were tiring, potentially exhausting, but that was it. Now, 10 miles is basically disabling for multiple days.

    Yeah, but if you can still do 10 miles — at whatever cost — then that’s obviously better than to not be able to do it. So, that’s the bright side. ;)

  32. MichaelE says

    I hate the whole thing about debating with nazis about their ideology. It’s just another way of saying nazism should be discussed on the “marketplace of ideas.”

    We’ve done that, and we decided to kill them.

  33. John Morales says

    I hate the whole thing about debating with nazis about their ideology.

    Dunno about the debating thing, but I will happily dispute anyone about their ideology.

    Like, discuss it and show how it’s flawed and baseless and stupid, in the case of Nazism.

    (Or Catholicism, though the difference is slight)

    We’ve done that, and we decided to kill them.

    I refer you to my #22.

    (Nietzsche, Abyss)

  34. Silentbob says

    @ 38 Morales

    (And this would-be distinction between a racial insult and any other kind of insult is feeble. Insults are insults)

    Wrong again. There is a huge difference between insulting a person based on their individual characteristics, and insulting them on the basis they belong to a particular demographic The latter insults the entire demographic. Dickhead.
    See what I did there? I insulted you alone.

  35. John Morales says

    BabblyBobby:

    Wrong again. There is a huge difference between insulting a person based on their individual characteristics, and insulting them on the basis they belong to a particular demographic

    Heh heh heh.

    Insults are insults can’t possibly be wrong, being a tautology.

    As for the huge difference, well… you think it’s huge, I think it’s feeble.

    The latter insults the entire demographic.

    Category error. A demographic is an abstract concept.

    Dickhead.

    Your sig is supposed to be at the end of your post.

    See what I did there? I insulted you alone.

    Heh heh heh.

    You think you insulted me?

    heh.

  36. hemidactylus says

    @28- chrislawson
    The label Seminole may have stemmed indirectly from the Spanish cimarrón:
    “The word “Seminole” is almost certainly derived from the Creek word simanó-li, which has been variously translated as “frontiersman”, “outcast”, “runaway”, “separatist”, and similar words. The Creek word may be derived from the Spanish word cimarrón, meaning “runaway” or “wild one”, historically used for certain Native American groups in Florida.”

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole

    I was not aware of an overly negative connotation with maroon. I had heard the term used for various runaways. Confusingly Seminoles themselves may stem namewise from cimarrón, but the Black Seminoles an example of “maroons”:
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Seminoles

    William Bartram conducted his travels in Florida roughly in the transformative period when Creeks and other groups were coalescing into the Seminole Nation:

    “In 1773, when the American naturalist William Bartram visited the area, he referred to the Seminole as a distinct people, their name apparently coming from the word “simanó-li”, which according to John Reed Swanton, “is applied by the Creeks to people who remove from populous towns and live by themselves.”.[8] William C. Sturtevant says the ethnonym was borrowed by Muskogee from the Spanish word cimarrón,[9] supposedly the source as well of the English word maroon used to describe the runaway slave communities of Florida and of the Great Dismal Swamp on the border of Virginia and North Carolina, on colonial islands of the Caribbean, and other parts of the New World.[10] Linguist Leo Spitzer, however, writing in the journal Language, says, “If there is a connection between Eng. maroon, Fr. marron, and Sp. cimarron, Spain (or Spanish America) probably gave the word directly to England (or English America).”[11]”

  37. hemidactylus says

    Some more positive highlights from the Black Seminoles wikipedia linked above:
    “Anticipating attempts to re-enslave more members of their community, black Seminoles opposed removal to the West. In councils before the war, they threw their support behind the most militant Seminole faction, led by Osceola. After war broke out, individual black leaders, such as John Caesar, Abraham, and John Horse, played key roles.[37] In addition to aiding the natives in their fight, black Seminoles recruited plantation slaves to rebellion at the start of the war. The slaves joined Native Americans and maroons in the destruction of 21 sugar plantations from Christmas Day, December 25, 1835, through the summer of 1836. Historians do not agree on whether these events should be considered a separate slave rebellion; generally they view the attacks on the sugar plantations as part of the Seminole War.[38]”

    […]

    “Facing the threat of enslavement, the black Seminole leader John Horse and about 180 black Seminoles staged a mass escape in 1849 to northern Mexico, where slavery had been abolished twenty years earlier. The black fugitives crossed to freedom in July 1850.[6] They rode with a faction of traditionalist Seminole under the chief Coacochee, who led the expedition. The Mexican government welcomed the Seminole allies as border guards on the frontier, and they settled at Nacimiento, Coahuila.[40]

    After 1861, the black Seminoles in Mexico and Texas had little contact with those in Oklahoma. For the next 20 years, black Seminoles served as militiamen and Native American fighters in Mexico, where they became known as mascogos, derived from the tribal name of the Creek – Muskogee.[41] Slave raiders from Texas continued to threaten the community but arms and reinforcements from the Mexican Army enabled the black warriors to defend their community.[42] By the 1940s, descendants of the Mascogos numbered 400–500 in Nacimiento de los Negros, Coahuila, inhabiting lands adjacent to the Kickapoo tribe. They had a thriving agricultural community. By the 1990s, most of the descendants had moved into Texas.[43]”

    When I was reading deeply of this particular history years ago I had gotten the impression Black Seminoles were the fiercest fighters as they had more to lose, though that takes nothing away from the Seminoles themselves. The whole blacks migrated into Mexico angle is very intriguing. But so is the the influence of German polka on Mexican music. Stuff I’ve picked on vaguely over the years.

    Black Seminoles capture that bold militant aspect found in Rage Against the Machine songs. Hollywood should make a movie and RATM the soundtrack.

  38. rietpluim says

    Back in the days the band was so popular that the DJ placed a sign in front of his booth saying “Rage Against The Machine has already been played. Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me.”

  39. StevoR says

    @ hemidactylus :Thanks – informative, interesting and major respect to the Seminoles here.

  40. birgerjohansson says

    BTW, if you make a science documentary, please end it by saying “fascists are evil motherfuckers and need to be blown to smithereens” , it is like saying e= mc squared .

  41. Rob Grigjanis says

    Tabby Lavalamp @52: Probably about the same as the number of Nazis you’ve killed. Or even punched!

    Saying “Nazis are all scum who should die” might feel good, but it’s about as useful as saying “let’s be nice to Nazis”. In other words, not at all. Here’s a thought: Criminalize hate speech in the USA, and prosecute it relentlessly*. Also, support groups who work to de-radicalise violent extremists.

    I suppose you could lobby legislators to make it legal to kill Nazis on sight. Can’t see any problems there!

    *About as likely in shithole USA as banning AR-15s, but you gotta start somewhere.

  42. Rob Grigjanis says

    And yes, I know you didn’t actually say “Nazis are all scum who should die”, Tabby Lavalamp. That was aimed at the many others who did say something like that.

  43. Hatchetfish says

    Rage has a surprisingly large following on the right, especially with the ballcap-and-oakleys-in-a-car profile picture crowd. There’s video of some of the paste eating clowns who protest outside J6 trials “dancing” to Killing in the Name.

    I assume it’s mostly from itunes/spotify/pandora suggestions, and either they don’t listen to the lyrics -at all-, only listen to the militant verses, or the lyrics are -just- figurative enough to skate past with the help of their poor reading comprehension and education plus some wishful thinking that dirty Libs couldn’t possibly make anything as obviously badass.

    I’d pay money to hear their explanation of just what the hell they think The Ghost of Tom Joad is about. Not much money, but it has to be good for a laugh.

  44. DanDare says

    You don’t debate zeaous ideologs in order to change their minds. You do it so the silent audience has a chance to see the counterpoint and feel the rebuke being given.

  45. silvrhalide says

    @56 You know what else changes the “hearts and minds” of the silent audience?
    CONSEQUENCES
    Nothing like some walking object lessons to change the way people think.
    Including the original offenders (Nazis).
    Case in point: the January 6th insurrectionists. Many of whom are now serving lengthy prison terms.
    Suddenly Donnie-Boy’s slope-browed, knuckle-walking fans aren’t so quick to follow their orange Judas goat anymore. And it’s not because somebody “debated” them out of their toxic, shitty ideology.
    LET THERE BE CONSEQUENCES

  46. logicalcat says

    Exactly as DanDare said, you are not there to debate a Nazi, you are there to convince people their ideas are garbage. When you don’t, they spread their ideas.

    Most Nazis are crypto, not the currency just, hidden. And a lot of people do not even recognize what fascism even looks like (not even leftists, clearly from the fact they label anyone a fascist just for disagreeing with them.)

    Remember New atheists? Yea I know idiots ruined it, but there were important lessons that everyone is pretending didn’t happen. Atheism became a major identity and successfully cut religion down to size than ever before. They are still a problem but not like before. And it was done with the power of debate. Religious people looked dumb on the stage and as a result lost influence.

    Cancel Culture doesn’t work (at least not until a certain point). We didn’t cancel Milo, his own conservative audience did that. It only works if the people doing the canceling is part of your audience because through participation they have the power. We didn’t cancel JonTron of gamergate fame either. Destiny did that through a debate made him look like an idiot.

    Now the quote is “…with no protest,…” and I argue that not engaging with fascists who are trying to spread their ideology through the marketplace of ideas, is not protesting. Because you let them control the narrative, paint themselves as victims of the establishment who are trying to keep the truth. You let them paint you as authoritarians (and honestly speaking to some of you, some of you clearly are) and they make themselves as the underdog fighting against censorship. Its passively allowing this issue to fester while simultaneously pretending that good activism is happening.

    In short, its cringe.

  47. logicalcat says

    @21 Silvrhalide

    What you are not getting is that we are not even there at that point yet. As a non white myself, its unbelievable to see white people act like the Nazi issue is above debates. You are not an ally here. The point is to show the world their ideas are ridiculous and that’s only done through debates and discussions. This is how we stop it form spreading, because in case you weren’t aware Donald Trump won through the majority being sick and tired of canceling bullshit. So the opposite effect happened. Your position is that of enabling fascists.

  48. logicalcat says

    Sorry for triple post but these thoughts are coming to me as I’m getting them, but its easy to rage against the machine when you wont be the one put in the grinder for it. You guys are not allies to minorities for preventing debates and discussions against fascism from happening. The opposite actually.

  49. logicalcat says

    @57

    Speaking of consequences, why did Jan 6 happen to begin with? oh that’s right because people were fed up with our on the lefts bullshit and wanted a severe anti-left president for it.

    I will never tire of saying this but we on the left are Nazi enablers for going to hard on cancel culture. We set the stage.

  50. Silentbob says

    Sure.

    Also women who wear short skirts ate responsible for being raped, because they went so hard on the “I can wear what I want” that men felt they deserved a good raping.

    (/snark)

    Seriously go fuck yourself.

  51. KG says

    in case you weren’t aware Donald Trump won through the majority being sick and tired of canceling bullshit. – logicalcat@59

    This is complete crap on several levels, perhaps the most obvious being that Trump received fewer votes than Clinton.

  52. wzrd1 says

    It’s interesting that cancelling isn’t working, given how loud the squealing is over being cancelled.
    Sorry, but reality entirely is failing to meet with those expectations.

    For Nazis especially, but far right in general, I simply say, extinction is too good for them.
    But, I’ll take what I can get.
    And all Trumpites are cordially invited to go drink drain cleaner.

  53. Jim Balter says

    Twitter is overrun with Russian and Antivax trolls.

    It’s also “overrun” with liberals, progressives, supporters of Ukraine, doctors and virologists, etc. Do I wish that Musk hadn’t dumped most of the moderation team and allowed all the blocked MAGAts, fascists, Nazis, and other haters and bullies and doxxers to return? Yes, of course–I don’t side with his disingenuous “free speech absolutism” nonsense. But statements like the above are also disingenuous.

  54. Jim Balter says

    Remaining on Twitter seems uncomfortably like sitting at a table with Nazis and not protesting.

    That is grossly dishonest … people on Twitter protest against the Nazis and other right wingers constantly. When people like Matt Walsh, Kevin McCarthy, Don Jr., Candace Owen, etc. tweet their lies, they get ratioed with hundreds or even thousands of tweets that call them out.

    I’m glad to have never set foot in that festering cesspit.

    So you’re a smug dishonest ignoramus, as bad as all the right wingers who make bold claims about things they know nothing about.

  55. Jim Balter says

    I’m wondering how many Nazis those two Twitter fuckwits have ever politely and peacefully educated out of Nazism.

    You’ve been trolled by those two Twitter fuckwits; they are Nazi-adjacent right wingers. It’s common for these sorts of folks to take a dig at “libs” for their “intolerance”.

  56. Jim Balter says

    Its use as an insult derives from perjorative references to the Black runaway slaves and their descendants in the Caribbean and Florida.

    Citation?

    The fact is that its use by Bugs Bunny as a mispronunciation of “moron” is independent of that prior meaning.

    https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maroon

  57. Jim Balter says

    Speaking of consequences, why did Jan 6 happen to begin with? oh that’s right because people were fed up with our on the lefts bullshit and wanted a severe anti-left president for it.

    I will never tire of saying this but we on the left are Nazi enablers for going to hard on cancel culture. We set the stage.

    Here I was, surprised to be agreeing with some of your comments, and then you let loose with this stupid ignorant dishonest pile of shit.

  58. says

    I will never tire of saying this but we on the left are Nazi enablers for going to hard on cancel culture.

    And I never tire of asking who, exactly, is this “we on the left” here who are “going to hard on cancel culture?” Seriously, who the fuck are you blithering about?

  59. StevoR says

    Cancel culture? What even is “cancel culture” here? Far as I can see, it seems to mean people get pushback, criticism and some negative consequences like losing public platformds to express theuir views or perform art forms eg comedy, TV, public lectures when they say and do awful, cruel, unjust, untrue things. Which is something that has always happened and known simply previously as there being consequences for bad behaviour / words / actions.

    Am I missing something here or is that really it and the whole deal the regressive side is screaming about?

  60. StevoR says

    Of course, there is also the “cancel culure”of the regressive side of politics when they lose their shit and start sprewing hate and seeking to censor and suppress and howl down and boycott people / companies / things about say a trans person selling a beer or books noting LGBTQUIA people (& animals**) exist and describing their experiences or Drag performers existing or a Muslim women using a solemn patriotic cliche to make a point* or a Hawaiian man with dark skin being elected POTUS, ad nauseam..

    Ye-non-existent gods the reichwingers are such absolute projecting hypocrites.

    .* See the whole Yassmin Abdel-Magied story :

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-31/yassmin-abdel-magied-says-drama-finds-me-/101112186

    .** Eg Penguins.

  61. John Morales says

    StevoR, it’s basically a somewhat phatic and polymorphic catchphrase, much like “identity politics”. And it indeed works reflexively.

    (we don’t indulge in identity politics, unlike them ;)

    Ye-non-existent gods the reichwingers are such absolute projecting hypocrites.

    True; but it’s certainly not exclusive to them.