Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
A False Dichotomy: Be Patsies, or Be Like Them
I’m pretty much a broken record on the theme of speaking out, arguing that conservatives have to express conservative ideas boldly, and as clearly and with as much grace as we can muster. One common response to this is the claim that we’ve tried that and it hasn’t worked, and that now we have to adopt the techniques of our opponents.
I ran into this just today, when I suggested on another thread that the woke practice of “doxxing” (publishing personal information about private citizens) and getting people fired for the things they say or do on their own time was something we conservatives should not embrace. I’ve tried to make the same point on other occasions about such things as violating people’s first amendment rights, electoral cheating, and lying to further the conservative agenda. These are all things our opponents do. I don’t think that we should do them.
A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that we really have tried boldly speaking out, and that that’s now been proven to be inadequate. I don’t believe that. I think that the majority of conservatives are “normal” Americans (which Old Bathos very competently described in this comment), and normal Americans are reluctant to counter the prevailing media/academic/entertainment narrative that ever-faster seeps like a miasma into every facet of our lives.
Most of us don’t want to be the cranky relative at the family gathering arguing that mask mandates probably do more harm than good. Most of us don’t want to be the one who points out that BLM is a fraud. Most of us don’t want to be the insensitive so-and-so who argues that the “trans” movement is a dangerous fad, that America is as far from a racist country as one is likely to get, and that what torments our black communities is bad policies and broken culture, not anti-black bigotry.
So most of us don’t speak out. Many aren’t equipped — with information, temperament, or opportunity — to express those views. Others are worried about the professional or social blowback. There are lots of reasons why conservatives tend to be quiet, but the reality is that we do.
Pay attention to how free progressives are to give vent to their opinions. People who parrot the conventional leftist narrative clearly feel safe repeating what they hear on the radio and television, read in the paper, learn in school. It’s the air they breathe — that we all breathe. It takes no boldness or real conviction to go along with what looks like the majority view — even if it isn’t really the majority view.
Those of us who can speak up without endangering our livelihoods have to do so, and do so in ways that other normal people find persuasive and inspiring. We have to be reasonably well informed, well self-controlled, and understand that others need our example so that they, too, feel more free to stand up and be heard.
We have the advantage that we make sense and they do not. Most Americans still believe the things we believe. They just don’t realize that they’re in the majority, and that, if they speak out, they’ll be joined by others.
Published in Culture
With many, absolutely not. But there’s a fair number of liberals with uneasy stomachs nowadays. Maybe we get their votes one day, maybe we just get them to keep the crazies on their side as far away from the public square as possible. That’s good enough for me and I think it’s doable.
Thank you.
Hop on a plane and come to Hong Kong. After a few weeks’ quarantine in a hotel, maybe we could hang out.
That’s what it’s like. When they act out like that, I consider that a tactic to win their way.
Ok, you want the full, nerdy story? Here’s the full, nerdy story:
https://ricochet.com/951470/the-false-dichotomy-fallacy-not-the-same-thing-as-the-false-dilemma-fallacy/
Good old Son of Spengler. He should come back to Ricochet.
He was one of only a handful of members who I would read 100% of what he wrote.
Does anyone know why he left?
With you. I liked him very much. I was hoping that meant he was back, but then realized it was a tweet. Really, how can he do Twitter and not us? I’m very hurt.
Maybe someone “tweet” him and ask?
But maybe do it privately, so the twitter mob doesn’t follow him here.
What, precisely, is the twitter mob going to do here? They are broke from buying soy lattes and blue hair dye. Are they really going to spring for memberships?
If they buy memberships to harass him, 99% of their tactics are CoC violations. We ban the lot of them and take their money. Jon Gabriel would be on them like a Los Angeles-class against the Japanese Pearl Harbor attack fleet. Maybe we’d make a podcast out of banning them? Have members vote on the most creative ban letter? It will be the twitter troll equivalent of Boss Mongo’s Operation Mesa Vantage.
Have you forgotten about the free-3-month-membership promo currently running?
Man, that’s an image. The Final Countdown was a pretty good take on that idea, but imagine how much cooler it would have been if it had been an atomic powered attack submarine. I like it.
Pretty sure you have to cough up a real payment account/identity even if not charged at first. That makes any later ban stick.
But it’s cost-free.
I’m not sure how “sticky” you think bans really are. It’s easy to have multiple email accounts, use untraceable gift cards for payment (or non-payment in the case of a free trial period)…
Call me crazy, but I’m not worried about a sudden influx of people here, Antifa or otherwise.
The easy fix, should it occur, is to change the rules to require a billable something (credit card, paypal, whatever) for temporary/guest memberships.
As I just noted, even a “billable” something is not proof of anything. I already use an untraceable debit gift card for my membership. And I’m using an untraceable protonmail email account, created via VPN with no cellphone validation, etc., and created solely for use on my Ricochet account.
And, perhaps most important, I could do it AGAIN. In about 10 minutes, 20 tops.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be enough of a nuisance to discourage people from bothering. And if enough people bother to get gift cards, start charging them $2 when they join, and extend the temporary membership accordingly.
I’m pretty sure charging money for a “free trial” membership gets you in trouble with state and federal Consumer Protection agencies. As many… operations… have found in the past when they advertised “FREE!” stuff on TV and then charged $29.95 for “processing” etc. Of course they could just say it’s now “3 months for $2” but the attraction of a FREE trial membership rests heavily on the FREE part.
Okay, then we do a text message to confirm the phone number. I think there are lots of ways to manage a hypothetical flood of illegal aliens into Ricochet. ;)
“Burner” phones.
Overall, the best defense Ricochet might have going is that few on the other side – and maybe on our own side, too – even know about it.
Ask yourself how many people are going to be willing to go out and buy a disposable phone just so they can be repeat trolls on a conservative website.
In my opinion, the more people who know about Ricochet the better. Never fear exposure.
Yeah, this is a 0.01% problem. Deal with it by exception.
By execution? Yes, I guess that works, too.
Oh, sorry. By exception. Yes, of course. (Though not as much fun.)
No need to actually buy “burner” phones these days. There are places online where you can get free “phone” service including text messages, by wifi, to any working phone. I know people who do it, although I’ve never figured out why, since it only works when they’re home and connected to their wifi. Public wifi access usually blocks things like that.
For heaven’s sake. Sometimes it’s okay to just shrug, let the other guy have the last word, and walk away.
LET’S MAKE THIS LONG! STAY UP ALL NIGHT!
It’s a fool’s errand, Rufus. We already burned thousands of words debating the appropriateness of the post’s title (and then continued the experiment in linguistic pedantry on another thread). There’s no way we’ll turn how-do-we-manage-an-imaginary-invasion-of-antifa-cyber-goons into anything that riveting and/or absurdly lengthy.
But I’m game to try if you are.
I saw Antifa Cyber Goons open for Megadeth back in ’84.
Max has IP banning tools. We have a persistent member who keeps trying to get in, and each time we catch her. Now we just take her money.
If you have a persistent member, there are drugs for that!