@antonioserrata
I frequently argue that we need to stand up to and confront Nazis, because if we don't, they will take our lack of opposition as tacit agreement. They spread if you don't fight them.

But Twitter is a lost cause. There's no saving the platform when the owner is a Nazi. The best thing is to leave and encourage others to leave, to more rapidly collapse the advertising dollars the platform depends on.

Nazis need to be fought, but not there. Abandon that awful place.

@tofugolem @antonioserrata
Here's the thing...I agree right-wing extremists/fascists need to be fought. But it's the strategy that matters.

They're looking for a fight. Payoff: Attention.

They want our reaction to their rhetoric & actions - the bait.

Every time they get a reaction, they have to escalate to get a greater reaction, because we & the media get used to their extremism.

So our reactions are what they want.

NEVER GIVE YOUR ENEMIES WHAT THEY WANT.

DON'T TAKE THE BAIT. 😎

@RadicalWoman111 @antonioserrata
Sorry, but that's simply wrong.

The Republican party has been growing ever-more fascist since Nixon started the Southern Strategy. Ignoring the problem didn't make it go away.

Neville Chamberlain and the other appeasers tried a different kind of ignoring the problem, and that didn't make it go away.

The Weimar Republic tried another way of ignoring the problem, and that didn't make it go away either.

@tofugolem @antonioserrata
I never said anything about ignoring them or appeasement, though sometimes ignoring is the best tactic. It depends on the person/people and situation.

Read Sun Tzu's Art of War.

@RadicalWoman111 @tofugolem @antonioserrata

Ignoring (refuse to take notice), refusing to be sucked into endless baiting agitprop can conserve much energy and resources. It’s tough in America since some states and counties are under more severe threat than others. I aim to be aware of local threats, how that fits into our country’s struggle, plus help to strengthen solidarity and resources. We actually live in a state we may have to migrate (retreat) from.

@GaryRLundberg @RadicalWoman111 @antonioserrata
I can't disagree more. You have entirely the wrong idea about engagement and what's going on with national discourse.

Right now, Trump is in the news for calling for the suspension of the Constitution.

Republicans react to this with the "Hunter Biden, Hunter Biden" nonsense. This is an obvious, desperate attempt to change the subject with sensationalist nonsense.

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@GaryRLundberg @RadicalWoman111 @antonioserrata

If you "refuse to engage" then the Republicans go to the press and say "Hunter Biden, Hunter Biden," and now the press is talking about Hunter Biden instead of talking about Trump calling for the suspension of the Constitution.

Every time they try to change the subject, they are announcing what their weakness is. Figure out what they don't want to talk about, engage, and mercilessly steer the conversation back to that.

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@GaryRLundberg @RadicalWoman111 @antonioserrata

So when the Republicans say "Hunter Biden," what you want to do is engage with them, but by not talking about what they want to talk about. Instead you say "They just want to change the subject away from Trump's treason. Let's talk about what Trump said about the Constitution instead."

Failing to engage lets them command the narrative. Talking about Hunter Biden lets them command the narrative…

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@GaryRLundberg @RadicalWoman111 @antonioserrata

Instead, what you want to do is stand up, engage, and demonstrate to everyone that they are trying to change the subject, then talk about the thing they are desperate to avoid talking about.

Non-engagement helps them. Engaging on the topic they select helps them. But you still have to confront them.

Ignoring problems doesn't make them go away.

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@tofugolem @RadicalWoman111 @antonioserrata

True. No one here is ignoring. That’s for sure. We are engaged. We know the stakes. If you can’t sense that, something else is going on.

I think Hakeem Jeffries will be quite good at standing-up with strength and clarity. He will lead effective engagement in Congress AND the media.

@GaryRLundberg @RadicalWoman111 @antonioserrata

When people talk about "they are fueled by engagement," I think they miss what's going on and how that works.

Anytime they try to change the subject with controversial nonsense, they are admitting weakness. Figure out what they don't want to talk about, and mercilessly drive the conversation back to that.

Sorry for repeating myself.

@tofugolem @RadicalWoman111 @antonioserrata

Political strategist @RachelBitecofer over on #birdsite — haven’t seen her on Mastodon yet — believes the #MAGA #GOP should be mercilessly mocked for all their fascist-wannabe BS agitprop. Combining the mocking with stating truth. Sort of sounds like the direct opposite of GOP’s lies and incitement to division. Hakeem Jeffries just might be very adept at this.