I think it's important to disambiguate what is meant by "this works" or "this doesn't work."
What is the context? What is the goal?
Example:
-In the context of being trapped at dinner with people like this, refusing all participation can "work" in the moment. For you, the individual, with the goal of getting through dinner.
-In the context of broader society, no, simply refusing/being silent does not "work." Joe Duarte is correct. Obvious and vocal objection, drawing of boundaries, and YES, tit-for-tat retaliation against those who initiate aggression is necessary.
Pacifism--which I think is the main dynamic that informs your prescription-simply does not work at scale. No, Ghandi sitting placidly is not the one and only thing that liberated India from British Rule. It's just not true.
Each individual has to determine how much human capital can be spent in a given situation.
I am MUCH more inclined to take this approach with my adult children who are in varying stages of woke because I value tremendously our relationships and want to enjoy our time together when we gather.
That being said, they all know where I stand politically and even though I mostly take the silence pacifist approach when we are together, it has been worth it to me to listen quietly to “keep the peace”, as the varying struggle sessions have played out over the years.
I know as they mature they will shake off the propaganda and Maoist tendencies and gradually move to the right.
I have heard it been said that a Conservative is a parent with a 12 year old child.
It is while nurturing a 7th grader through that most difficult year that many moms and dads start to grasp how important all of this is. It is in the 7th grade that most people decide how they are going to engage with the world. I believe it is the ideal year to homeschool, especially a son, so that he can fortify himself for the harshness of engaging with mean girls.
And if that child decides to spend a year lying in the fetal position sucking his thumb, parents should not despair. Males, particularly white males, have truly been slayed by cancel culture. As a mother to three white males I have done everything in my power to help my sons navigate this mosaic of feminist hell as they have taken their place in adulthood.
It is NOT easy. Boys are expected to hand their nuts over to their wives, so she can tuck them in her purse for safe keeping as she makes all decisions, both how they will spend the money and how they will engage socially. And if he deviates politically or religiously from whatever is important to her, there is hell to pay.
I have been heartsick over all of the divorces being reported as lefty wives abandon their families because husbands voted for President Trump.
Sick and demoralizing.
As we slowly start to recover from the Marxist era, I pray many of these families will reconcile and heal.
So much needless suffering, especially for the children in these broken homes.
“You cannot lose if you do not play.” —Marla Daniels, “The Wire”
When you engage in a “struggle session” you lend legitimacy to the system. This article is spot-on. I often find myself in a situation in which my intellect yearns for a rational discussion, but my instincts assure me that this is not possible. By not playing their game, I’m signaling that I don’t consent to the underlying threat of relational violence.
Most people misuse the term “empathy,” which is akin to “sympathy” but involves tangible feelings—actually feeling what another is feeling, rather than simply understanding those feelings. True empaths are rare and I don’t believe it’s something that can be taught or learned without significant life experience.
I still remember when I was in first grade and I could list who the fastest runners were and where I fit in that hierarchy. It wasn’t the only criterion for social status, but we all knew instinctively that it was a meaningful one. Of course, if you’re not in the fastest group, you learn other ways of maintaining your social status, hopefully!
I think it's important to disambiguate what is meant by "this works" or "this doesn't work."
What is the context? What is the goal?
Example:
-In the context of being trapped at dinner with people like this, refusing all participation can "work" in the moment. For you, the individual, with the goal of getting through dinner.
-In the context of broader society, no, simply refusing/being silent does not "work." Joe Duarte is correct. Obvious and vocal objection, drawing of boundaries, and YES, tit-for-tat retaliation against those who initiate aggression is necessary.
Pacifism--which I think is the main dynamic that informs your prescription-simply does not work at scale. No, Ghandi sitting placidly is not the one and only thing that liberated India from British Rule. It's just not true.
Each individual has to determine how much human capital can be spent in a given situation.
I am MUCH more inclined to take this approach with my adult children who are in varying stages of woke because I value tremendously our relationships and want to enjoy our time together when we gather.
That being said, they all know where I stand politically and even though I mostly take the silence pacifist approach when we are together, it has been worth it to me to listen quietly to “keep the peace”, as the varying struggle sessions have played out over the years.
I know as they mature they will shake off the propaganda and Maoist tendencies and gradually move to the right.
I have heard it been said that a Conservative is a parent with a 12 year old child.
It is while nurturing a 7th grader through that most difficult year that many moms and dads start to grasp how important all of this is. It is in the 7th grade that most people decide how they are going to engage with the world. I believe it is the ideal year to homeschool, especially a son, so that he can fortify himself for the harshness of engaging with mean girls.
And if that child decides to spend a year lying in the fetal position sucking his thumb, parents should not despair. Males, particularly white males, have truly been slayed by cancel culture. As a mother to three white males I have done everything in my power to help my sons navigate this mosaic of feminist hell as they have taken their place in adulthood.
It is NOT easy. Boys are expected to hand their nuts over to their wives, so she can tuck them in her purse for safe keeping as she makes all decisions, both how they will spend the money and how they will engage socially. And if he deviates politically or religiously from whatever is important to her, there is hell to pay.
I have been heartsick over all of the divorces being reported as lefty wives abandon their families because husbands voted for President Trump.
Sick and demoralizing.
As we slowly start to recover from the Marxist era, I pray many of these families will reconcile and heal.
So much needless suffering, especially for the children in these broken homes.
Jenny Marie Hatch
“You cannot lose if you do not play.” —Marla Daniels, “The Wire”
When you engage in a “struggle session” you lend legitimacy to the system. This article is spot-on. I often find myself in a situation in which my intellect yearns for a rational discussion, but my instincts assure me that this is not possible. By not playing their game, I’m signaling that I don’t consent to the underlying threat of relational violence.
Most people misuse the term “empathy,” which is akin to “sympathy” but involves tangible feelings—actually feeling what another is feeling, rather than simply understanding those feelings. True empaths are rare and I don’t believe it’s something that can be taught or learned without significant life experience.
I still remember when I was in first grade and I could list who the fastest runners were and where I fit in that hierarchy. It wasn’t the only criterion for social status, but we all knew instinctively that it was a meaningful one. Of course, if you’re not in the fastest group, you learn other ways of maintaining your social status, hopefully!