My social media environment (mostly Lemmy for the last year, after I left Reddit) is very leftist. I’m finding myself floating more and more left because y’all have a point and there’s not many counter-arguments in this social media environment. I sometimes wonder if that’s how MAGA folks feel–floating more and more right because that’s what they’re surrounded by.

Of course, my floating is (naturally /s) based on reason and leftists making good memes/arguments.

Anyways, that’s this morning’s introspection.

Side showerthought: my convictions are based on memes. Anyone have nice, accessible resources for giving those convictions a more solid base? I’d love something like a graphic history of leftist thought (similar to Queer: A Graphic History). Something approachable but with citations. Thanks :)

  • EABOD25@lemm.eeEnglish
    914·
    1 year ago

    Don’t swing too far in either direction. Doing that is what creates radicals

    My advice is to get news and info from all sides. If you’re able to identify what the dramatics are and are able to exclude them from news you absorb, then that’s where the real truth is

    • Death_Equity@lemmy.world
      13·
      1 year ago

      When you are no longer willing to listen to those who disagree with what you hold as truth, you have not found truth, you have stopped looking for it.

      • zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev
        92·
        1 year ago

        I don’t really need to listen to people that think there are microchips in the vaccines, for example. Lots of ideas aren’t worth considering. There’s nothing noble about having no standards.

        • Death_Equity@lemmy.world
          103·
          1 year ago

          There is a difference between believing someone is saying nonsense and plugging your ears when they say anything. If someone talks about microchips in the vaccines and certain entertainment producers are pedophiles, you know the vaccines don’t have microchips in them because of technological limitations but you can’t prove that producers aren’t pedophiles.

          The boy who cried wolf was right the one time when nobody listened.

          Snowden exposed what conspiracy theorists were lambasted for believing because the truth was masked by nonsense.

          If I told you that the US government was force sterilizing Native American women for decades, I may sound unhinged until you gave it enough consideration to find out what the reality was in the 60s and 70s.

          If I told you the US government was giving unknowing black men STDs, you may not believe me until you looked into Tuskegee.

          • zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev
            62·
            1 year ago

            If I told you [documented facts]

            Those things are true, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say because some claims are true that any and all claims have merit.

            Also, you should reread the boy who cried wolf. The point isn’t that the wolf is real, the point is people won’t put up with bullshit.

      • bluGill@fedia.io
        16·
        1 year ago

        The left has their own fascist tendencies that are just as bad as the right. At different times different sides are in power and implement their version which their side supports because it is their side. You have to be willing to be critical of your own side. Make it a point to vote for someone not your sides candidate every election just because choosing that other person is a good exercise. (In my case I’ve just decided nobody gets more than two terms in office). Note that I didn’t say other side, there are always “fringe” parties on your side that you can vote for. the important part is you look for reasons why your own side is evil and take action to prevent it even if that means the opposite side gets power and does things you don’t like.

          • Jiggle_Physics@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            31·
            1 year ago

            I don’t know of elected officials, however, on lemmy, there are a lot of authoritarian left wing groups. There are a lot of anti-authoritarian ones too, but the authoritarians are very loud, and abrasive, because authoritarians operate via force.

              • Jiggle_Physics@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                1·
                1 year ago

                neither do I, there really isn’t a real left in the US. However the online influence pipeline for the left has a lot of authoritarians, which is similar to the problem the right fash pipeline creates. Whether or not there will be a true left in office with population enough to truly do something, and not just beef up liberal voting, we shall see.

          • bluGill@fedia.io
            1·
            1 year ago

            By America do you mean the US, or do you include both continents. Juan Perón comes to mind as a left wing authoritarian, but that is Argentina (and he died in 1974)

            Either way, the important part is to not get so arrogant that you support it on your side. There are people who agree with your who are authoritarians and it is easy to fall into the trap of supporting them as plenty of authoritarians over history have proved. (you should have been there killing Caesar and then demanding the return of the republic)