Practically every main stream internet service I can think about that I have used is littered with fascist or imperialist comments. Anytime I push back against it, I have to contend with a wave of reactionaries jumping down my throat.
Sometimes I wonder what’s the point. As in, should I just back off and not say anything? It doesn’t seem like saying anything makes a difference anyway.
I dunno, I guess I’m teetering on the edge of despair a bit. Fascism isn’t fringe on the internet anymore, from what I can see. It makes me worry for the near future.
Fill disclosure: my friend thinks I’m just too online.
Agreed, don’t try to convince the most hardcore reactionaries or those who act in bad faith, just expose their flaws to the undecided. Here’s a relevant Sarte quote: “ Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”