stephen-morrison.bsky.social
Dad to a daughter. Instructor of rhetoric and writing. Runner of middle distances. Researcher on hegemonic masculinity and fascism. Writer of advice for my new college kid.
876 posts
1,485 followers
704 following
Prolific Poster
Conversation Starter
comment in response to
post
I think they were bad for the right. Right wing media went to great lengths to describe the J6th folks as peaceful, and never showed the worst images to their audiences.
It wasn't enough to stop Trump, but from what I saw of polling, it did hurt him.
comment in response to
post
The fact that right wing media are desperate to show exactly such images should be all the proof we need that they have the potential to be counterproductive.
Is it justified? Absolutely. Is it understandable? Absolutely.
But the question is, is it effective? And there, the answer is likely not.
comment in response to
post
Find a protest near you this Saturday: www.nokings.org
comment in response to
post
Right wing media also thinks these optics are bad for the left, which is of course why they run them whenever possible. And while such media outlets lack a moral or factual center, they do know their propaganda.
comment in response to
post
The unfair part of that strategic conundrum is that the media will *prefer* to run the burning building over the ICE agent brutality.
So you can't give them that choice: supply them only with the images you want them to show, *only* state violence.
That's how you win.
comment in response to
post
Fundamentally 'how does this impact the struggle' is going to come down to: is the majority understanding - the *image* - of LA protests (a) a building set on fire by 'looters' or is (b) an ICE agent clubbing someone's grandma or tear-gassing someone's kid?
If (b), you win.
comment in response to
post
The UK deportation offer is intriguing!
comment in response to
post
This study, which shows similar results to the one you list, came out a while back, and argues that the problem is "cognitive offloading," which again is something experts do all the time, but interferes with the learning of non-experts. www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15...
comment in response to
post
I think there's a distinction between experts using AI, and those seeking to develop skills using AI. Experts can likely find uses, but in students AI is a direct impediment to the skill development they're after. It's akin to a weightlifter having a robot do his lifting. The practice is the point.
comment in response to
post
Sadly, the new trash trucks don't have a couple guys hanging off the back as they drive around.
comment in response to
post
The are line dancing in the middle of the protest while shouting Fuck ICE
comment in response to
post
Just one example: Megyn Kelly—now demanding Terry Moran be fired for saying Stephen Miller is driven by hate—said Kamala Harris “slept her way to the top,” and called her “weak and stupid,” among many other insults. Please spare us the lecture about civility & objectivity.
comment in response to
post
I agree it's likely the right will try to provoke violence. They know that images of protesters fighting--even if they are fighting *back*--will support their side.
comment in response to
post
The question shouldn't be whether violent protest is justified, but whether it is effective. And the research is clear on that: non-violent protest is far more effective. The most effective protest, in fact, is when the states is violent but the protesters are not.
bsky.app/profile/owas...
comment in response to
post
"The fight to preserve the American republic remains fundamentally one over public opinion." Yes!
And the key to winning public opinion in a protest is to be the victim, not the victimizer. This is why non-violence is the most effective approach. Take abuse with dignity and win public opinion.
comment in response to
post
Yep. LAPD released a statement on their Facebook page that they are not cooperating at all: www.facebook.com/share/p/16Dk...
bsky.app/profile/linw...
comment in response to
post
One woman holding an American flag, shouting at federal agencies here in Paramount, CA. Still lots of chemical munitions, pepper balls, foam batons.
comment in response to
post
I think the civil rights protests showed the path: the goal is to be publicly victimized.
Popular sympathy follows the victim, not the victimizer, so stand strong, be scrupulously non-violent, and be prepared to suffer. (And get it on film.)