Quote:
Originally Posted by dobbles
The reason I bring them up here, is that when thinking about Milo Y., and what should and could be done as a response, I think about how people deal with a similar troll group like WBC. Rarely do we see violence against them even when they do things like protest a soldiers funeral. They hit people at their most vulnerable but you don't hear about much violence anymore. People have responded by counter protesting and trying to just drown out their evil message.
So is that not what the goal should be here? Just continue to drown out the voices of those trolls? Its certainly easier to do against WBC who often can only send a handful of protesters compared to the throngs of support trolls like Milo attract. But to me the response still needs to be the same, just on a larger scale.
|
I think the big difference here is that the Milo/Breitbart/Alt-Right message has a large following and resonates more with those in America who are of the Tea Party/Trump lines of thinking, hence the bigger emphasis on getting out and pushing back as hard as possible. The WBC protests, while still important in repressing hate speech, were more widely denounced by all than what Milo has been doing. In a similar vein, those who were not pleased about the nazi punching discussions on the internet because it entails violence also need to realize that dangerous discussions that uproot our ideals or harken back to darker times in history should not be allowed. This is much bigger than what WBC has always preached.
Simply put, Milo knows he has more weight behind his words, and takes full advantage of it. This isn't being denounced in the same way, and therefore gives him more leverage to lean on people's fears and convince them that his message is worth listening to. It's a hate speech that can resonate more than others.
Taking the high ground is ideal, yes. Violence isn't ideal, yes. Where is the line that tells you when words and ideals no longer get the job done though?
Finally, while both sides desperately want to blame the other for the violence, it wouldn't be surprising at all if fringe elements from both were taking part in the chaos.