Why is the far-right so dominant on the internet?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Why is the far-right so dominant on the internet?

Nude Bog Lurker: Jan 2, 2007; Fun Shoe

The far-right's underlying message is that everybody secretly believes all their stuff anyway but only the enlightened few are brave enough to talk openly about how Jews are parasites (but when they do most people actually agree with them even if they pretend not to).

The left's underlying message these days seems to be that they are a tiny, ineffectual minority betrayed at every turn by untrustworthy liberals and scheming conservatives. Funnily enough this narrative does not resonate with people.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2016 23:33

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 17:21

Nude Bog Lurker: Jan 2, 2007; Fun Shoe

It's possible that the concept privilege is a useful tool to understand society but not, actually, a particularly useful way to persuade people that you are right.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2017 02:36

Nude Bog Lurker: Jan 2, 2007; Fun Shoe

OwlFancier posted:

Yes because my big complaint with the alt right is that they're too harsh in their wording, not that they're nazi apologists.

The irony is that the alt-right moderate their language instead of saying what they really think all the loving time.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2017 04:33

Nude Bog Lurker: Jan 2, 2007; Fun Shoe

OwlFancier posted:

You've had this explained to you many times and you aren't getting it.

Having privilege is not supposed to make you feel shame or gladness, neither of those are remotely useful. Privilege is a concept which allows you to understand your position in society and others' positions in society better.

That you want to inject a moral component into it is your failing, stop doing it if you don't like it, because nobody else wants you to do it.

You can even use it to explain why as a white poor person you might have a lovely life. It's because the extremely wealthy have monumental amounts of privilege which allows them to set the laws and policies which keep your life as it is.

So when you tell somebody to "check their privilege" in response to a statement they make, there's no element of judgement there?

You do not actually believe this.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2017 04:49

Nude Bog Lurker: Jan 2, 2007; Fun Shoe

OwlFancier posted:

I haven't ever done that so I wouldn't know.

The point of being aware of privilege is to better understand the world around you and the people in it, as well as your own place in society. It helps to destroy the notion of individual control, and re-describe your life as an expression of the effects of systems. Breaking the myth of individualism is important in order to have an accurate understanding of the world as well as pushing you towards helpful explanations for your problems and for the world's problems.

So if you are told to check your privilege, try it. The person telling you to might be wrong, but it doesn't hurt to check.

Okay, but now imagine that you're speaking to actual human beings.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2017 04:59

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 17:21

Nude Bog Lurker: Jan 2, 2007; Fun Shoe

Dr. Fishopolis posted:

Let's stop pretending for a moment that you're the spokesman for hard luck white america. You're clearly personally offended by the idea of privilege, and by others asking you to consider your own. Why is that?

Why does it matter? As we've established above, there's no moral stigma associated with the injunction to check privilege, so it presumably comes down to a matter of personal preference among rational actors or something.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2017 05:07

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Why is the far-right so dominant on the internet?