Posted on 07/01/2011 10:38:22 AM PDT by RobRoy
As I’ve watched the social culture and economy of my country (and civilization in general) go down around me, I’ve felt a terrible despair in my lack of ability to do anything tangible to stop it. Frankly, I went into a little of a “hunker down and try to survive the storm” mentality that all was lost and there was nothing to do but hope you are part of the Phoenix that rose from the ashes. The problem was that to rise from the ashes, there must be ashes. And “going McVeigh” beforehand is clearly not the answer.
The challenge is that the MSM, though losing power by the week, is still a formidable enemy. They are effective at convincing people that Palin is wrong in a statement even when she is right, or get people to ignore the ludicrous statements and actions of our current president, when a simple analysis exposes him and his words for what they are. The spin is so insulting sometimes that I am ashamed that so many of my countrymen fall for it.
But what can a person do, really? How can we win a battle for the hearts and minds of a populace that has only a passing interest in the details of what is going on? And it matters because they vote! This hit me hard when I heard a conservative friend actually complaining about Palin getting her facts wrong about Paul Revere. Sure, I was able to set her straight and show her that historians agree that, though she could have stated it better, she basically got it right. But that was one person. It is more than just disturbing.
Then it hit me one day when sparring with a few clearly ignorant liberals in the comments section of a video on those very comments by Palin. Most of their comments could be paraphrased, “boy is she stupid”. And there were a LOT of them. I was able to, one by one, take most of them out by calling their ad-hominem attacks what they were and using facts and logic in a relatively polite but firm way to show them that they were not going to get away with name calling. But I was strongly outnumbered. I felt like I was wasting my time.
But was I? Do others not see this? Sure, a single comment is as valuable as a single vote, but don’t people still vote, even knowing that? Of course they do. And this should be treated similarly. What am I saying? I am saying that, as a patriot, each and every one of us should FLOOD the neutral* political sites with well reasoned and respectful posts supporting conservatives like Palin, Bachman, Perry, the TEA Party movement, or any other conservative institution that is unjustly being shouted down, all the time calling out the other side for their childish and impotent one liners. We DO have the facts on our side and we WILL win, if we attack, and stay on the attack, in numbers. In fact, I could give this same advice to both sides and we would easily win the public debate hands down, for the reasons I just mentioned. For starters, as members of the other side actually studied the details and facts on their own, no small number would defect to our side.
So here is what I mean in a nutshell. First, it is your patriotic duty. Just as our forefathers went to their town hall meetings to stay involved in, and directly influence, their government and culture, our new town hall is the thousands of news sites, YouTube videos and blogs that allow public comments. It is our duty to hit them and hit them hard as if it was for the very preservation of our way of life – because it is!
And hand in hand with this are the rules of conduct. If these rules and similar concepts are not obeyed, you will do more harm than good:
1. Always be respectful. More precisely, don’t be disrespectful. Never call people names. If this were a real battlefield, name calling is the equivalent of accidentally discharging your rifle into your own foot. We want you standing. Stick with the facts.
2. Know the facts. Don’t’ go off half cocked on information you are only “pretty sure of”. If this was a battlefield, basing your point on an incorrect fact is the equivalent of getting a gut shot from a pill box. You may survive, but you’ll be off the battlefield – or at least very ineffective – for a while.
3. Don’t let them call you or anyone else names. When you hear ad-hominem, call them on it. When you hear ANY logical fallacy, call them on it immediately. Tell them which one they are using and instruct them to stay on topic. And don’t give up. If they keep at it, keep calling them on it. Here is a good rundown of them - http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/fallacies.html
4. Ask honest questions. It shows sincerity and makes them feel they are actually being listened to. You can not only turn lurkers around with this tactic, but sometimes the person you are sparring with as well. You also more accurately address their points with your own.
5. Don’t let your anger show. If you just “lose it” and go off on people, you have just stepped onto a land mine. You are pretty much finished on that site/thread. Sure, the liberals step on all sorts of land mines and continue on as the walking dead. That is good, because, via their rants, logical fallacies and poor logic they have become our agents (to the lurkers) and don’t even know it. We don’t want to fall into that trap.
6. This is war. You fight when the battle comes to you, and sometimes you bring the battle to them. Don’t walk off the battlefield to watch your favorite program or check out Farmville. Be relentless.
7. Admit when you are wrong! The power of admitting you were wrong cannot be overstated. Sometimes being wrong and, after heavy debate, admitting to the other side that you were wrong can score more points than being right. Don’t misunderstand: Some on the other side will not take it gracefully. And that will be just another mark against them. It will become more and more clear that the debate is adults vs children.
8. With some debaters, you need to move on. Sometimes you really are arguing with children. It becomes clear that they are wasting your time. But you still need to call them on it when they call people names, etc.
9. Use the “broken record”. When someone does not respond to what you said, but attempts to slam their inference from what you said, cut and paste it and throw it back with, “that’s not what I said.” I’ve done that with someone five or six times before they finally got it. Some never do. That’s fine. The lurkers will.
10. Pray. This should be number 1, really. I include it here because I want to end with it. It colors all of the previous nine.
I don’t follow the rules 100%. Nobody’s perfect. I’ve been wounded on the battlefield from incoming attacks as well as shooting myself in the foot. But if one keeps to these rules, they will make a difference. It may be small, but so is your vote – and both matter. And the difference is that we DO have logic and facts on our side. With everything else being equal, we won’t merely win. We will CRUSH the opposition.
And did I mention this is a WAR. I honestly believe we can do it with words now, or some will be forced to try to do it with guns later – those that are left. Lets take the lead from our founding fathers and give up our “comfort” for the sake of the constitution of the United States of America – while it is still there to defend. We CAN win this.
*Neutral – You don’t get banned or suspended for merely presenting a conservative viewpoint.
And this new media is the equivalent of the aircraft carrier at the beginning of WWII in the pacific. It is what will make the difference.
Perhaps a list of such sites would be useful. I’ve been thinking along the same lines you have, but I don’t tend to wander into many corners of the internet, so, aside from DU (which doesn’t fit your definition of a neutral site) I wouldn’t really know where to go.
Good Post; Glad you did this!
Yeah, I think your use of the term “Hunker Down” is about right!
Lately, I too, have noticed a backsliding in previous enthusiasm of Restore the Republic, Take Our Country Back, etc.
Dunno if it’s just the calm before the storm, or a general burnout...or something else...
In any case, I see it in the general writings online, both volume and tone, of the professional journalists (real journalists), bloggers, posters/responders on forums, etc.
It’s something few talk about, few, if any, respond to.
It may be a somewhat less than conscious response to propaganda put out by gubmint a few months ago requesting “cooperation” in slowing down the anti-gubmint stuff online.
Could “the folks be “running scared” on that bs?
Something to think about.
I love your warrior heart and I share some, if not most, of your sentiments.
I have only one criticism.
We can’t rely on the Republican Party or a Republican president to be our savior.
If President Obama was struck down by a bolt of lightening or if we are able to elect a Republican president, the fact is the entire infrastructure of liberalism will stay deeply entrenched in almost every single institution from the local level to the federal level.
On top of that, liberal civil society, the non-governmental parts, like unions, lobbies, media and non-profits, are still powerful.
At the local level, I try to fight, but it is hard.
One thing I have discovered in this fight, however, is that liberals, while very organized, are incredibly stupid and/or brainwashed.
It is almost impossible to have a discussion with a true believer.
Liberals truly believe that 2 + 2 = 5, because that is what Big Brother told them is true.
So where do we go from here?
We only have two choices: We surrender or take back every institution in America.
I’m cynical that conservatives have the fortitude to fight liberalism.
Liberalism is a pernicious evil and unless we act in concert, which goes against our individualistic instincts, we are pretty much doomed.
“4. Ask honest questions. It shows sincerity and makes them feel they are actually being listened to. You can not only turn lurkers around with this tactic, but sometimes the person you are sparring with as well. You also more accurately address their points with your own.”
This is probably the best point of all of them, for many reasons:
- It makes it seem as if you are genuinely trying to be open minded.
- It effectively hides your attack.
- It doesn’t necessarily give you away as a conservative, so if you are attacked, you simply reiterate that you aren’t partisan, but merely asking questions to inform yourself.
- It gives you the opportunity to lead people to conclusions by their own words, rather than browbeating them. After all, if you get the answers you want, it would be THEM saying it, not you. You can easily get them to hang themselves with their own rope this way.
- It makes you seem civil, especially if you keep your cool.
Some of my friends and I used to run a website that parodied the animal rights people...we had a message board and a guest book, and weren’t afraid of honest, unmoderated discussion. You can literally get people to see almost any point you wish if you ask the right questions, and if you maintain your composure, they’ll have no reason to get angry at you...after all, you were just asking questions.
That doesn’t mean you’ll change their minds, but it is always good to introduce that dissonance to them. And, if others are watching, then all the better.
>>Perhaps a list of such sites would be useful.<<
I discovered that one way is to search youtube for phrases like “palin” coupled with “stupid” or “idiot”. Also, search youtube for “it gets better” regarding the homosexual agenda.
And many of the articles posted here with some sort of “barf alert” will include comments being made by lots of liberals that agree with them. Bring them back to reality with your comments.
That is the type of stuff I do.
>>I have only one criticism.
We can’t rely on the Republican Party or a Republican president to be our savior.<<
Well, you’ll notice I didn’t mention the republican party. I consider them a half a notch about the democrats. i.e. Romney? Please!
I agree with your fight back mentality.
I would add,
— Don’t patronize known liberal support companies -
GE, GM, IBM to name a few. Don’t buy their stock and
don’t buy their products.
— Inform companies that advertise on unsavory/biased media
that you will not purchase their products and why. It
does little good to complain directly to msnbc or
comedy central.
Never shy away from respectfully disputing liberal drivel in public. Most germs die when exposed to sunlight.
>>I wouldn’t really know where to go.<<
Any time you see a barf alert on an article posted here, go there. If there is a comments section there is a good chance it is swarmed by liberals. Join the fight.
I’m doing it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxBuNCpfWAk
It’s pretty easy to figure out which one is me. I refuse to go away.
Nice set of rules. Perfect for rational, civilized people. Too bad that our enemies have no respect for them. Now what?
I agree. Now, contemplate the true cost of the latter decision. I have.
The list is right here!
Most articles that people post on this site have their own comment section - that's where the message needs to go out to - those neutral or seemingly neutral sites.
Posting here among friends and like minded people enforce our positions but we are not typing to a mixed crowd here, we aren't typing to a neutral crowd.
I'm on other sites where we post articles of interest - we go in there to the linked article comment sections and post away, that's where the general public is reading....that's where you knock on societies door and say "Hello, this is my understanding - this is really going on - this is my research - this is the other side of the coin"
Free Republic is the best site around to post and comment to like minded conservatives - but our primary goal should be to spread and strengthen our words not only among ourselves but to the whole world.
You also want to get onto your local newspaper message boards, if they are active. You know your area, you know the landscape, if you aren't in there fighting for the conservative cause you are dropping the ball and missing the local battles right outside your window. It is of utmost importance to act and write locally, the liberals/progressive do it - local boards are littered with them - that's pure community changing activity - don't miss that battle.
When I think about the odds we are up against, and when I get to the point of resignation, I think about our Founding Fathers and their sacrifices.
How long did it take to win the American Revolution against the might of the British Empire?
I think if every conservative read the Declaration of Independence and took it to heart, we can win this war.
I also think of all the young men who went to war and died to defend foreign freedom.
The “true cost” we face is minuscule in comparison to defend our freedom at home.
All your tactical suggestions are good. None of us should give up the fight as the left never sleeps and the left ignores defeats and keeps on coming.
We have to keep on coming too. The left does back off when opposed, I’ve seen how when about 10 or 20 of us conservatives show up at a school board meeting to discuss an issue such as giving the teacher’s union an overly generous contract provision that the board will back off and drop or modify what we came to talk about. Sure, the left will try to bring it up at a later time, but then we have to show up again. It’s the same at every level of politics, we have to keep showing up and promoting conservative results.
>>Too bad that our enemies have no respect for them. Now what?<<
You just keep going forward with them anyway.
The fate of the signers of the Declaration was not kind. The problem as I see it is that hardly anyone care to contemplate the true cost of restoring our Republic. To be blunt, it’s a butcher’s bill, payable in fire and blood. Our enemies have left us no other recourse.
Sorry to appear obtuse, but exactly how does that work when dealing with the malignantly narcissistic, hate-filled irrationalism that animates so many of our enemies?
And when that psychosis turns murderous - as history clearly shows that it will - what then?
Maybe you haven’t noticed, but Glenn Beck is attempting exactly that. I have never understood the hatred of him on this forum, he is taking his fight to the enemy and putting everything he owns at risk, anyone here willing to do that?
Liberals do not run on logic. They run on emotion.
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