While I get the point this is trying to make there is a great deal of dysfunction in most of the ways we fight for causes, so we do kinda need to be able to examine our approaches and behavior critically 😅
this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2026
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Yeah, and it's refreshing to see other people feel this way too
If we can't improve our approach, we will fail to make as much progress as possible!
The ability to critically self examine is so deeply important. Often we choose the emotionally cathartic choice and I think its important to examine whether those choices are functionally effective at accomplishing our ideals :)
I've run into this issue so many times. I've never been much of a conformer, and most people really tend not to like anyone who doesn't (or can't) conform to their social scripts. Even sub-cultures have their own norms that they expect others to conform to.
So I butt heads with a lot of people. Especially people I generally agree with. I don't waste my time on right-wingers, cause there's no point in arguing with someone who's worldview is so diametrically opposed to your own, or someone who rejects facts and refuses to see reason.
But when I see leftists trying to make a good point, but using a terrible argument to do so, I'll tell them why their argument is bad and they'll fly off the handle accusing me of everything under the sun.
Or when someone advocates for methods that would be wrong, for a goal that seems right. The ends don't justify the means. But they'll call me a fascist for saying that, ironically. Or when someone has an armchair idea that sounds great in theory but simply isn't practical and would be impossible to implement. I might offer some critique or constructive criticism, but it's the same story.
Like, sometimes zealotry does more harm to a movement than good. I think leftists need to be the cool, calm, rational, factual beings who can combine logic and empathy to reach conclusions that are not only beneficial but also reasonable. Otherwise, what makes us any better than right-wing populist reactionaries?
Yeah, assuming everyone with criticism Hates You and Your Cause is not very productive.
If I could force every online person to understand one fact, it's this. Goddamn we need to understand that...
Completely agree. I've argued with people about the ways they're trying to advocate for causes that i very much care about. If you're advocating for a cause I care about in a way that actually hurts our cause instead of helps it, then you for damn sure are rightfully gonna hear it from me
Yeah same. Though I try really hard to empathize with them just as much as I try to empathize with the folks I disagree with so that I can be effective in building bridges in advocating for my cause
I think much of the dysfunction in the ways we fight for progress is rooted in the way that online platforms have socialized us to adress the audience of people on the sidelines who already agree with us rather than the person we're ostensibly speaking to, and to try and find the perfect clapback, or most publicly show what "side" you're on. And unlearning your socialization is hard.
I have to work really hard not to let it get under my skin though, its agonizing watching someone "advocate" for your cause by actively doing damage to it 🥲
I'm sure that's how a lot of vegans online think about me but it's actually not true. I support the cause, but not the crazy shaming that happens online about it. Actually had to block a few people over that issue. The last person was practically foaming at the mouth and making loads of assumptions. They fucking hated me for basically nothing. Someone telling people like that their approach is bad shouldn't be viewed in a negative light. That's absolutely the thing they need to be told.
Yeah, people like that are unfortunately common in left-wing spaces. I say this as a leftist. We need to stop pretending that zealots don't exist on our side of the spectrum. They only give ammunition to the caricaturist right-wing pundits.
Yup, a few years ago i told a vegetarian that i was trying to eat meat less frequently and they said something like "if you're still eating meat then you aren't doing anything". Seriously? Such a militantly blind all-or-nothing nonsense take. Most people's reaction to that type of tactic is to say fuck it I'm purposely gonna eat even more meat now
There are a lot of people who flock to social justice issues not because they give a shit about the issue, but they want to feel like they are morally superior to others for being on the right side of that issue. When somebody melts down at constructive criticism like that, it signals to me that they are the latter category and can be safely ignored. You cant make people grow up on the internet, best you can do is block them so you don't have to hear their tantrum
I fully agree with all this. I mean, it is possible that people like that also care about the issue itself, but the way it manifests for them places the priority on feeling superior and it's pretty awful. But yeah blocking is the only answer...
Literally velma.
If it helps, I doubt most online vegans think about you at all.
They sure spend a hell of a lot of time talking about it.
I'm not talking about them then... ?
These are mostly trolls. They don't care what makes you angry, they just want you angry. People are easier to manipulate when they're angry and it's harder to think about the issues they're deflecting from.
Even if this sounds too nuts, it's a better way to look at it anyway. It'll be easier to either make one comment and move on or just block them at the first signs of this type of abuse.
Most people aren't smart enough to think for themselves and will believe whoever is nicer to them.
That's it. That's the whole game that conservatives are better at.
This does not help your effect
When someone decides they hate someone else, they'll make up whatever shit they need to to continue to hate them.
Your cause? This doesn't help our cause.