"An estimated 350,000 people march in #Toronto in support of #Iran #protests, police say"

@benroyce how are you not blocking the genocide deniers? It's far more effective than arguing with them, because that's giving them what they really want: attention.

@ClariNerd

on the contrary i don't block anyone (except for those demented few who follow you around to start off topic fights, the creepy stalkers)

what i do is engage and mock trolls

this is not emotional this is cold and tactical

i'm enraging them and fishing for actionable content to report them and get their account suspended

i've gotten rid of many vatnik accounts this way. i relish finding more

granted my approach is not for everyone

but do not mistake who i am and what i'm doing

@benroyce @ClariNerd important job nevertheless.

@kali @ClariNerd

having watched how MAGA rose i believe "polite society" "high road" types who react to arguing with trolls with disgust to be part of the problem

blocking doesn't get rid of bigots and vatniks. you just don't see them

they continue to spread their poison

i say fight them

of course that stance isn't for everyone

but no one has the right to look down on us who bait, enrage, then report. and get trolls suspended

you who roll your eyes at us enjoy the fruits of our efforts

@benroyce @kali @ClariNerd
fight them... but also, let them fight themselves.

What if it were as simple as just pointing a mirror that showed them who they really were... with such precision that they don't realize what they're looking at is them?

@Netraven @kali @ClariNerd

absolutely

self-awareness is the most painful thing to them

@kali @ClariNerd

having watched how MAGA rose i believe "polite society" "high road" types who react to arguing with trolls with disgust to be part of the problem

blocking doesn't get rid of bigots and vatniks. you just don't see them

they continue to spread their poison

i say fight them

of course that stance isn't for everyone

but no one has the right to look down on us who bait, enrage, then report. and get trolls suspended

you who roll your eyes at us enjoy the fruits of our efforts

@benroyce @kali @ClariNerd

Self-awareness is costly to everyone, or so I think, but it is painful to those who have rejected it altogether as a form of feedback.

@benroyce @kali @ClariNerd the problem with fighting them is nowadays, you don't know if you're wasting your time on an actual, red blooded cunt, or a bot. So first, you need to establish that, which in and of itself is annoying.

@macacator @benroyce @kali it's a waste of time and energy. I'd rather focus my time and energy on things like helping my neighbors, volunteering at the soup kitchen, improving the lives of the vulnerable. That sort of thing.

@Netraven @kali @ClariNerd

exactly so

we all have blind spots, no one is omnipotently self-aware

but there remains a core competency we all must have

or otherwise we're on the road to ignorance and indecency in desperate ego defense, just like MAGA

but also these sort of people who go to a club, enjoy the club, then clutch their pearls in horror when a bouncer has to get get physical with some asshole ruining the vibe of the club

you enjoy the club. so you thank the bouncer

@benroyce @kali @ClariNerd the problem with fighting them is nowadays, you don't know if you're wasting your time on an actual, red blooded cunt, or a bot. So first, you need to establish that, which in and of itself is annoying.

@ClariNerd @macacator @kali

that's a perfectly valid approach

but even in the scenario you describe there will be someone trying to mess with your good efforts, and you need to fight back, or they ruin your efforts

so i'm not asking you to change who you are. i'm asking you to recognize your good efforts are sometimes dependent on behavior you are saying you can't agree with, but in reality you just don't realize sometimes it is necessary to allow you to continue doing good

@benroyce @ClariNerd @macacator i know that. for now i just have been taking it out on the people who politically betrayed me. it's not the best approach ever, not gonna lie. my patience is just so razor thin. the wounds will take some time to fully heal.

@kali @ClariNerd @macacator

everything i am talking about is cold calculation

but if there is real emotional pain for you, then yes, do not do what i am saying

@benroyce @kali @ClariNerd
blindness to our blind spots may be our saving grace. As perhaps it is ignorance toward our own fragility, and proximity to catastrophe, that allows us to have this conversation at this time.

@benroyce @ClariNerd @macacator those were my e- fiends for 20+ years.

@benroyce @ClariNerd @macacator anyway, thank u for what you are all doing to keep this platform safe.