Useful idiots at it again

[Sigma_Orionis]

Nicolás Maduro Tries a New PR Campaign: Going Woke

[geonuc]

I hate that term, woke.

[Sigma_Orionis]

In the context it's used these days it's rather unnerving

[lady_*nix]

TBH most of the context I see it in is the same way bigots used to use "politically correct" as a snarl word. "Oh no, we have to acknowledge that a lot of our favorite old movies are racist and that trans people exist, how DARE" etc.

As for useful idiots... yeah, they're here and it sucks. But I'm not gonna lie, I'm not too worried about idiot Maduro sympathizers, given

a) the US is heading full tilt into Christian theocracy, so everyone anywhere left of center has their hands a bit full

b) the more worrying fifth columns on the US left are the various kinds of tankies who are fanpoodles for Russia and China, and are very open to collaborating with the far right due to their accelerationism (and general authoritarianism)

c) authoritarian entryism of all sorts is nothing new, even actual Nazis try to do this. This is where a lot of transphobia on the left comes from - "we have to ban trans people to protect Real Women" is a good way to recruit certain types of people into more up front racist stuff, like "we have to ban trans people, abortion, and birth control so that we have more white babies".

So like I'll be shutting this bullshit down where I see it, and I know other folks who will be doing same. But right now the Maduro fanpoodles are not the people who have me, and people close to me, literally in fear for our lives.

[SciFiFisher]

What always amazes me is the number of people who can't seem to grasp the sheer idiotic, lack of critical thinking, their brain must be severely hypoxic, type of stupidity it takes to even consider Maduro as a liberal, progressive, or anything resembling anything except an authoritarian who will do anything to stay in power.

[lady_*nix]

@Fisher

You might be interested in this: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/a- ... from-kyiv/

Similar deal here.

And a foreign example: pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong (many of whom would be considered liberal, or even leftist, by US standards) adopting Pepe the Frog as a mascot, waving US flags, even adopting Trump logos/slogans.

"The enemy of my enemy must be my friend" is sadly a very common human fallacy.

Edit: the Hong Kong example is more complicated TBH, since there were actual far-right groups fighting alongside the pro-democracy liberal types. Same in Ukraine, you have far-right nationalist groups like the Azov battalion fighting alongside normal people. But taking that as an excuse to let the PRC (incredibly totalitarian, imperialist, and bigoted) or the Russians (literally fascists) win is fucking stupid.

[Sigma_Orionis]

So like I'll be shutting this bullshit down where I see it, and I know other folks who will be doing same. But right now the Maduro fanpoodles are not the people who have me, and people close to me, literally in fear for our lives.

The GOP will probably use them as poster boys for claiming that Dems are commies. But in the scheme of things they don't amount to much. I just post it because those idiots drive my blood pressure up.

[Sigma_Orionis]

@Fisher

You might be interested in this: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/a- ... from-kyiv/

Similar deal here.

And a foreign example: pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong (many of whom would be considered liberal, or even leftist, by US standards) adopting Pepe the Frog as a mascot, waving US flags, even adopting Trump logos/slogans.

"The enemy of my enemy must be my friend" is sadly a very common human fallacy.

Edit: the Hong Kong example is more complicated TBH, since there were actual far-right groups fighting alongside the pro-democracy liberal types. Same in Ukraine, you have far-right nationalist groups like the Azov battalion fighting alongside normal people. But taking that as an excuse to let the PRC (incredibly totalitarian, imperialist, and bigoted) or the Russians (literally fascists) win is fucking stupid.

Plenty of idiots down here were stupid enough to think that Trump was going to rid us of Maduro. They all got pretty quiet after Jan 6.

[Sigma_Orionis]

What always amazes me is the number of people who can't seem to grasp the sheer idiotic, lack of critical thinking, their brain must be severely hypoxic, type of stupidity it takes to even consider Maduro as a liberal, progressive, or anything resembling anything except an authoritarian who will do anything to stay in power.

The usual excuse is that Maduro "is against US Imperialism". Just like Castro and plenty of others like him. Comes from the old days of the Cold War. In those days Soviet apologists did the same. Which was of course pathetically ridiculous because the USSR was just as bad or worse. In this particular case, they look the other way when Maduro goes to lick Putin's or Xi's boots.

[lady_*nix]

The GOP will probably use them as poster boys for claiming that Dems are commies. But in the scheme of things they don't amount to much. I just post it because those idiots drive my blood pressure up.

The GOP doesn't need poster boys to claim Dems are commies, the GOP is already spewing out lies about how they're all Satanic pedophile cannibals. The GOP mainstream is Jewish space lasers, COVID vaccines full of mind control nanorobots, and conspiracy theories about white genocide. Pretty much nothing we can do will deprive them of ammo, or make us respectable to them; they already think we're subhuman.

I totally get it re blood pressure though, and sorry for discounting that

[Sigma_Orionis]

The GOP will probably use them as poster boys for claiming that Dems are commies. But in the scheme of things they don't amount to much. I just post it because those idiots drive my blood pressure up.

The GOP doesn't need poster boys to claim Dems are commies, the GOP is already spewing out lies about how they're all Satanic pedophile cannibals. The GOP mainstream is Jewish space lasers, COVID vaccines full of mind control nanorobots, and conspiracy theories about white genocide. Pretty much nothing we can do will deprive them of ammo, or make us respectable to them; they already think we're subhuman.

I totally get it re blood pressure though, and sorry for discounting that

That won't stop the GOP from using them. It will certainly help them sell their BS to Latin American minorities in the US (basically the Cuban expats in Southern Florida). Local Dem operatives have been complaining for years that the GOP has been rather successful selling that particular canard in Florida and Texas. Remember all those particularly preposterous claims made by that worthless piece of crap called Sidney Powell? When the MAGA nuts were gobbling up the GOP's claims about the US Presidential election being "stolen"? And all that hooh hah about an electoral machine company called Smartmatic? And then she further claimed that the "election fraud scheme" was linked to Chavez? All of it complete bullshit of course (the Kraken that was actually a squid ). So much BS that even the Trump campaign sort of tried to avoid being associated that hag. But, it sold like hot cakes in Southern Florida. Hell, it sold like hotcakes HERE. Florida is their stronghold now. They're not going to miss a chance of strengthening their hold there.

[lady_*nix]

Mm, that's a fair point Sigma, and worth remembering. Thanks.