This is partly what makes it impossible to have a construct…

This is partly what makes it impossible to have a constructive conversation nowadays. The stubborn refusal to accept that opposition to Trumpism and GOP nationalism is about more than simply holding different beliefs about things in and of itself. 👇

No, but you can\u2019t keep labeling half of the country Nazis just because their beliefs are different than yours. Trump has fucked this whole country up in a matter of a few years. No one can even have a constructive conversation without someone getting triggered
— Joshua Savoy (@JoshuaSavoy2) February 11, 2021

It's fine for people to hold different beliefs. But that doesn't mean all beliefs deserve equal treatment or tolerance and it doesn't mean intolerance of some beliefs makes a person intolerant of every belief which they don't share.

So if I said I don't think Trumpism deserves to be tolerated because it's just a fresh 21st century coat of cheap paint on a failed, dangerous 20th century ideology (fascism) that doesn't mean I'm intolerant of all beliefs with which I disagree. You'd think this would be obvious.

Another important facet. People who support fascist movements tend to give what they think are valid reasons for supporting them. That doesn't mean anyone is obliged to tolerate fascism or accept their proffered excuse.

https://t.co/57wBdw8DBY

Just because some of the politicians act that way doesn\u2019t mean the whole party are Nazis. Some Republicans just vote that way because of abortion. You can\u2019t keep calling all of them Nazis and expect them to just start listening to your points.
— Joshua Savoy (@JoshuaSavoy2) February 11, 2021

Say you joined a neighborhood group that sets up community gardens and does roadside beautification projects. All good, right? Say one day you're having a meeting and you notice the President and exec board of this group are saying some bizarre things about certain neighbors.

You're focused on getting tomato yields up and deciding which color pansies look the best in the median strip but the President has some weird hangup about a family he notices speaking a different language to each other at home and he's not sure if they mean to harm the gardens.

You suppose that technically his concern has to do with the purpose of the group and, after all, you worked hard on those gardens and you want to protect them. Meanwhile you notice other group members nodding more frequently when the President discusses the immigrant family.

Weeks later you're mulching and the President, the exec board, and the majority of your fellow garden club members come by to tell you they're forming a garden security task force because they are alarmed at the lack of assimilation by the immigrant family.

It then dawns on you that everyone seems to be primarily focused on the immigrant family lately rather than increasing crop yields, planning the farmer's market, or really any of the things you thought the club was supposed to do. You're focused but it's like you and two others.

There's a write-up in the small local paper about the club forming this security team and the leadership's bizarre fixation on things that have nothing to do with gardening. Most of your community is put off by the direction in which the club has been heading.

You just wanted to grow tomatoes for folks and make the community pretty. That's all good. But things changed and while the name of the club is still the Garden Club, it's not really about gardening anymore -- not for the rest anyway.

You arrive at a crossroads. You need to decide whether planting tomatoes and pansies is so important that you must continue to support and participate in this group. Yes you have a good reason for joining initially but the group has changed since then.

To make this decision I'd say you ought to consider the following: how important is gardening? Is this the only group capable of gardening? Do I want to be associated with nativists even though I'm not one and just want to garden? Is nativism that bad anyway?

The moral of the story is that if you make excuses for why you're willing to tolerate fascism and nativism in your group, don't be surprised when folks outside the group lump you in with the fascists and nativists who dominate your group.

This is partly what makes it impossible to have a constructive conversation nowadays. The stubborn refusal to accept that opposition to Trumpism and GOP nationalism is about more than simply holding different beliefs about things in and of itself. 👇

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