Thank you, BHD, for continuing the conversation. I plead guilty of hyperbole in the section you quote, although with the disclaimer that my experience with political social networking has been one in which supporters of any one of the candidates not wanting to hear any criticism regardless of how constructive and becoming arrogant and dismissive of anything but complete unquestioning support. And that is across the board from the left to the center to the right. But, to be fair, that is the nature of electoral politics and no revolution nor convergence of disparate thought has ever been instigated at the ballot box.
More to the point that I was attempting to address is that we have become more isolated within our groups of commonality and more hostile to the ideas and beliefs of those outside our circle of ideas and beliefs. We repost and share articles that reinforce our current entrenched beliefs and scorn, ridicule or dismiss as “conspiracy theory” those ideas and beliefs that don’t jibe with our own. Perhaps this has always been the norm of cliques and sticking to “one’s own kind,” but it seems exacerbated due to virtual communication. Often times attempting a conversation with someone who has a differing view is a kin to sticking your head out of the window of a moving car while going down a narrow tree lined road.
Your point is well taken in terms of like minded people or those struggling for a common cause using the internet as an effective tool for finding each other and for organizing. I am also encouraged by what I hope is becoming an increasing trend of the intersectionality of different causes and struggles and seeing that most, if not all, of our struggles can be defeated only through unity, but there still is the wide schism between progressive struggles and what those on the right of the ideological spectrum deem as their struggles without regard that there is a common source of repression for the 99% of us on both the left and right. The vacuum created by this schism is where fascism dwells and has emerged.
Just to finish, I’ll answer the questions you asked of me.
Tell me the last time you got involved in a “third” party, or even voted “third” party?
Tell me the last time you attended any community meeting? They all still happen.
1) I have been voting third party since Mondale was the great white hope of the DNC.
2) I live in Honduras volunteering as a Human Rights Monitor/Reporter so part of my work is to accompany the social and grassroots organizations here. I am in a community meeting at least once a week.
