The thread is pretty self-explanatory. @[email protected] posts an comic about a character called Thorgal who finds an entire family who have been hung for poaching and speaks out against it. Johnny deems this “blockhead” behavior, condemning standing up for what’s right when it isn’t personally beneficial as “chivalrous Brainy Smurf”. The criticism that this is a sentiment that benefits fascism is met with excessive mod overreach qualifying it as trolling and followed up with a 4 year ban. He then asks Blaze for help moderating the community and claims that the lack of utter sycophantic acceptance of his pro-authoritarianism is a sign of a “weird, toxic attempt to attack the community”.
Is Thorgal a blockhead? Does JohnnyEnzyme demand bootlicking? Is using moderation privileges to enforce your own opinion a case of biased moderation? Is it trolling to suggest that fascists love those who encourage others to avoid so-called futile resistance? You decide.
Personally, I blocked this poster and community on this account before the ban was issued and have no interest in further participation, but I’m struck by attitude about resistance to injustice displayed here and find the heavy-handed response ironic and worth drawing attention to.
So what about Renee Good and Alex Pretti?
What about Tank Man or Joe Hill?
How is dismissing these people as foolish for standing up against the odds despite their personal safety being put on the line for what they believe anything but a gift for authoritarians?
Because it’s not just their personal safety placed in danger. They have families, who now have to live without them for the rest of their lives, under the government that killed their parents. It’s ugly and cruel.
Being a hero has its dark side, which shouldn’t be dismissed, but taken as part of the whole.
They’re martyrs, which helps the rest of us build up a resistance to tyranny, but it doesn’t help the people they left behind, doesn’t keep food on their table, pays their bills or helps them have a good night’s sleep.
Reality is more than moments of great importance, it keeps on going and it keeps on hurting. Don’t dismiss that as less important.