How the SJW Left is Killing Political Debate… and Friendships

by Brian Nichols


I recently posted a comment on Facebook in reply to one of my friends posting an anti-cop/pro-BLM status.  My friend, who we shall call “Fred”, posted his status using cherry-picked instances of police abusing their authority as a the root of this entire argument, to which I addressed by saying:

“I concur that denying hard facts does not make a political debate. But cherry-picking facts to suite a narrative also does not make a political debate. As a libertarian, I will be the first to agree with you that the legal system that we have disproportionately hurts blacks.  But the numbers don’t lie. If we’re going to have an open and honest discussion on race and police abusing authority, anecdotal examples are not a reliable source to build an argument upon.”

I then went into detail as to the statistics and facts of police shooting and killing blacks, using information from sources such as the FBI, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, etc…  I re-read my comment before posting, just to make sure there was nothing that could be considered a personal attack.  After all, “Fred” is my friend, and as such, I wanted to remain as civil as possible.  So, after taking all of that into consideration and scanning my comment for any potential red-flags, I posted, feeling as though this could spark up a lively, yet civil discussion.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Cue one of my friends from years ago, whom had since moved away, deleted all their friends from their Facebook who were from our home county (including myself, yet excluding “Fred”), and whom I had not interacted with in well over five years.  This friend, we shall call “Bob”.

“Bob” then began a chain of incessant, ad hominem attacks on me for daring to even questioning the BLM movement and the “systematic killing of blacks by police”.  Here are some highlights:

-“[It’s obvious you have] no understanding statistics, we see this condescending pile of ill-conceived rhetoric parroting.”

-“When you’re done stroking the (laughably idiotic and incompetent) libertarian stance, we’ll be ready to take you seriously.”

-“Fun fact, it isn’t an ad hom if I say you’re wrong AND an ignorant douchebag, only if I say you’re wrong BECAUSE you’re an ignorant douchebag.  So,congrats on being a hypocrite, an idiot, AND still a pompous, self-important twat.”

 

After these gems, I decided it best to walk away, as it was obvious that I could have spoken Klingon to my cat and had a more productive conversation.

But as I was walking to the gym, I began to ponder what had just happened, and how this type of interaction isn’t only typical of social justice warriors (SJW), but it actually has some lasting impacts in terms of debate and civility.

For example, I could have continued commenting back and forth with “Bob”, but what would I have accomplished?  After all, he made it a point to not address my arguments nor did he try to counter my argument with an argument of his own, but rather, made attacking me as a person the focal point of every response.  Take this example, which is not uncommon in today’s SJW arena, and then imagine trying to actually have a civil, productive debate in an attempt to locate some form of common ground.

Not only has today’s typical SJW destroyed any fabric of productive debate, but they have also made the environment for those who disagree with them hostile.  Think about it.  Who would even want to offer their dissenting opinions in an attempt to start some productive debate if their opponent is simply going to perform ad hominem attacks in response?  In all actuality, SJWs have become nothing more than bullies, who’s goals are to not only silence those dissenting voices they disagree with, but to utterly destroy those voices in a personal manner.

So not only will those who dissent with the SJW rhetoric be discouraged to engage in any type of discourse, but those SJWs will be able to promote their nonsensical garbage unopposed.

And to be honest, I can deal with the name-calling and ad hominem attacks.  It is what it is.  After years spent in politics, it’s to be expected.  However, I must admit that having these types of attacks come from someone who I once considered a friend did catch me by surprise.  And it is this that leads me to my second point:

SJWs are killing friendships.

Sure, “Bob” and I haven’t interacted in years, but thinking back to when we did have some forms of interactions, they were civil, fun, and overall, enjoyable.  We might have disagreed on politics, but that never got in the way of our ability to be civil.  But the emergence of the SJW Left has led to something that is similar to a poison.  No longer can people simply have differences of opinion, but rather, those differences are a means to destroy friendships.  It is this SJW activism that has emboldened those on the progressive Left to not only silence opposing voices, but to destroy them personally.

“It’s almost as if Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” was written specifically for today’s SJWs to follow, friendships and relationships be damned.

And the worst part of this whole interaction is that I honestly feel sorry for “Bob”.  To be so consumed with hatred and anger at those who oppose one’s views to the extent that they are willing to attack their opponent personally, rather than their argument, is truly heartbreaking.  I have many friends whom I disagree with politically, but have always made it a point to engage in open and civil discourse.  Heck, one of my greatest mentors is nearly 100% ideologically opposed to my views, and yet I view him as my second father.

I’m not sure how we advance in the months and years to come.  The environment that has been created by the SJW activists has essentially destroyed the platform for open and civil discourse.  If anything, I see this SJW activism pushing people further a part, quite possibly to the extent physical conflict.

Oh, and one last thing:  To “Bob”…

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