

To anyone reading, “destroyed permanently” refers to the murders and suicides, not the survivors. That is never the language we use for survivors, no matter how atrocious the particulars, because it reinforces the same purity culture that purveys (1) a great deal of the associated suffering, trauma, and stigma, and (2) the obsession with defilement that many rapists share.


Is it? There seems to be widespread agreement on that point, here on Lemmy, that expecting the worst of everyone is critical to motivate the Americans to go out and vote.
It’s a strong enough consensus, reinforced with absolute certainty over and over in our political communities, that I’ve been forced to ponder it myself many times. Because I also have an instinct that it’s quite possible to demotivate and even deactivate would-be voters by making them feel that theirs is a lone flame in the wind, or that the insurmountable forces of evil will make their efforts inconsequential.
As a counter example, here in New York, that wasn’t what brought people out to knock on doors and vote for the new progressive mayor. People participated because they had hope for change, or maybe just to be a part of a something new. They weren’t voting against Cuomo as much as they were voting for Mamdani, if that makes sense.
Are we confident that our all-in commitment to motivating people through fear of their neighbors’ inaction is a winning strategy?