I haven't actually advocated for violence or vandalism in here but I'll put that aside for now.
Since the actual government in America is not only complicit but promoting hate and strife, what would you suggest in the way of effective yet completely safe protest?
I'm sorry, but the way you went after me because I said I didn't believe in violence, got me under the impression you were okay with it. If I'm wrong, I take that back.
People have been peacefully protesting the government for a while. And it might not seem immidiatly effective, in the long run it is. But every act of violence is a step back.
And you have democratic tools. This government is 90% a lame duck that can't pass laws because of checks and balances. People calling their senators, protesting, showing they won't put op with this shit. True, the 10% that gets passed is very harmfull, but even in a winning war you can lose a battle.
And your best weapon is your vote. You have midterms next year allready. Go out and vote. Convince people of your cause (you won't convince them by punching them or vandalizing cars and businesses) and your candidate. By 2018 the Trump admin could be completely paralysed.
Do you also disagree with Germany banning Swastikas, Sieg Heiling and the like? Or do you just think Nazis should be able to march down the street happily shouting 'White Power' and 'Jews will not control us', 'Blood and Soil' and all the rest.
You've just not been exposed to it until recently, they've been much more open for much longer in Europe, and we've seen where it leads, and aren't having it.
I don't. I said before in this topic I'm glad my country has stricter hatespeech laws. The guys in charlottesville should never had the chance to go out with their tiki torches. (But, as the law in the US is a lot more protetcing of freedom of speech, even if it's hatespeech, technically they had all the right to do so. So from a legal standpoint I must reluctantly say they should've been allowed. But my opinion says there should be a law banning hatespeech like that)
And what does exposure have to do with it? So if I would've encountered a Nazi in the street shouting Blood and Soil, I would be okay now with burning cars, smashing windows and punching people in the face? That is ridiculous. It might even strenthen my case. Emotions aren't always the best guides, and using violence is the ultimate expression of anger.
And seriously. Only 10 years ago we had an extremist right party gaining 25% of the vote here. Now we have a similar party in power who at times is a pretty similar, but is a 'cleaned up' version of it. (Lot's of people from the extreme right have run over to the new one too when they got more popular) We have people in office of that party who spout thinly veiled racism on Twitter. Don't say I don't know what it is to see stuff like this on the rise, albeit less blatently. And you know what I do see when I engage with these people? Arguments get drowned out and dismissed once they are able to place you in the 'violent extremist' corner. Antifa is the lefts biggest ennemy in that regard.