• activistPnk@slrpnk.net
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    18 days ago

    They are not mutually exclusive. I endorse both personal transformation and social transformation. Doctorow advocates feeding the adversary as a normal way of living with a dependency on tech giants, while organising incoherent actions to the contrary. One step forward, two steps backward.

    Doctorow’s advice is actually damaging. He tells people it’s okay to support the oppressor, which is exactly what the convenience zombies want to hear. He also dismisses shaming the pushovers, which is to throw away a powerful tool for no gain.

    • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      18 days ago

      He tells people it’s okay to support the oppressor,

      no he doesn’t. he said personal boycotts aren’t effective

      • activistPnk@slrpnk.net
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        18 days ago

        no he doesn’t. he said personal boycotts aren’t effective

        Same thing. This is non-sequitur logic. If an individual action is “not effective”, that’s clearly an endorsement for not boycotting personally, thus patronise.

          • activistPnk@slrpnk.net
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            18 days ago

            Nonsense. There’s no “leap” in understanding a definition. Boycotting /means/ patronisation is not okey. To not boycott is to be okay with patronisation. By definition. You can’t have it both ways. You cannot coherently claim it’s not okay to patronise a baddy while taking a stance against boycotting.

            Is it okay to patronise bad player X? If not, then boycotting is required. If yes, then you are not boycotting.

            • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              18 days ago

              being ok with patronization is not the same as endorsing oppression. that’s the lep you’re making

              • activistPnk@slrpnk.net
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                18 days ago

                Context is paramount. In this context, the supplier is the oppressor. If the supplier is not an oppressor, that’s out of scope.

                (edit) btw, endorsing oppression and supporting oppression are not the same thing. I said Doctorow /supports/ oppression with his stance, not that he endorses it. He clearly does not endorse it, but his approach does not do justice to his intent.

                • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  18 days ago

                  btw, endorsing oppression and supporting oppression are not the same thing.

                  this is a semantic game

                  • activistPnk@slrpnk.net
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                    18 days ago

                    No, that difference between those words is important. My stance is in fact that Doctorow does not endorse oppression but he supports it through his actions and advocacy – unintentionally of course.