I think there is definitely a place for this kind of non-violent 'resistance'. It's an easy way to move public sentiment and bully fascists in a way that can't really be reframed by the media and such. No one is going to think people in these costumes are doing violence because it's absurd. Onlookers will start to understand that the idea of riots, gangs, etc is simply a lie.

That said, non-violence is not a long-term solution to fascism (obvious to most of us I imagine). The US people just aren't in a position to do much else. Any real resistance would be crushed at the moment because the numbers are simply too small.

Edit: should also note these people are still doing something good by wasting ICE resources just by being there. They can't be ignored by ICE or other cops, so they can even serve as a distraction for other activities and any time a cop is dealing with these goofy antics is time they aren't doing something much worse.

[–] miz@hexbear.net 57 points 5 days ago (1 children)

a couple days ago there was a video posted here of a cop spraying pepper spray directly into the air intake of a person's blowup costume.

[–] prole@hexbear.net 44 points 5 days ago

Yeah, and that is amazing propaganda for our side. Now more people are showing up in these costumes because of that video. The most important thing to do right now is increase our numbers. There is no real resistance until that happens.

[–] tocopherol@hexbear.net 41 points 5 days ago (1 children)

should also note these people are still doing something good by wasting ICE resources just by being there. They can't be ignored by ICE or other cops, so they can even serve as a distraction for other activities and any time a cop is dealing with these goofy antics is time they aren't doing something much worse.

This is a good point, many of us want there to be stronger resistance, but like the aid flotillas for Palestine, the enemy was forced to use resources to monitor and harrass them which allowed people to fish on the coast where they couldn't before. It seems until the US proletariat is more class conscious and unified, it will have to be these sort of antics combined with underground work that won't get published as much.

[–] SickSemper@hexbear.net 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I’m pretty sure the fish stuff was a reposted video from earlier this year

[–] tocopherol@hexbear.net 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I admit I only heard people mentioning that happening, I didn't see a good direct source for it, and there has been tons of misinformation so that would make sense

[–] SickSemper@hexbear.net 6 points 5 days ago

I only have hearsay that it was from february, so it could be real, just saying it has been disputed

[–] aberrate_junior_beatnik@midwest.social 37 points 5 days ago

Another point: they are claiming that these cities are dangerous warzones. Showing up in silly costumes disarms this.

You'll never convince me making fun of ICE agents, demoralizing them and humiliating them, is not a net positive.

[–] ProletarianDictator@hexbear.net 24 points 5 days ago

Any focus on "controlling the narrative" or "sending a message" is naïve when the neolibs and fascists govern the media.

Sure, maybe some libs are sympathetic because of images from stunts like these, but to believe they move the needle in any meaningful way is idealism and not grounded in material reality. After two years of watching malnourished women and children crying while caressing their dead family members, Israel still has significant support amongst Americans.

Our enemies do not have a conscience. Appealing to their sympathy is futile. Their efforts must be directly frustrated by changing the material world. Force and profit are the only languages they are capable of understanding.

Protesting should only be seen as a networking event for finding comrades to build dual power with. If there is no org to sign people up for changing the material world, all you are doing is putting a target on your back for the sake of symbolism.

If we had the masses overwhelmingly on our side and could bring commerce to a halt, this would be an entirely different story.

Until we have the means of information distribution not subject to the whims of capital or the state, "messaging" is negative praxis because it encourages idealistic thinking, which further entrenches liberalism. Outside of exploiting the brief periods that occur immediately following some spontaneous event, we will not be allowed to speak to the masses directly in any way advantageous to us.

PR effort would be better spent training and educating cadres on how to exploit those brief opportunities and building institutional knowledge on how to develop, secure, and maintain our own communication infrastructure.

Speaking directly to the masses is a core challenge for revolutionaries everywhere at any time period, but the context of the 21st century and the suburban sprawl of the imperial core means prior art from successful revolutions will have to be heavily adapted before being useful to us here and now.

[–] JoeByeThen@hexbear.net 26 points 5 days ago

That said, non-violence is not a long-term solution to fascism (obvious to most of us I imagine). The US people just aren't in a position to do much else. Any real resistance would be crushed at the moment because the numbers are simply too small.

Ya, I think the real issue is that the silly is the vanguard at the moment. The fash are mobilizing at a level that realistically require us to have guerilla orgs out there ready for when they escalate and we very much do not seem prepared in that way.