It Will Not Stop Part 2: Retribution As Political Outreach

     Do you remember Brendan Eich? How about Sweet Cakes By Melissa? And how could anyone forget the ambushing of Memories Pizza?

     These were important markers in the Left’s campaign to silence all dissent from its proclamations: it simply employed its allies in the media and on the Internet to punish several who dared to differ with it. Gavin McInnes notes some fresh deployments of the tactic this morning:

     I thought the leftist obsession with getting people fired would die down after Trump won, but it’s still “alive and well.” They just got a sketch-comedy show called World Peace canceled because some of the contributors like Trump. Instead of realizing their irritating behavior has ostracized them from the rest of the country, the alt-left have decided they weren’t annoying enough and are harassing employers, getting people fired, and making death threats in a futile attempt to turn back time and force America to be #WithHer.

     There was nothing racist or sexist or anything-ist about the show. Its detractors never really said there was. They called it “alt-right,” and that’s all you have to do these days. America isn’t great again—yet—and we still cower in fear when someone implies we might be racist. In fact, the accusation now includes anyone who isn’t sufficiently upset about racism.

     Please read the whole thing, including as many of the linked articles as you can stand. Without a deep and broad exposure to this evil, Americans will tend to brush off individual occasions as “an isolated incident.” After all, it wasn’t until September 11, 2001 that any great number of us were willing to confront the scope of Islamic terrorism.

     No, the Left is unlikely to succeed in changing anyone’s convictions through these tactics. The smarter ones among them are aware of that. What they seek is a return to those days when we who oppose them were unable to find one another, share thoughts, and organize resistance to their plans.

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     Atomization of all potential resistance is the practical goal of a smart totalitarian. He knows better than to think he can coerce others into accepting his way as right and good. That being the case, the best he can do is to make potential opponents feel naked and alone: vulnerable to instantaneous punishment and without allies to rally to his defense. Totalitarian regimes have employed a number of approaches toward this end. Have a look at the “ten-house cell” regime imposed on Tanzania by Communist dictator Julius Nyerere:

     The principles of our policy of self-reliance go hand in hand with our policy of socialism. In order to prevent exploitation it is necessary for everybody to work and to live on his own labour. And in order to distribute the national wealth fairly, it is necessary for everybody to work to the maximum of his ability. Nobody should go and stay for a long time with his relative, doing no work, because in doing so he will be exploiting his relative. Likewise, nobody should be allowed to loiter in towns or villages without doing work which would enable him to be self-reliant without exploiting his relatives.

     TANU believes that everybody who loves his nation has a duty to serve it by co-operating with his fellows in building the country for the benefit of all the people of Tanzania. In order to maintain our independence and our people’s freedom we ought to be self-reliant in every possible way and avoid depending upon other countries for assistance. If every individual is self-reliant ten-house cell will be self-reliant; if all the cells are self-reliant the whole ward will be self-reliant; and if the wards are self-reliant the District will be self-reliant. If the Districts arc self-reliant, then the Region is self-reliant, and if the Regions are self-reliant, then the whole nation is self-reliant and this is our aim.

     TANU recognizes the urgency and importance of good leadership. But we have not yet produced systematic training for our leaders; it is necessary that TANU Headquarters should now prepare a programme of training for all leaders – from the national level to the ten-house cell level – so that every one of them understands our political and economic policies. Leaders must set a good example to the rest of the people in their lives and in all their activities. [source]

     Those cells, the Communist regime’s lowest level of organization, existed almost entirely to impose punishments upon those who dared to differ with the regime’s dictates by word or deed. They were extraordinarily successful. It usually took only one experience of chorused denunciation by one’s neighbors – who would be led by the cell leader, a trained Communist “political officer” – to squelch any inclination to deviate from the TANU Way.

     What Nyerere’s ten-house cells did for Communist rule over Tanzania, the Left use social media, boycotts, and Human Resources departments to achieve. The tactic is all too frequently successful.

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     There are countermeasures to Leftist punishment tactics. The Internet, the great communications development of our time, has made that possible. Facilities such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter provide means by which we can come to the aid of a beleaguered party. Both Sweet Cakes by Melissa and Memories Pizza benefited from such alms in their times of need.

     However, such tactics depend upon two preconditions:

1. We must remain aware of one another and concerned with one another’s well-being;
2. We must provide material support to those the Left attacks.

     Those obligations must be keenly felt by good men everywhere. Call it Christian charity: the acknowledgement by Smith that Jones’s troubles are not his fault, and the resolve to help him in the knowledge that “There but for the grace of God go I.”

     Once again, the smarter leftists will know this too. They’ll also know that the willingness to support one another in times of darkness is a signal characteristic among conservatives. Therefore, they’re likely to attack the preconditions stated above: by attempting to suppress communications among us, especially through social media; and by attempting to intimidate the operators of facilities such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter out of allowing us to use them.

     Given the recent election and the current tenor and tempo of events, I don’t expect it to be much longer before such attacks multiply and become brassily open. Stay tuned.