If You See A Revolutionary Leader In The Road
The best boss I ever had was Jennifer at Opryland. One of the many takeaways from working with her was seeing someone who was extraordinary at what she did and yet never had to announce it. Another thing that made her great was the fact that she would not ask any of us to do something she wouldn't do herself.
I thought of her when I saw yet another would-be rebel leader use their platform to gin up outrage over something that is already frankly outrageous. Do we really need bystanders in the internet hinterlands sreaming that we're not doing enough?
No.
Moreover, most of the people screaming for action on the part of their followers are never, ever in evidence at the events they tout as necessary. The short list of people who actually show up includes Tennessee Brando, Ben Meiselas, and well, darned if that isn't it. Moreover, they seem to understand the need to be safe and smart about this.
To the rest of you, the no-shows, where are y'all? Yeah, I see the tough talk, the off-camera audible cocked weapons, all the rhetoric. You've got an audience and there are some similarities between the faithful who follow you and your cohort and figures from previous iterations of net punditry. There was a time when netizens hung on every word uttered by Beau of the Fifth Column and Stonekettle.
The fanboy/girl gatekeeping for everyone involved borders on funny. What isn't so funny is the reckless disregard for the people who listen to what you say. It is especially disturbing because there is always the argument that you really can't get directly involved because you're unable for any number of reasons and your work is "important." I won't argue that last point. Informing people is important, especially since the media is pretty much naffing off.
The problem is and as someone who used to be part of the sports media ecology, I can speak with some cinfidence on this, Charles Barkley might be right about the extent to which public figures are responsible for what people do with what they hear. There is still a moral obligation to think about the impact of what you say. When you feed your ego with big talk and the exhibition of weapons, you move closer to the point where your performance could get someone killed.
I am not asking revolutionary types to ratchet down their feelings or cease to expose what is going on. I survived assault and domestic violence and recognize the patterns in the current crop of ICE operatives. It's hard to watch people who have been thinking hard about what is going on start to mirror the actions of people who aren't thinking at all. Many of the people watching you are younger, impressionable and not as smart or informed as you are. Maybe it's time we remembered to be a part of the village.
I thought of her when I saw yet another would-be rebel leader use their platform to gin up outrage over something that is already frankly outrageous. Do we really need bystanders in the internet hinterlands sreaming that we're not doing enough?
No.
Moreover, most of the people screaming for action on the part of their followers are never, ever in evidence at the events they tout as necessary. The short list of people who actually show up includes Tennessee Brando, Ben Meiselas, and well, darned if that isn't it. Moreover, they seem to understand the need to be safe and smart about this.
To the rest of you, the no-shows, where are y'all? Yeah, I see the tough talk, the off-camera audible cocked weapons, all the rhetoric. You've got an audience and there are some similarities between the faithful who follow you and your cohort and figures from previous iterations of net punditry. There was a time when netizens hung on every word uttered by Beau of the Fifth Column and Stonekettle.
The fanboy/girl gatekeeping for everyone involved borders on funny. What isn't so funny is the reckless disregard for the people who listen to what you say. It is especially disturbing because there is always the argument that you really can't get directly involved because you're unable for any number of reasons and your work is "important." I won't argue that last point. Informing people is important, especially since the media is pretty much naffing off.
The problem is and as someone who used to be part of the sports media ecology, I can speak with some cinfidence on this, Charles Barkley might be right about the extent to which public figures are responsible for what people do with what they hear. There is still a moral obligation to think about the impact of what you say. When you feed your ego with big talk and the exhibition of weapons, you move closer to the point where your performance could get someone killed.
I am not asking revolutionary types to ratchet down their feelings or cease to expose what is going on. I survived assault and domestic violence and recognize the patterns in the current crop of ICE operatives. It's hard to watch people who have been thinking hard about what is going on start to mirror the actions of people who aren't thinking at all. Many of the people watching you are younger, impressionable and not as smart or informed as you are. Maybe it's time we remembered to be a part of the village.