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   Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 15-Jun-2025 12:57:17 JST Paul Cantrell

   • Ian Bicking

   @ianbicking
   I hear you in many ways, but I still think you undervalue today. This post in particular answers both your posts: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:di7epi7naqi3rharpcogc5sf/post/3lrmeljowjs2a

   To the extent that perception matters, today was incredibly important. And to the extent that perception is necessary but not sufficient to defeat fascism, the question of your first post matters: we’re demonstrating capacity, but capacity to do what?

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     Ian Bicking (ianbicking@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 15-Jun-2025 14:59:56 JST Ian Bicking

     in reply to

     @inthehands it was a nice contrast, and definitely the left is in a funk, maybe this can build some confidence. But damn we love our powerlessness, and on the ground (not in the media) I only felt that powerlessness during the protest.

     I'm actually pretty happy with a state monopoly on violence, even when I don't like the state. But too many people accept a state/electoral monopoly on direct action. And No Kings isn't just indirect action, it's many steps removed from direct action.

     Digressing to your minnebar talk, it was also focused on imagining ourselves as powerless and then... coping, I guess. But that was not a room full of powerless people, nor was the protest! But if some group is actually trying to engage people's power, I haven't seen it. And the Right actually does this, they engage with that power.