>The Idealist's Stupidity

An idealist is a person who is, ????????? ?? ???????????, in some way detached from reality.
They live in a world of, well, ideals. (The less charitable would call this "fantasyland.")

You've seen them, you've interacted with them:
>The people that believe in a political solution.
>The people who are unironically "waiting for Hitler."
>The people that think the System will play by its own (or any) rules.
>The people that believe low-effort "activism" will bring about any sort of change.
>The people who are waiting for some sudden collapse that will "wake up the normies" or "level the playing field," despite a complete lack of preparation.
>The people who think that the greater movement will somehow someday be capable of matching the System's monopoly on violence despite a complete lack of preparation.

"Normies," such as the J6ers, the would-be Whitmer kidnappers, and others forever-caught in federal stings- these people constitute "Ignorant Idealists."
Uninformed of how the System operates, they are the most easily preyed upon. These people exist as little more than fodder for the prison system, pariahs for the media to focus on, and excuses for the expansion of agency budgets.
Oh, and as paypigs for whatever System-approved grifter that catches their eye.
This is a sad state of affairs, but unlikely to change soon; our side lacks the institutional capture of sources necessary to properly inform and educate the masses. This is why I consider "raising awareness" to be a futile endeavor.

People like @RadixVerum vehemently disagree with this opinion to their detriment.
Idealists. Not stupid, just a bit too optimistic.

Now, Optimistic Idealists are in no way a detriment to the movement at large -so long as they don't stray too far from what is realistically achievable- and I have no real qualms with/about them. Sometimes they are even necessary.
I would prefer they reign in their expectations and adhere more to reality- but then they wouldn't be "idealists."
@matty is a good example of this group.

In the terms of people who actively harm the movement, "Indolent Idealists" are the people leading the pack.
These are people who are ostensibly versed in the obstacles and opposition we face, yet take no tangible action towards any solution. They can be defined as apathetic, possibly cowardly, certainly lazy, so on.
If the activity is low-impact or no-impact, you can find these types engaging in it.
The reason these people are such a problem is that much of the support grifters receive is from this group; they often see contribution to the grift as a vehicle for "doing something," and in the process they absolve themselves of the individual duty to act.
It can be said that these people alone are why RW grifters exist at all.
This is another circumstance that is unlikely to change soon, as there is no cure for human apathy/laziness, and no amount of external influence will sway people desensitized to social shaming.
@Platinum , and numerous ex-certain-group individuals can tell you more about this subject.

Finally, the "Stupid Idealist."
An offshoot of the group above, these are people who will actively participate in the grift/op and defend it.
Useful idiots, they will attempt to drive materiel and manpower towards their chosen grift regardless of whether or not it has been exposed for what it is, and will continue to do so for long after. In ideological terms, they ARE the grift. Past that, there is essentially nothing there.
When confronted with reality, they often put on the blinders and go on the attack.
There is no excuse for this.
These people should be ostracized as much or more than the people/activities they defend because without them, most of these grifts would be dead in the water.
They should be considered enemy agents as they directly and willfully contribute to the depletion of morale, materiel, and manpower of the greater movement.
You people know who you are, and I hope your dick gets caught in your zipper.

I'm running out of space here, so I'll end with:
Idealism in and of itself is not a problem.
Idealism has birthed everything our side holds in high regard.
There are, however, very real limits to its utility in regards to the real world.
There is also no end to the amount of people waiting to take advantage of your idealism.
If we are to succeed, idealism ???? be tempered with realism and individual action.
Idealism must be a means and not an end.