Brian PJ Cronin

All the talk of leaving the birdsite vs. staying on the birdsite to “fight” makes me think of Barry Lopez:

“The amount of energy that goes into the defeat of an enemy is energy that would be better spent in doing something that makes the enemy irrelevant.”

Nov 27, 2022 at 7:19pmWeb
Show threadGillianA 🌺Nov 27, 2022
@brianpjcronin Good analogy. When I see those people saying they will "stay and fight" my scorn and derision is hardly contained. For crying out loud, they are tweeting 😂
Show threadHulk Smash COVIDDec 3, 2022
@GilliJamtin @brianpjcronin I left Twitter 3 days ago and it just climbs in my head how many people I had over there but I just... Keep replaying Elon's mocking tweets "ohh I thought Twitter was supposed to be gone by now" and he acts like he can do what he wants and we will all stay and take it. I'm like, no, it isn't until we make the move, shut that door, and fully invest ourselves in other places, that our voices get heard. Much louder than a tweet is a huge prehistoric trumpet.
Show threadSaving Nature ⛵ 🌎 ☕🇺🇸Nov 27, 2022
@brianpjcronin Extra credit point for the B.Lopez quote!! Well done.
Show threadMy Emu Is EmoNov 27, 2022

@brianpjcronin Beautifully apt!

I'm watching people who pride themselves on "fighting oppression" contribute traffic to a bird app run by a terrible person with terrible policies. They're always up to boycott other things -- why not that, where it would actually make a difference?

Show threadGeorge WachsmuthNov 28, 2022
@myemuisemo @brianpjcronin I have said this to others multiple times. It took a while to hear it myself. Glad it got through.
Show threadAlexander RutholNov 28, 2022
@brianpjcronin
Also, as a veteran of many, many, MANY bans, I can say with certainty that one cannot fight the moderators.
Show threadThe Spoonless KitchenNov 28, 2022
@brianpjcronin So very accurate.
Show threadTeeJay HardinNov 28, 2022
@brianpjcronin there will always come a point in which one must stand and confront the coming peril, but this is not the time. Gather your thoughts and deeds and take flight. There is nothing THERE that cannot be regrown HERE
Show threadEric StovekenNov 28, 2022

@brianpjcronin The enemy in this case is one that only admins can actually fight online. Words, arguments, and “shaming” are mothers milk to these people. Back when it was about protecting physical spaces (punk shows, bars, occasionally art spaces) reason always has to give way to force.

That’s why they love online spaces. The behavior that would have gotten them laid out BITD now only yields the so-called “liberal tears” they crave.

Show threadRileyDec 2, 2022
@brianpjcronin I read a quote recently that said "if the public square can just be bought by a guy one day. Then it was never a public square in the first place."
Show threadSix Possums In A TrenchcoatDec 2, 2022

@brianpjcronin If we were talking about reforming a local government, the idea of staying and fighting would make a lot more sense, since there are plenty of people who can't just pick up and leave.

Nobody is forced to stay on birdsite.

Show threadMartin MazurDec 2, 2022

@brianpjcronin I’m not staying to fight. I’m just “there” still because I’m not ready to go.

It’s like I’m seeing a war erupt in my country but it hasn’t reached my city.

I’ve made arrangements to go somewhere else.

But I have a house and lotsa stuff.

Also many of my friends haven’t left yet.

Should I stay or should I go?

Show threadJ.H.NoyesDec 2, 2022

@brianpjcronin

Musk et al have no intention of providing effectual opposition with a platform to oppose their malignancy. Retaining a Twitter account is a great way to out oneself as controlled opposition.

Show threadBMcEwanDec 3, 2022
@brianpjcronin @JenWojcik This is a GREAT quote — and so true! I worked for a well-known women’s repro health org for a while and I learned that it’s important not to let the opposition sidetrack you from your mission. That’s what they want. Don’t give them airtime or space in your head. Just pursue your values.
Show threadTed Smith #ProEUDec 3, 2022
@brianpjcronin Not a great analogy. Who are we fighting on Twitter? It ain’t Musk for me, he is but an irritant. No, it is the Tories and the antiEU brigade that I continue to battle, and they are not represented here in any numbers, and very unlikely to be.
Show threadkithDec 3, 2022
@brianpjcronin Buckminster Fuller: “You never change something by destroying the existing reality. To make change, build something that makes the existing reality obsolete.”
Show threadBigglesDec 3, 2022

@brianpjcronin

It's not just about the birdsite - it's about making an example of m00sk so that other billionaire wannabe dictators go "oh - imposing my fascist vision on the poors doesn't end well, and makes you look like an idiot." - he volunteered to be the example.

The thing with bullies is: they keep coming back until you give them a reason not to. We can go make a better sandcastle, but if we do he'll just try to ruin it as well unless he's afraid to do so. He needs to lose more than money and businesses - he needs to feel shame. That doesn't happen without fighting back.

Show threadSueDec 3, 2022
@brianpjcronin
Great quote
Show threadJumping MouseDec 3, 2022
@brianpjcronin
That's why I'm here. Spent as much time twitting trolls and idiots as I did actually engaging in thoughtful discourse.
Show threadIndigoDec 3, 2022
@brianpjcronin Yes, and also I personally like the variety. I've stayed on there for some things and have a completely different experience over here. I really like both. There is so much less conflict in my life 😆
Show threadmary angela perna✅Dec 3, 2022
@brianpjcronin 100%. It’s like asking me to stay in the same house as my abuser.