Flying SquidJul 3, 2023

‘Never apologize’: How Moms for Liberty teaches its members to spin the media

https://lemmy.world/post/995978

‘Never apologize’: How Moms for Liberty teaches its members to spin the media - Lemmy.world

>PHILADELPHIA — Last week, a local Indiana chapter of Moms for Liberty attracted attention for quoting Adolf Hitler in its newsletter. After the local paper reported the story, the group added additional “context” but kept the quote. Eventually, after it faced even more scrutiny, the organization removed the quote and apologized in a statement posted to its Facebook group. > >That, however, was a big mistake, according to advice at the Moms for Liberty national conference’s media training session Friday. > >“Never apologize. Ever,” said Christian Ziegler, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. “This is my view. Other people have different views on this. I think apologizing makes you weak.” > >He advised the attendees to instead make it clear that the Hitler comment was “vile” but to immediately pivot to make the point that Hitler indoctrinated children in schools and that that’s what Moms for Liberty was fighting against. Ziegler warned that any apology would become the headline, so that should be avoided. You read that right. He said to not apologize for quoting Hitler. That’s what we’re dealing with now.

Show threadPeepinGoodArgsJul 3, 2023

This is indicative of a shitty rhetorical strategy. Really, the only way to hold someone accountable when they use this strategy is to insist on continuing to talk about your main issue, not whatever they want to say.

So, if they pivot to making a point against Hitler’s indoctrination of children, then take it back to their use of a Hitler quote that makes that point relevant in the first place.

Show threadDienerventJul 3, 2023

I may be butting into a topic I don't understand. I don't know much about these Moms for Liberty except that I thing I've heard that they support trump.

The quote in question is: "He alone, who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future.”

It's pretty ambiguous in its meaning and intent. In the context where it was used: advocating for parents to have more control over their children's education: aka decentralize control of children.

But let me point you to a less catchy but far more horrifying quote:

I rarely agree with or endorse or agree with violence. But the rise of the far-right shitbirds has really led me to believe that perhaps General Sherman really should’ve gone all the way to the sea.

If I learned anything from playing Civilzation, even when you win a neighboring city over to your side with culture or trade alone, they’re always going to be a problem. It’s better to just raze the whole damn thing to the ground and start over in the same spot.

It has 2 upvotes and I'm the only downvote ...

You talk about bad faith actors using shitty strategy to derail the debate. They're affirming that parents should have more control over their children's education, they unwisely used a Hitler quote without enough context in one of their publication and now that's all you want to talk about.

I haven't looked into it but I'm pretty sure that the greater context here is that these parents don't want their kids to be taught that "it's ok to be gay" and "kill the trans" is a bad thing to say. They probably won't say it publicly, but that's what I suspect is really going on.

And if I see them on the fediverse making these kinds of statements I might call them out on it. If I see them accusing the other side of acting in bad faith by acting in bad faith themselves, I might call them all on it. And if I see them almost directly calling for armed conflict, you bet your ass I'll DEFINITELY call them out on it.

But guess who it is that I see acting in bad faith right now? You.

And guess who it is that I see kinda, "but really just joking", advocating for armed conflict / quasi genocide? Someone on this thread getting upvoted that I won't even give the respect of directly responding to.

Show threadAngrilyEatingMuffinsJul 3, 2023
You know there are entire instances devoted to people who love right wing pieces of shit, maybe join one of those and be happy
Show threadDienerventJul 3, 2023

I can barely tolerate the unhinged comments I find here. I don't think I would survive over there.

Is it too much to ask to have people try and be sensible. Show some kind of respect for the truth. And not try to set the whole world on fire?

Show threadCaptain_PatchyJul 4, 2023

undefined> Show some kind of respect for the truth.

The truth is that moms for liberty is a right wing group that is totally for grooming their children to only believe the right wing viewpoint, hates all of the lgbt+ and is also racist as all fuck.

It’s easy to pretend to be even handed but reality says…

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moms_for_Liberty

www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/…/moms-liberty

You don’t make the SPLC list unless you are a hate group.

So how about you have some respect for the truth?

Moms for Liberty - Wikipedia

Show threadDienervent

I'm not disputing any of that. I haven't looked into it, but it seems very believable that an extreme right wing group hates lgbt+ and is at least low-key racist.

What I'm disputing is the characterization of their use of a Hitler quote as being clearly in support of Nazism. When the context clearly indicates that they were comparing their political opponents to nazis, aka they condemning the quote.

But that's not my main point of contention with the community here. My main point of contention with the community here is that in this thread there is currently a comment jokingly calling for genocide with 27 upvotes and no condemnations.

At the very least Moms for Liberty had the goods sense to publish a correction to make the intent behind their Hitler was that they were condemning. Meanwhile, you guys seem to be doubling down on promoting genocide.

Jul 4, 2023 at 11:04pmWeb
Show threadThrowawayOnLemmyJul 5, 2023
I’m not worried about some post made on a random message board that 27 people agreed with. I’m more concerned with the well funded hate group attacking schools at all levels of government. You can get buthurt about a tweet, I’m gonna go focus on the real issue.
Show threadDienerventJul 5, 2023
It's not a random message board. It's THIS message board, THIS thread. The one that you're contributing to right now. The one where you've decided to argue against the person condemning genocide instead of arguing against the person calling for genocide.