There's a lot of *wildly* irresponsible rhetoric floating around right now about how all queer folk should arm themselves to resist what's coming. And, deadass?

If you're armed, and you're not 10000% sure that you can shoot to kill, the only thing you're gonna do is get yourself and everyone around you dead.

Period.

A weapon is a *massive* escalation. Meanwhile, the tool that really gets you out of deadly trouble in a fascist dictatorship?

A silver tongue and steely guts.

(2/?)

Resistance is about far, far more than the image we have in our heads of the brave French resistance fighter in WWII. It's making the gears of their fascist machine grind. Drop a little sugar in the right gas tank. Lose important paperwork and records. Follow all the rules, *exactly,* in excruciating detail, explaining to the fascists that their superiors will come down on you if you don't.

(3/?)

Fascism is a machine. All machines have moving parts. You don't attack the reinforced bits. And fascism, specifically, is a machine built to kill. When you take up the same arms, you're attacking them where they're strongest.

So, when you plan your resistance, unless you're a very rare sort--probably with preexisting military experience--don't plan for a violence that you can't and won't win.

(4/?)

Governments are nowhere near as omniscient as you think, and have nowhere near enough resporces to follow up on what data they do have.

Wanna resist? One of the very best things you can do is look suspicious as fuck while doing *absolutely nothing* illegal.

Consume their resources. Frustrate the machine. *That* is how you save lives. Not weapons. Not for the overwhelming majority of you.

Leave that trouble for those truly prepared for it.

(5/5).

Addendum:

What the fuck, people?! I talk about how bad an idea it is to arm yourselves and a bunch of yall start arguing about blades and homemade bombs instead of firearms?! When I said weapons and not firearms, I meant ***all*** weapons.

This is not a fucking movie. This is your lives. All your posturing is gonna do is get you and the people around you dead.

Knock it off, dummies.

@Impossible_PhD I train with bladed weapons (well, blunt ones) every week, and the thought of using them in self-defense is fucking stupid. Like what's the plan here? You get jumped and then expect to have a minute to pull a knife out of your bag? Or walk around with one in your hand whenever you feel unsafe, thus pre-escalating any confrontation? A knife is an offensive weapon, not a defensive one. They only get more people hurt.

No, your first plan should always be to de-escalate and defuse the situation. Keep your hands low, make it clear you're not interested in a fight. Don't brandish anything at anyone.

Your second plan, if you can, is to run. Keep an eye on your escape routes, don't let people back you into a corner.

Only after both those options are exhausted should you turn to fighting. And the only "weapon" I'd recommend is a good stout umbrella. It's not perceived as a weapon, meaning you can still de-escalate with one in your hand. You can give someone a swift knock in the jaw or round the head to daze them, or you knock the knife out of their hand, and then you run.

Self-defense is about getting away safely, not escalating a confrontation into a fight.