– Cross-posted –
Several years ago I was invited into a private Facebook group of conservatives in the arts and entertainment industry. Some of the members were proud OUT conservatives and some hid their conservatism because Cancel Culture was already running wild throughout that industry.
I have always been unashamedly and vocally OUT. I wear a few different hats in that industry but identify mostly as a cartoonist (my preferred pronouns are zip / pow). Indeed I slowly but surely became a pariah in that industry, but I had other jobs in graphic arts that paid the bills.
All members were interested in advancing conservatism, and especially in creating conservative content in their chosen artistic fields. Some people in the group were energetic motivated people, and some just hung around and cracked jokes. I must admit that I mostly just hung out. I was not out to set the world on fire, I just enjoyed their company. It was interesting. I piped up if I thought I had a good idea or strategy for something, but I can’t say I was a Mover or a Shaker.
The schoolyard humor of some of the jokesters grated on me. That, and a growing chorus of Trump bashing in the months leading up to the 2016 race grossed me out, and I politely but permanently left the group.
Fast Forward to late 2020. Censorship and silencing and “fact checking” became more and more pervasive until it became alarming. I moved from Facebook to MeWe in late 2020 and tried to get other conservatives to jump ship. That attempt was futile. But the events of and reactions to the Trump DC rally of January 6 caused an even stricter, faster crackdown by the Socialist Elites, and that finally caused a somewhat migration from facebook. Mmore and more people started showing up on MeWe.
I saw conservatives that I know filtering in. I started a Private, Invitation Only, Vetted group of conservatives on MeWe and invited some old friends, several of whom were people that I like from the old Facebook group. A couple of days later, I was invited into a splinter group that had splintered off from the old Facebook group, and I accepted that invitation. So, now I am in two Private conservative groups on a free public platform. I am also a subscriber at bill whittle.com and participate in the Members blogs, forums and chats.
For a few days, as everybody was scrambling to leave facebook and find a place to park, brainstorming activity and information sharing was high in my MeWe group. I was the rabble rouser, pushing and prodding everyone to get on the ball. It was interesting and felt like we were at least working TOWARD something fruitful. Now, a few days after that, the group is practically a ghost town.
The Splinter group that invited me in was never active. One person started the group, and invited all of the members from the facebook incarnation. There was a little bit of chatter along the lines of “How does this place work? Is this place SAFE?” After that, silence. I posted a lot in there and asked for ideas, input, help. Two people actually stepped up and responded to a couple of small requests. That’s about it.
I joined billwhittle.com after hearing a podcast about the brainstorming and the systems organizing that was going on there. Bill has some good insights into the problems we face, and some good ideas about fixing them. He is also extremely motivated and productive. It also seemed to be a place where actual critical thinking and analysis and testing and innovation was happening. It still does, but already there is much grumbling about the lack of a lightning rod Alpha steering the group, and the directions it has veered into, and the firewall between Bill and the members.
This has been a great disappointment. Nearly all of the people I have known, and who I meet today, have a roaring fire in the belly when all they have to do is share outrage links and memes. Or when they are working on some artistic endeavor that will “make a difference” while growing their brand.
But now that it’s crunch time, the Mewe groups have all retreated into a shell. Or maybe they all just sneaked off to start a new group where they don’t have to listen to me nag? People still shitpost and roar, and make fun of AOC, but actually doing something that will actually MATTER, like a mass exodus from facebook? Too much trouble for them.
The members of bill whittle.com still seem motivated and determined. But the grumbling is increasing, and the outrage sharing. Actual systems development and strategies get DISCUSSED but rarely translate into action and organization. There does not seem to be any organizational structure and management of the members area, no intentional and qualified Team Building.
The lack of Get Up And Go I am seeing from Our Side is bugging the crap outa me. I think we are ac tally in a bit of a crisis right now, and most of the people who boldly cry “Don’t Tread On Me” seem to think that cry, together with their Great Idea for an America First children’s book, is enough to make tyrants stop treading on them. At this point, bill whittle.com is the BEST gathering spot for real action. If anybody knows of one better, please tell me about it. I can be found in the members area of bill whittle.com, and on MeWe. On MeWe, I am mewe.com/i/markmartin88. At billwhittle.com I am quite simply Mark Martin.
Thanks.
12 replies on “Take Me To Your Leader”
I left FB a while ago, back in the midst of the scandals about them selling data to China. TikTok is much the same. I’ve never been on it. Snapchat is another one I have no interest in. In terms of active communities, this is why I posted in the forums asking about a Discord server. I know several productive ones for people doing real things, building communities to exchange ideas and make a difference. People like Tim Pool, Stefan Molyneux, the Weinsteins, Sargon of Akkad, Adam Crigler, Daisy Cousens, etc.
I consider myself somewhat tech savvy, but have barely even heard of MeWe.
Although my political compass says I’m center-right, I tend to refer to myself instead as an ultra-centrist. The reason for this is partly cuz some of my views are more classically liberal, but also tactical more than anything. By abandoning typical tribal labels and positioning myself in the center, it enables me to more easily relate to others since they aren’t reacting in red-team-blue-team fashion, so much as engaging me as an individual. It gets them to lower their defenses.
I’d written about this on my personal blog about “Healing the Divide” and about “Ending the Culture War.” Think of how many wise people out there whose politics you aren’t entirely sure of.
You may enjoy Scott Adams’ podcast. He considers himself Classic Liberal. I do too on many social issues. Actual honest classical liberalism is not so scary.
I gotta solidly choose the conservative side now, at this point in history. No more “benefit of the doubt” to the radicals who are ruining everything.
Scott is one of my greatest teachers. ^_-
Thanks for all of the input folks.
I am proud of EVERYONE who is actually doing ANYTHING productive, which is probably most of the people here. I am disgusted with the throngs of people out there who can’t even muster up the resolve to leave facebook, and just keep their mouths shut about all of it because they are afraid to upset relationships and bla bla bla. But I repeat myself.
Allison asks “Which single issue” – Well, let’s take a vote, if that is the way to go, pick a “most crucial” issue and focus on that.
My answer is do anything we can to build and promote a new media. A good start would be a platform just like this one, with Donald J Trump involved. I pray he is working on something like that. Like it or not, he is the figurehead for Trumpism, and he need sto stop “hiding in the basement” like Sleepy Joe. So waht if Twitter banned him? He could start tweeting out messages anywhere, and at least 75 million people, plus the bullshit media, would be following his every word.
I’m sure Bill W would be very happy to have Trump “tweeting” from here.
That’s just an example of how to grow a new media. I’m not saying Trump has let us down. I’m saying that is the kind of thing that needs to happen. We all need to coalesce around something.
NEWSMAX, OAN, all of the other great podcasts like Bill’s should all be on some hub like rumble (just an example – I have no idea if rumble is the best answer) and grow huge. SmartTVs should be able to play that channel, the same way we can watch youtube on SmartTV. Add great content, grow, add, grow
In the Art iof the Snub, Bill W talks about going around the bloated stinking carcass of DC politics to build a new way of campaigning, electing and governing. Watch the Art of the Snub again, if that part did not grab you by the hair and jerk your head around. That is what inspired me to become a member here.
Anybody here want to volunteer to be the “head of Organizing”? I can’t find an area like that here on this site. Did I miss it? Can somebody direct me to the organizational hub here?
Is there a place where action ideas are aggregated? There should be. I have some ideas I would put there.
THANKS, FOLKS. You all rock and roll.
Thanks for answering, Mark.
Excellent article. Too many people with skin in the game are doing plenty of talking, but not much doing.
Bill is the ideas man, it’s up to others to take the lead and create the movement. If Bill was the leader he wouldn’t have time to do any media work. It needs to be a groundswell of American people creating movements (such as the recent Gamestop one) that gets stuff done.
People like myself, who are not American and do not live there, really can only help with suggestions, throw money and do a bit of online support. It’s down to those with social security numbers to write to their leaders, run for office, start campaigns and all the rest.
On which single issue would you prefer to focus your action? Election integrity? Immigration? Critical Race Theory? Wuhan virus tyranny? The assault on free speech? Gender equity? The Second Amendment? Teaching the Constitution? Something else? Maybe a specific local issue currently causing controversy in your area? I’m not saying I have all the answers, but I’d be happy to share some ideas if you’re interested.
I applied to be a People’s Rights Area Assistant recently, contacted people to request nominations and have been invited to serve. I am only just on the margin and warming in to what the organization does and how I can support the mission. There is nothing in that for me to brag about or declare, so it isn’t something I would have shared for its own sake except you seem to need to see that some people are doing more than wailing and gnashing teeth on the internet. There may be others active in the background doing other things.
I hear your frustration, it is the same frustration most of us feel. (Be warned this is long)
Maybe the issue is one that rattles around in my head often. We are actively telling these leftist groups, that we are their enemies by the choices and are leaving a trail of evidence. What I am saying is that by registering, supporting, or speaking out, or maybe just moving to another platform, we are declaring war on them. The FBI and who knows whom else, can and have conducted surveillance on US citizens internet usage. They know who we are and what we say, if you don’t think so, then ask Snowden why he is still considered dangerous. Big tech has proven they are monitoring, collecting data, and determining intent just by their own actions. So please tell me I am paranoid..
Some of us have actively been burned, and when I say burned, I mean “They turned a flamethrower on us!” The opposition is not opposed to utilizing any and all tactics, media, legal, and illegal means to get us to shut up or worse.
Just from my personal perspective, it seems the enemy has the FBI(lock stock and barrel), DOJ(top to bottom), CIA, IRS, Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, US Military, all the Election Controls, UN, WHO, CCP, Iran, ANTIFA, BLM, World Banks, Federal Banks, and any number of other means to fully destroy anyone that actually causes them grief.
The issues becomes that these are not threats, the enemy will actually send goons, either wearing badges, or in black uniforms to your home. Facts prove that there are no repercussions to their goons, and if we fight back we end up in jail or dead.
Look what they have done, said, and covered up for a current President and a past President.
The old adage, “You brought a knife to a gun fight”, doesn’t quite represent the level of crazy we are fighting. “You brought a knife to a nuclear weapon fight” is more along the lines. I truly would not put it past the group we are fighting to literally nuke us just to win.
Show me where they haven’t been willing to “do whatever it takes” to get their end results?
Back to your original question of, “Why aren’t people actually doing anything?” Simple answer is self preservation.
I am not saying that we are not willing to pay the price, I am just saying understand what the likely repercussions are for the front line people, and anyone associated with them, leading the charge.
The enemy we fight doesn’t consider the repercussions of what they do and that is what makes them extremely dangerous.
They would cut the rope holding us both up from certain death just to say they killed us. They want to take my rights and protections, not understanding that by doing this they are also taking their own rights and protections.
How do you fight crazy?
This is the whole point. If we get too loud and in their face enough, they WILL come for us, and we don’t have a legal standing anymore to fight back as an individual or even as a small group. Doing so would be like soldiers in WWI going over the top with rifles facing machine guns and artillery. We will lose quickly unless we have a plan and lots of backup. If it comes to a shooting war, at least I know what to do. I’m not prepared for a psychological battle. The waiting for something to come together and happen is tearing me apart. I am a soldier, not a diplomat. I am willing to die to save my country. Give me a mission please!
Because it looks scary and there are risks we should just shut up, put up, and give up?
No. I will not.
Crazy needs to be culled not fought.