Lessons on the Internet and Politics

I have been following the political scene for almost 6 years now and it’s been quite a ride. I have met many people, been a part of many chats, group projects, and have written many articles. I have also run a telegram channel that has over 400 subscribers.  I have learned a lot over the years and do believe I have grown as a person and have a better understanding of the world.  I thank everyone who helped me along the way even if it did not end well for us. I also hope that my articles have helped inform people and spread ideas.

That said my time in being involved in politics is coming to an end. Partially due to burn out, and being disillusioned on how the online community behaves. I plan on ending the blog sometime this year and if I do continue to write on here it will probably be more about history. Before that happens however I still have a few more ideas that I feel obligated to write about and want to complete my translation of Eduard Liminov political biography.  One of my ideas is of course some lessons I have learned over the years through my study of politics and interactions online.  

1. Politics Is Complicated

Despite what the Republicans and Democrats would like to portray the political spectrum as being a black and white equation, as in for one to be right wing or conservative they must be pro free markets and small government. While for one to be on the left they have to be socially progressive, and support big government. This is a completely false dichotomy. You do not have to be pro free market to be a conservative. You do not have to be a progressive to be a socialist. In fact you do not have to be a part of the modern left or right either and no you do not have to be a fascist to do that either. The political world is large and complicated. There are many movements and ideologies both past and present that combine certain elements of both the right and left. In fact the left and right can be completely different from country to country. Nor is everyone on the left or right apart of the establishment or dissident sphere. There are a lot of different colors in the political sphere and spending time studying politics will show that. Along with showing that all sides can be right on some issues while being wrong on others.

2. Internet group chats are not political parties

I do not know why I still have to say this. Group chats can be a good place to meet like minded people and find resources like books, articles, and podcast. If the group chat is disciplined enough, they can start a community blog or podcast and every blue moon can form a small activist group. Political parties on the other hand require thousands to millions of people and many economic resources to be successful. This cannot be done by a group chat whose members are far apart from one another and whose members do not have resources to even compete with the mainstream. While the internet is a good place to spread ideas and messages.  You still need a strong real life presents and that’s simply something these group chats do not have on their own.

3. Read

Reading is such a neglected part of modern society that its pitiful. If you want to have an attempt at understanding the world, read as much as you possibly can. Not just political books but also history, philosophy, theology and other books. For one to be a wise thinker or leader he must be well rounded and must know history. As Philosopher George Santayana once said “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”  The internet is a great place to find books, audio books and articles on many subjects. It may take a little bit of digging and searching but you will eventually find what you’re looking for. Also do not just read one subject of politics or history but everything you can so you can be well grounded. One also needs to be well grounded in his or her own country’s political thought and history. Not just purely relying on foreign thinkers’ ideas because those thinkers are talking about their country and time reality, which is not always the same as one own country or present day. At the same time it is still good to read these thinkers for knowledge and maybe can lead to a possible answer for one’s own situation.

4. Stay away from shitposting and drama

These are some of the biggest reasons why the internet seems like cesspool of anti-intellectualism, and pettiness. A lot of people think they are a lot more important than they actually are. Most drama is extremely petite and unhelpful to grander goals.  Always be humble, serious, and respectful as possible when talking to others. If you do have a problem with someone you handle it privately. You do not go on live streams drunk cussing someone out and starting fights in public. If someone keeps going on about year old drama publicly and is attacking people for having any remote association with the person they have drama with, it’s best to slowly distance yourself. Sometimes the best way to handle drama is not to say anything at all.

Shitposting is also very unhelpful. It degrades the conversations in group chats, when there can be some serious discussion and debate going on. It’s especially unhelpful when people are actually trying to have an honest conversation. That said its okay to joke around every once in a while, but never joke or talk about doing violence or crimes because that can get you in serious trouble with the authorities and make your entire political scene look bad. You may think people do not get arrested for that, but they do or at least have authorities come knocking on their door.

5. Take a break from the internet

As stated in previous points, the internet can be a great place to learn and meet like-minded people, but it can be a very lonely place at time and can consume a lot more of your time than what is actually needed. Do not neglect family or friends or other real-life obligations. Being on the internet for too long can warp one’s reality to a point where one becomes extremely bitter or goes crazy. Take breaks, hang with friends, take up new hobbies like sports, hiking, or gardening. Do stuff like working out, cleaning your room, or reading a book to self-improve. If you are serious about your ideas, you have to improve yourself so you can be the best representative of your ideas.   And for the love of God stay away from TikTok and porn, that will fry your brain.

6. Compromise

We must always remember that there will always be factions within one’s server, political group, local community, and country.  It’s best to compromise with others and not cause sectarian conflict, especially within one’s group.  Compromise should always come first, and conflict should always be a last resort because a group is stronger when it’s united. A house divided cannot stand for long. In a world that is so divided its best to keep as many friends as possible in every place imaginable.