Some cases is an understatement. Ever since The_Donald and Kekistan, Pepe has become a hate symbol due to the wide adoption by far right trolls. Pepe might've never meant to be that, but neither was the Swastika or the roman salute, or other symbols that the Nazis adopted for themselves. The more pressing issue is that you should really not give people on Steam the benefit of the doubt of arguing in good faith. The whole gamergate movement is alive and well there.

[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

As I said before I reject your premise about pepe and it's use. And the swatsticka is a false equivalence.

I have seen zero substantiation of this overly broad statement except for some ADL fundametalists making claims and the alt-right whacos making claims. I consider both camps equally fringe.

Also keep telling all these people they are racist loonatics.. at some point they might start to believe you are make it a self fulfilling prophecy. The alt right does the same.. we co-opt the meme and tell people they are one of us.. because we meme the same we must be the same.. or something..

[–] DarkThoughts@fedia.io -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I have seen zero substantiation of this overly broad statement except for some ADL fundametalists making claims and the alt-right whacos making claims.

I don't care for American institutions, I simply speak out of personal experience on that matter of what I experienced and seen firsthand in many places.

Also keep telling all these people they are racist loonatics.. at some point they might start to believe you are make it a self fulfilling prophecy.

Ah, yes. They're only racist because I called them racist. That's the typical bullshit excuse racists use, claiming that the other side pushed them to become racist.

Here we see that you are also arguing in bad faith, and not just out of ignorance.

[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Could the first point on anecdotal evidence be that you see very specific instances. And/or confirmation bias? I'm not saying your observations are invalid... Just maybe not representative for the bulk of use cases.. pepe is in reaction emojis on discord.. in gifs on keyboards.. and he is just silly. Does that mean all people that use them are aware of what the dogwistle to some might be.. I'd argue .. they are not.

And I think that in regards to calling people racist for doing innocuous things does have the potential to alienate people from your stance and that void is something the alt right gladly fills. And I think that is a danger that should be acknowledged. And I don't mean be kind to open Nazis.. I more mean "don't ascribe to malice what can easily be explained by incompetence".

[–] DarkThoughts@fedia.io -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Discord is equally full of racist gamergate incels. Not sure what keyboards you're referring to that have any sort of gifs, but I also fail to see how any of that is prove of it not being used by those people.

And if you think crying about black NPCs in video games, or other anti-woke shit, is not being racist / hateful, then you're just part of the same problem.

I've posted in elsewhere already but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P55t6eryY3g

[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

There you go again.. creating this distance and making me out as a bad guy.. I'm wondering what your end game is?

So is discord a Nazi bar? Is that what you are saying? Because I've found myself in plenty of discords of games that have fun low key communities with an image of peppe holding a cool sign amongst all the other game and internet nonsense..

And yes the radicalization pipeline is freaking scary. But keep in mind that constantly alienating people like what you seem to be doing.. creates the vacuum to be filled.

Years ago when Rogan was still a rube interviewing deer hunters, taxidermists, astronauts and other real people.. I Nopee out when the peterson, Jones lineup became common.. I saw the swing happening.. it was vicious.. and I'll bet they took a whole swath of his audience with them.

The left needs to provide a narrative, something that people can latch on to and aspire to.. to pull them in, because the policies and goals are what we all need. At this moment screetching, calling everyone a Nazi and alienating people is not helping anyone..

[–] DarkThoughts@fedia.io -3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't alienate anyone other than those who clearly are hateful and toxic in nature, including trolls arguing in bad faith, such as you who loves to put words into my mouth. And I'm not a "screeching" libtard or whatever your US centric green hair memes are.

Rogan has always been a far right pundit btw. That's kinda the point I'm trying to make here. Radicalization happens not by telling people to swing the Nazi flag, but subtly through stupid memes and how woke culture is going to ruin their lives.

[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

With friends like you...

[–] DarkThoughts@fedia.io -1 points 1 day ago

I don't know what entitlement drives you to believe that I should make friends with toxic and hateful individuals.