Desperate times/Desperate Measures

Did you ever feel a need to write something and try to stop yourself? Did you ever feel like sharing something with the world and know it could get you into trouble? Did you ever look at your fingers typing out a message that you knew you should probably never show to anyone because it was decidedly not on the nice side? Did you ever read something that set you off and wish you hadn't?

This is me writing the piece that I shouldn't. This is me saying what needs to be said even though I know it should come from someone else. This is me, having read the impassioned plea of a good man and just not agreeing with him, not because he's a bad person, but because he may very well be a better person than me. That much being said, sometimes the world needs a person that is not nice. Sometimes, telling the evil people to go away isn't good enough. Sometimes, negotiation is not a good thing. I may be an asshole for writing this, but at least I won't be Neville Chamberlain.

This weekend, Youtuber and gaming enthusiast Jeremy Hambly went to Gencon with the intention of playing some games and hanging out with his fellow nerds. I get that. I've gone to cons myself. For those of us who grew up as nerds, they're like heaven only better. You get to hang out with other smart people. You get to spend time with people who have the same passions you do. People at cons seriously GET THE FREAKING JOKE! Either you get what you just read or your nerd card is permanently revoked. That's why it's worth it to go to a con.

So our friend Jeremy, who is an open Conservative, walks into Gencon and begins enjoying himself. I'm not sure exactly what his day looked like. I wasn't there and, even if I had been, I wouldn't have been following him around taking notes. So here he is, doing his thing when a fellow fen walks up and asks if he is Jeremy Hambly. Jeremy confirms that he is indeed himself. Then Jeremy gets sucker punched several times by Fandom Asshole A who flees the scene afterward. Cue the normal BS about "Nazis" and "Fascists", etc. That's bad enough.

What makes it worse is that Gencon has refused to address the matter. They've gone so far as to ban people from their Twitch feed for speaking out about the beating. They actually locked their Facebook page so that no one could comment on it as well. I'm sorry, but this is clear evidence of a cover up. They're supporting Hambly's attacker by refusing to denounce him. Their reaction makes it clear that they wish to see more Conservatives take beatings at their con. If they had a problem with violence at their con, they would have made the fact public by now.

I'm trying to be careful here, because Hambly himself has asked people not to come down hard on Gencon but I'm failing miserably. I get the fact that everyone wants to calm the situation. I get the fact that things are getting out of hand. I know Hambly, and Richard Paolinelli who I linked above, want to put the genie back in the bottle. It's a normal human reaction. I just don't think it's going to work.

I am, myself, a student of history. I've got a Bachelor of Arts in History from Oakland University, class of 2010. I've studied both "The History of European Nationalism" (where I wrote a paper about the use of Nazi propaganda during the fighting in the East) and "The History of Europe Since 1915." Throw that in with a semester of "Capstone in European History" that was Holocaust themed and I've learned a lot about both the Nazi Party and the true Fascist Party, which was Mussolini's party in Italy.

Would you like to know what the true, defining characteristic of Fascism is? It's the use of violence against political opposition. Hitler's SA, also known as the Brown Shirts, and Mussolini's Black Shirts were both movements of men who walked around physically beating and intimidating people whose opinions they disagreed with. The closest analogue to either in the modern American political context is Antifa, and the fact that they claim to be against Fascism is irrelevant. Oh, and the Italian Fascist Party did not have racism as part of their platform so Antifa is no better there either. Held up to the light of a dispassionate analysis, Antifa is no different than their methodological forebears.

Which brings up "Bash the Fash." Even leaving aside the fact that Antifa are the true Fascists, this is the wrong type of attitude. Beating someone for their political beliefs leads only to totalitarianism and oppression. That's as true for us as it is for them. Both sides have the right to spout what they believe wherever and whenever they want and regardless of who feels offended. So yes, if some Leftist comes at you screaming some kind of typical Lefty SJW nonsense then they can do that. Don't get me wrong. You have the right to walk away. You have the right to argue with them, even if they accuse of you "violent language" like such a thing even exists. You have the right to get all butthurt and offended. Yep. People on our side do it too. You do not have the right to silence them. You damn sure DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO PUT YOUR HANDS ON SOMEONE JUST BECAUSE THEY SAID SOMETHING YOU DON'T LIKE.

But guess what you do have: A right to self-defense.

And guys, I'm telling you now that self-defense is a right that we all need to be ready, willing and able to use in the near future. As a student of history, I am aware of absolutely no incident where two sides of a political dispute stopped going at each other after a single act of violence. You can speak of turning points and what might have been prevented, but it has never happened that way. There is no reason to think that this one will. Things have been escalating for too long and if our opponent is willing to use physical violence, our only chance at victory is to be better at it than they are.

There are those among you who are not going to want to read what comes next. This is your chance to click the eject button.

Do not start the real violence, by which I mean physical action as opposed to "violent words." If, however, it becomes necessary to defend yourself do it to the best of your ability. Prepare yourself for violence before going to a con. Physically most fights don't last long so know where to hit someone to put them down quickly. The mental aspect is harder. Most people don't like to hurt other people. Think your way through the problem. Force yourself to realize that if someone is coming at you they don't have your best interests at heart. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that yes, you may feel bad about hurting someone afterward but you have to be alive to feel anything at all. And most of all, find a way to arm yourself. If you have a license to carry a concealed pistol, do so. If you have a Gandalf cosplay wear it and don't forget your staff. If you're going as Thor, get a five pound sledge and make it look like Thor's Hammer. If nothing else, find a rock that fits in the palm of your hand. It'll add weight to a punch and make your fist more solid. Don't let anyone know what it really is unless you have to use it. And if, heaven forbid, you're forced into a self-defense situation do what is necessary. Put that threat down HARD. A person that is still standing is still dangerous. Keep them down once they're there.

Also, as far as the mental aspect of things goes, remember this: No one ever won a war (and we're most likely headed for one if we're not already there) by limiting themselves to the level of violence that their enemy was willing to use. If you're not willing to hurt them worse than they hurt you, you've already lost.  The key to winning using "proportional warfare" is to remember that you're using violence proportionally to your objective, not to what the enemy is using. Don't do what feels good, do what works well. It sucks, but there it is.

For the record, I'm not hear to celebrate or excoriate Jeremy Hambly for what he says on his Youtube Channel. I've never watched a single episode. I can, therefore, not comment about it's content whatsoever. It's not about that for me. It's about the fact that a man was assaulted for his political beliefs and that the con was okay with it. It's about the fact that this isn't going to stop just because we said it should. It's about the fact that the only way to prevent an attack is to be prepared to defend against it. It's about the fact that being prepared to defend yourself may not be enough and you may have to actually defend yourself. God help us all. He may very well be the only one left who can.