can’t imagine why… 😅 thanks for engaging with the community and making this a place more than an echo chamber

Like I said, take it or leave it, but “left” vs. “leftist” is being lost on most people in the exchanges that I’m reading here on Nostr, regardless of what they “should” know. I just think that in these charged conversations, nuance is often lost. Gotta keep it at a 3rd grade reading level, and “leftist” as a technical term ain’t it

I just think all these terms get thrown around haphazardly by most people. Right wing politicians would love to blur the lines between Leftist and left-ish. So even though you might be using it in a more technical way, I just don’t think that’s how it’s always perceived, especially for those who aren’t actually that involved in politics, and don’t really know the difference. You can take this advice or leave it, but I think you’d get less pushback if you subbed “leftist” for “left extremist” or something like that.

the people in the comments are saying this not to fight with you, but because they know you’re one of the best we’ve got, and we don’t want to lose you to the political whirlpool that seems to suck in everything good. In the last few days, your posts have used the term “leftist” far more than ever before, and specifically I think you are referring to “left extremists”, which you outline in one of your posts, but for most, I don’t think this is obvious. The term “leftist” is NOT universally accepted to mean an extremist on the left. For most people, it just means that they have more liberal leaning political views. That is the dictionary definition of a “leftist”. So when moderate liberals who are a fan of you and your work read your posts and are moved to comment that you are being divisive, I think it’s because they feel like you’re lumping them into this category. I think it’s a really good thing for Trey to step in because he can be a foil to you in some ways, to rally the Nostr-left around productive, unifying perspectives. In this particular case the person who died aligns strongly with your personal choices and values as a father, Christian, American, etc. and that is something that I can respect deeply on a personal level. But I think that the outcry from your followers on Noster is due to the fact that you have been such a leader in a bigger mission that unifies a diverse group of perspectives. Of course it is your choice if you want to use your platform to switch your focus, but I think I speak for many of us who hope that you’ll keep pushing in a direction that focuses on these universal truths and rights that we as Americans believe in that bridge the gaps between left and right: personal freedoms, and sovereignty. You and I undoubtedly disagree on a lot of personal issues, but I respect your perspective and I am grateful for your championing of these universal rights that can unite people of all viewpoints.

Agreed, and I certainly see plenty of that from some people here, but I also see plenty of people engaging in good faith, who are misunderstanding the intent whether because they genuinely don’t understand (see point about 3rd grade reading level) or because they are bringing a bias into the conversation. Maybe you’re not going to change many minds that are already biased in one direction, but you can certainly avoid pushing away those who don’t understand. And the optimist in me wants to believe that with the right message you might even find common ground with a few of the biased participants who are genuinely open to hearing other perspectives.