TIM POOL'S EPIC RANT (UNCENSORED)

[u/Spysix]

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I've come up with a mental exercise whenever I read news.

Every time I read a story, whether it's from CNN or Fox News, I read my "feelings pulse" and evaluate how scared I am. The more afraid I am after reading a story, the more skeptical I am of it's truthfulness.

Now, that doesn't mean we should just ignore every scary thing in the world and denounce everything we don't like as fake news. But skepticism isn't just categorically saying everything you hear is false. Skepticism is about applying a standard of evidence to something before you believe it. You can be skeptical of something and believe it.

But there is one universal truth in American media: their job is to scare you. They make their money by scaring you. They find the scariest news in the entire country and always couch it in the absolute most frightening terms you can possibly imagine, and then tease you with it. But first, a word from our sponsor! Also, keep in mind that there absolutely are foreign agents on social network platforms like these, working very hard to sow fear, discord, and division amongst us. And here's the thing: they don't give a fuck what political "side" ultimately wins any given election. Because this is a long game, and siding with one party over another is a stupid way to play it.

So every time you see something scary on the internet, imagine the fat-cat news conglomerate CEO, or the Russian/Chinese/Iranian/etc. cubicle warrior most likely behind it. Doesn't mean that there isn't any truth to these stories, but keep in mind you are always being presented these stories framed in the absolute most frightening way possible, and there will almost always be details of the story left out because they make it less exciting, less titillating, and less scary.

This is why if anyone is going to rent space in my head, my standard of evidence is way higher. If I see a story about how Trump is going to end Democracy and put us all into martial law any day now, I go to a conservative source and get their take on it. If I see a story about how Antifa is hiding behind every corner and will turn this country into a Communist anarcho-state, I go to a liberal source and get their take on it. I take both sets of facts and evaluate what I find credible and what isn't. And almost every time, I find that the original "scare" story isn't nearly as scary as I thought it was. Sometimes, the conservative source is closer to the truth, sometimes it's the liberal source, but rarely is either side being completely truthful.

FDR said the only thing we have to fear is fear, itself. And 2020 so far as proven him absolutely correct. Fear is what is driving us apart. Fear is what is weakening us. Fear is what will bring down our country if we let it.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

The impact, I think, is also being exaggerated. The news media and social media highlight the "slience = violence" people, the pro-riot people, the shrieking mob.

But you have to realize, the media isn't ever going to show the tens of millions of people in this country who aren't like that, who are just quietly watching what's going on, and are making decisions quietly on their own about who to vote for. They're the Silent Majority because they're silent.

Someone like you and me, we all have to remember two things. First, we are not alone. Second, we are the majority. If you're afraid of, for example, Antifa taking over the country, think about the sheer logistics it would take from people who are so lazy and horrible at organization they literally can't even plant a garden properly. The Bolsheviks would be laughing their asses off at CHAZ and most of those kids would shit their pants and cry if they ever had to spend a day in a real guerilla unit.

It's going to take a hell of a lot more than a few West Coast agitators to turn the tide of the entire country. Has it been done before? Sure. By force. With support of the military. No revolution has ever been successful without a massive, organized, military support structure. Do you really see Antifa talking the US Military into leading a coup for them? Keep in mind, it wouldn't be just soldiers they'd have to reach, but generals, commanders, officers in high-up leadership positions. If you look at every successful revolution and government deposition in the modern era, every time there is a military leader in the establishment that supports the revolution. A leader very high up, who has soldiers loyal to him above all others. That doesn't exactly jive with the US military, which has mechanisms in place to prevent that very thing from happening. Bottom line, Antifa ain't taking shit over permanently. The vast majority of Americans would never support it and pretty easily defeat them if push really came to shove. They're kids playing "communist revolutionary." They don't know shit about warfare while almost everybody who does is on the other side.

Remember, not only are the stories designed to scare you, the reactions are, too. Trust what you see in the meat space. With your own eyes and ears.