As someone who is into tech, science fiction, anime, and other things considered nerdy, it baffles me when people say that they have become woke or left leaning on the political spectrum. They always have been woke, or left leaning, in some way.
How much to the left they have been, can de debated and even said that it depends on the subject, creator, or community being talked about. But, all of these thing have been woke and left leaning for a long time. Many have been one of the outlets for creativity, and expression, that people in the left and minority communities, have had for decades. The conservative right has always shown no interest, and even repulsion, for all of these thing.
The sole exception is when they want to profit from the people who use, want, or are interested in these things. Specially with tech, which is where the left and right crash more often and in the open on how to handle the balance between profit and users rights.
It is worse when those in the right accuse those left leaning communities to becoming radicalized just because they voice concerns, or even disagreements, with their behaviors or where they want to take something. Just expressing any of these isn't becoming a radical, is just a natural way to let it be know where those people stand on something.
And when people, or communities, become radicalized it in answer of something. Most often than not, is the response to a radical move to the right. Radicalization doesn't happen in a vacuum, it is an answer to something. And while the have been some radical left people doing questionable things, most of questionable things that have happen have come from the right or in answer to something that right did.
Honestly, more left leaning people in tech, science fiction, anime, and such need to start to take a stance on things. Not just to make a stance, but to start a dialogue with everyone that has an stake. We all not need to agree on everything, but at least we all should be part of the dialogue to make things better.
And not everyone has to have a stance on everything, but at least on matters that they claim are important to them.
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