INFORMATION ADDICTION: You’ve got to have the research bug. Knowing things, even the horrible things lurking in Nazi corners of the internet, is more appealing to you than not knowing things.
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After seeing some unfortunate recent comments about antifascist researchers, I'm doing a short thread demystifying what you really need to be one. You rarely get paid in a currency other than Nazi death/rape threats, but there are always plenty of openings! Here's what it takes:
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COMMUNITY-MINDED: You have a sense of responsibility to a community, broadly defined. You have to be motivated to share your information for the community good. You’re probably not the most extroverted person out there, but you do care, and you WILL put that care into action.
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THICK SKIN: Liberals will call you a radical. Radicals will call you a liberal. Right-wingers will call you everything but a child of God. Nazis will call your house and threaten to shoot your dog. You’ve got to shrug it all off or you’ll get discouraged and very quickly quit.
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STEEL STOMACH: Nazi propaganda is intended to affect its audience on a visceral level. You have to know your limits and keep yourself from getting too traumatized by all the nightmare fuel and genocide porn.
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BOOK LEARNING: Some researchers are firmly embedded in academia, some are entirely self-taught. But they all have some familiarity with longform studies of fascism and will geek out with other researchers over weird fascist lore.
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INFOSEC: You know how to follow information trails and also how to research without leaving a trail. You’re probably not a hacker out of Mr. Robot but you do have at least a basic understanding of IP tracing, Tor, PGP, VPNs, and so on.
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JUSTPLAINSEC: If you’re out there using your government name, you need a real-world security plan. Even if you research anonymously, it’s still a good idea in case you get doxxed. A lot of us own guns and know how to use them, even if we don’t wave them around like the fash do.
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And last but not least, DISRESPECT FOR THE LAW: Many researchers are leftists, anarchists, and veteran law-disrespecters. But even the more liberal among us soon develop a healthy disrespect...
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Police, the FBI and the legal system are at best, infrequently, “the enemy of my enemy”. At worst, they’re entirely ruled by white supremacist ideology and actively protect fascists against antifascists. The fight is never simple and two-sided.
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So if you fit the bill and want to be an antifascist researcher, jump in and start! The more the merrier. It's not a particularly safe or well-rewarded occupation, but like sanitation workers, it's a necessary one.
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End of conversation
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