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Neotoddlerism: Political activism through temper tantrums [1]
['Ellsworth Toohey']
Date: 2024-09-10
"The ease with which dramatic behavior gets attention online has convinced many political activists that a better world doesn't require years of patient work, only a sufficient quantity of drama," writes Gurwinder in The Prism. "Many activists on both the Left and Right now hope to bring about their ideal world the same way a spoiled brat acquires a toy they've been denied: by being as loud and hysterical as possible. This is neotoddlerism: the view that utopia can be achieved by acting like a three-year-old."
From his essay:
The nuisance-protests of right-wingers are primarily attempts to relieve their frustrations at not getting what they want. As such, they typically take the form of straightforward thuggery and hooliganism: starting fires, overturning cars, and hurling bricks.
In contrast, Left-wing nuisance-protests tend to be less about relieving frustration and more about getting attention directly. As such, they're usually more calculated and creative: throwing soup over paintings, releasing insect-swarms into hotels, or, most recently, painting the hands of a statue of Anne Frank red.
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