Reaching Out to Moderates Only Normalizes Hate

Stop making excuses for abusers and start elevating survivors instead

Image by Walter Rhein

It has become increasingly clear that the people of the United States have to change their mindset. It’s time for some accountability. It’s time to stop clinging to the disastrous assumptions that brought us to this moment.

The more I write, the more I encounter deliberate obstacles deployed to prevent any progress from being made. I’m not talking about the blatant crimes and anti-humanity of MAGA. I’m talking about the apologists in the middle who, even now, insist the members of the right must have some redeeming virtue.

When is this nation going to wake up and realize that the Republican party is a crime syndicate? You don’t reach across the aisle to a venomous snake. Yet, when I express that opinion in a post, people are more inclined to denounce me than the actions of the lawless men who continue to protect child rapists.

“Hey now Walter, that’s not fair, you know it’s ‘not all’ of them.”

The #notall argument has become a massive red flag for me. It’s a sign that somebody is not only being disingenuous, they’re deliberately working to enable evil.

We will not survive unless we come together and recognize that our opposition has no redeeming qualities. They’re poisoning the water. They’re sabotaging our ability to produce food. They’ve destroyed our healthcare. They’ve robbed us of our bodily autonomy. They’ve impeded our ability to communicate with each other. They’re attempting to steal our future.

“Oh… Walter, you’re being so emotional. You know it’s #notall…”

The reason these arguments are so prevalent is because so many people continue to be duped by conservative publications that pretend to be liberal. We have to stop spinning our wheels and expecting a different result. We have to stop listening to pundits who have been bought and paid for by the oligarch class.

The headwinds I run into in my activism are produced by the bellows of false media. False messages proliferate, and I have to waste my time contesting the same arguments again and again.

So, let me just give you a simple reminder. In the era of the first trillionaire, you need to be DELIBERATE in who you support. Millionaires do not need your money. Millionaires are not on your side. Millionaires are never going to be on your side.

I get that it’s comforting to hope that there might yet be some powerful entity that will swoop out of the clouds to save us.

It’s not happening.

We are going to save ourselves, but it’s going to happen through community. It does no good to turn over your support to some rich entity that never platforms alternative voices and can’t be bothered to answer any of your queries.

Don’t be seduced by the lure of proximity to power. It’s all a lie. Those in power got that money by lying, cheating and stealing.

“Walter… #notall…”

Yes all, and if there are good ones among that class they will look around at the vile creatures who surround them and agree with me.

You should never make the assumption that just because somebody has money and power that is a proof that they must have talent. We KNOW that’s not the case. There are many among the ruling class who have never had to work a day in their life. They don’t understand your struggle. They do not care about your pain.

Don’t turn to them in desperation hoping that they will hear your pleas.

They won’t.

The people that will hear are the good men and women who are already around you. Don’t aspire to wealth. Instead, aspire to community. Answer the people who will show up for you. Talk to them. Reach out to them. That’s where our salvation can be found. Stop listening to the lies of the oligarch owned propagandists.

Listen to the real people.

As for me, I don’t consider myself a journalist. I leave that title to folks like Arturo Dominguez, A. Eevie Bateman and Shane Yirak. They’re doing great work in this dystopian timeline, and they often correct me when I make an inaccurate assumption.

But there are a few things I can offer.

I’m a writer. I’m also a dad and an educator. I’ve been around for 51 years. I remember a time before the lies of the internet evolved from an annoyance into a toxin absorbed through the eyeballs of all humanity.

I have an understanding of how narratives work and a grounded perspective. At this point, I don’t aspire to be rich. It’s too late for me anyway. My kids are nearly grown. My life is on the back 9. I’m not here to grift, I’m here to survive and to try to provide a bit of insight into how to live a meaningful life.

It’s no exaggeration that I would NEVER trade places with the richest man in the world. In him I see a vessel so empty and tormented by self loathing that he needs to destroy the whole planet to feel full. The same is true of the president. The same is true of many of those “massive” propaganda publications that claim to offer a “common sense” strategy, which is really just a recycled version of the same old nonsense that got us into this mess.

We are at the precipice of a new age. At some point, the people are going to have to realize we aren’t going to achieve a new reality until we adopt a new perspective. The way I see it, the most important change we have to make is to stop allowing saboteurs into our sphere.

The false actors, the white supremacists, the authoritarian patriarchs, and the malignant narcissists do not deserve our consideration. Whenever somebody says, “We have to appeal to the moderates,” they’re only leaving the gate open wide enough for the enemy to sneak in.

Let’s shut the door and defend our beliefs for a change!

Let’s cut away the chain and move forward confidently in the direction of our dreams!

Let’s stop listening to the criticisms that we’re terrible descendants, and instead aspire to be exceptional ancestors.

Above all, let’s stop allowing our abusers to reframe every narrative. In my personal life, I made the decision to cut out deceitful people long ago. No matter how desperately a scorpion insists it will not sting, I will not let one near my flesh. We do not owe that proximity to predators. We have a right to stand against them to protect our children.

Remember, the Epstein files transparency act required a full release on December 19th, 2025. At this point, it’s fair to say that the entire Republican party is participating in a coverup to spare child rapists from accountability. If that were not the case, they’d have used their power to demand accountability for the law the administration breaks every day.

Those of you reading this have to make the deliberate choice to shake off your trauma bond and support the women and men in your community who are sincere. Change is always terrifying, and working in pursuit of change requires dismantling our erroneous assumptions. That can be uncomfortable, but it’s not nearly as uncomfortable as dying of thirst because surveillance centers have used up all the water.

From this moment going forward, take heed of the false actors who give you a queasy feeling. The media has been captured as has our government, but your intuition will still inform you of the truth if you learn how to listen. Don’t waste your time on celebrity journalists or politicians who only repeat the same old lies that got us here.

We are in desperate times. We need new voices. Trust the individuals that your heart beseeches you to follow. Don’t put your faith in the “post and ghost” celebrities who take your support, ignore you, and continue to spew a sanitized message of oppression. Instead, turn to local leaders who elevate the people around them. Look for voices who listen to diverse viewpoints and practice compassion and accountability.

Stop trying to meet the impossible standard of our mythologized ancestors. They’re dead and gone and they are no longer relevant. Instead, think of your descendants. Think of your children. Theirs is the only opinion that matters.

StreetsOfPeru.com