Judging from social media, Assadist political forces significantly outnumber those who stand with the Syrian revolution against Assad’s dictatorship. Imagine how it seems to Syrians under aerial & artillery bombardment now for seven years against an alliance of some of the most barbaric military forces in the world with relatively small international antiwar response & shouted down on social media by Assadists. Palestinians, Rohingya, Kashmiris, Afghans, Iraqis, Somalis, Libyans, & others sustain the same barbarisms & vilifications.
There is no hope for social change if we spiral into cynicism, demoralization, & hopelessness. We never toy with the odds but stand steadfast against war, occupation, persecution, genocide, knowing that the majority of human beings agree with us & reach out to them with confidence & commitment. The problem of popular passivity is the problem of confusion & hopelessness. Our mission is to trust in the good will of most human beings & challenge the propagandists, trolls, & Islamophobic fellow travelers who make up the lion’s share of Assadism on social media. If we want a world suitable for children to come of age in, to live & love in, we have no other choice.