Derek Powazek 🐐Aug 5, 2024
What if voting wasn’t something you did to express your personal preference? What if it was something you did to protect the people you love?
Show threadDerek Powazek 🐐Aug 5, 2024

I keep hearing people I know who I thought genuinely cared for the people on the ragged edges of US society saying that they’re not going to vote for Harris. I wish they’d see voting as a thing we do *for each other* instead of something that speaks to your own self-centered opinion.

It’s just moral narcissism - the idea that how it makes you feel about yourself is the most important thing. It’s wildly, WILDLY selfish. And these are the same people who lecture others about privilege.

Wild.

Show threadDerek Powazek 🐐Aug 5, 2024

People say I shouldn’t shame others for not voting, but fuck that. We have this one lever we get to pull. This one task. If you can’t make that bare minimum requirement to participate in a democracy, I have no goddamn respect for you. You’re not more morally pure for opting out, you’re just a petulant child.

Voting isn’t everything, but it’s the first thing. If you have this right that so many fought and bled for and you don’t use it, shame on you.

Show threadDerek Powazek 🐐
And if you’re so radical that you’re willing to take up arms to fight fascism, but you’re not willing to cast a vote for someone who isn’t perfect, you’re no radical, you’re just a fucking poser.
Aug 5, 2024 at 1:32amWeb
Show threadAmy DentataAug 5, 2024
@fraying I doubt the ability of someone to start a revolution if they can't even fill out a form
Show threadDerek Powazek 🐐Aug 5, 2024
@amydentata omg that’s good
Show threadRalph058 (S/he/it) AF4EZAug 5, 2024
@fraying ...especially when the poser has a choice between someone who will let them be a poser and someone who will put the posers in a gulag
Show threadᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIESAug 5, 2024

@fraying

louder for the toxic idealists in the back:

if you don't #vote, you don't have morality, you have self congratulatory ego masturbation

belief without action is not morality. withholding action when the stakes are clear on things you *say* you care about is not highmindedness, it's impotency

one order out: not being aware of the stakes makes you absurdly clueless

and finally "both sides the same" is a moronic lie. i will consider you a russian troll for that in intellectual charity

Show threadjz.tuskAug 5, 2024

@benroyce @fraying

You're cutting yourself out of the process.

After Nov 2024 I expect to frequently be asking "Who did you vote for?". If the answer isn't "Harris", I'll know it's not worth spending my energy engaging with you.

"Harris, reluctantly", or "Hated myself, but in the end Harris" are fine, just fine. Voting often involves unpleasant options, and I'll be thankful to you that you did a difficult thing.

Show threadJeremy (יעקב) 🇺🇦Aug 6, 2024

@benroyce

Most just like the aesthetics of rebellion and violence... it's just another way of glorifying hatred and death for those you think are "bad" for society.

Doctor Who had a really good episode on this: "Truth or Consequences". The problem is not with wanting "revolution" it's that people aren't thinking about the after revolution. At a certain point, unless you just want 24/7/365 war and death (which a good portion do want), you need to become the person arguing against revolution and finding a way to incorporate other views. And then you're right back where you started, needing to vote. The only difference is how many people you killed and made suffer.

So, unless the goal is increasing that number, you vote.

#Politics #Philosophy #Revolution #BurnItAllDown #BIAD #DoctorWho #BBC #Rebellion #Violence #Death #Suffering #CivilWar #USPol #Europe #EU

Show threadᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIESAug 6, 2024

@imstilljeremy

exactly

say those romanticizing revolution somehow live through the endless suffering death and injustice of an actual civil war

what appears on the other side?

well, as stakeholders in the glorious struggle, they get a voice in the decisions the new govt makes

that means they, uh, will vote?

setting aside those who think "no govt" is possible and the warlords that appear in the vacuum of power

and set aside those who want a left leaning totalitarian govt

Show threadnullpotentialAug 5, 2024
@fraying lol fuck you how about that
Show threadStuartBAug 5, 2024

@fraying
This is something I never could, and probably never will, understand.

"I don't agree with anything he says, but she isn't quite aligned with my beliefs either, so I'm not going to vote!"
And I've noticed there are 2 separate and distinct types of people who do this - those who are well enough off that they will barely notice the hit to their livelihood that letting The Other Guy win will entail, at least at first, and those who will suffer the most.
And I dont get either of them.

Show threadTexty the BardAug 5, 2024

@stuartb @fraying One is privilege and the other is fatalism.

There's also the third crew: the ones who think if things get horribly worse, then "complacent" public will have no choice but to fight in their bloody revolution. But seeing as how even a pandemic that killed a million plus due to malevolent mismanagement didn't trigger that, nothing else will, either.

Show threadStuartBAug 5, 2024
@textualdeviance
I don't think Fatalism covers it - it's people actively voting to be hurt.
It seems to be more prevalent in the US, what with "The American Dream" and all, but over here in the UK, there are quite a few people convinced that they are dirt poor because "The Left" are keeping them poor with rules and regulations, and they would be millionaires within weeks if all the rules were removed by Conservatives.
@fraying
Show threadTexty the BardAug 5, 2024
@stuartb @fraying Oh, poor conservatives are a whole 'nother ball of wax (combo of racism and hating other poor people is usually involved.) I was thinking more of other marginalized groups. Some I've seen are just in a learned helplessness state. They figure their lives are going to be shit no matter who wins, and only a massive revolution will change anything, so there's no point expending the effort to vote.
Show threadpcfascistAug 5, 2024
@fraying How does voting for a political party that has been moving to the right for my entire lifetime, nearly 50 years push the progressive values forward? I suspect it will just end with kids still in cages, drones still killing people overseas, bombs still being sold to support genocide, more support for fossil fuels to be produced domestically.
Show threadDerek Powazek 🐐Aug 5, 2024
@pcfascist doomerism is unwelcome in my comments.
Show threadWeyoun 6Aug 5, 2024
@fraying
Show threadFrigid Crystal Tormented WrathAug 6, 2024
@fraying I'm not willing to vote for Fascists and the main parties in america have not and will not provide that alternative.
Show threadDerek Powazek 🐐Aug 6, 2024
@Rasp Democrats are a lot of things, but they’re not fascists. Please live in the real world.