TLDR If you care about the Palestinians then vote for Harris because her being president is useful for reaching a ceasefire.
The other post about this topic got locked as I was typing a reply. I feel like my comment is relevant to this discussion so I would like to leave it here. I would think this reply, the original comment, and this post are tightly related and are all about the same thing.
One thing I’ve learned this election cycle is how few people have any knowledge of utilitarianism. Genocide is better than genocide+1. Not acting is a moral choice, and frequently a cowardly one.
There is utilitarianism the ethical philosophy and there is utility. Utilitarianism is still a form a moral reasoning as it subjectively elevates the maximization of happiness and well-being. And what constitutes happiness and well-being is not universal. Utility is a method of analysis used to determine how effectively a stated action advances a stated goal. Utility relies on empirical evidence, observation and math, and is goal agnostic.
For many people on Lemmy, their goals are probably roughly summarized by wanting to end Israel’s genocide, Palestinian statehood, and general prosperity for the Palestinian people. Harris has stated multiple times that she wants a ceasefire. Trump has stated he thinks Israel needs to be allowed to finish what they started. Trump has also stated he’s going to be a dictator on day one and that his followers are never going to have to vote again.
Moral reasoning that is consistent with our goals paralyzes us in this case. Voting for a candidate whose administration oversaw and contributed to a genocide of Palestinians is subjectively immoral. Voting for a candidate who is threatening to complete a genocide of Palestinians is subjectively immoral. Not voting or voting third party when the candidate threatening to complete a genocide of Palestinians is favored by the electoral college in a FPTP system is subjectively immoral. We can subjectively state one of these options to be the lesser evil, but we have no empirical way to measure evil. Thus in theory, there is no way to form a consensus with subjective moral reasoning alone.
For people whose goal is to support the Palestinian people, it is useful to elect Harris, because someone in power who wants a ceasefire is a useful step to actually getting a ceasefire. Where as Trump will allow Israel to complete it’s genocide and end our democracy. This would allow Israel to continue it’s genocide indefinitely without US citizens ever being able to influence US foreign policy again.
Everyone is prone to moral reasoning. It’s intuitive and philosophers have been doing it since ancient times. In this case, there is a consensus around wanting to help the Palestinian people. But any given moral reasoning derived from our goal doesn’t necessarily lead us to a course of action that can help them. With a clear goal in mind, utility provides a clear-cut and consistent answer in the form of voting for Harris. edit: typo
Reposting my comment from the other thread because I was specifically asked to elaborate by @[email protected] but the thread got locked:
Previous comment
Honestly, I wonder how much of our disagreements do ultimately come down to moral philosophy. I see a lot of people making this comparison and I’d be happy to put aside the present political situation and step back to discuss a higher level of disagreement.
I am a consequentialist, and I would agree, in principle, that the correct decision in the trolley problem is to pull the lever. But that should always come with an extreme amount of disclaimers. There are no shortage of people throughout history who have made justifications for their actions on the basis of “the ends justify the means,” but often, they turned out to be wrong. To use an example, torture under the Bush administration was claimed to be justified on the basis of getting useful intelligence in order to save lives. But no such intelligence was ever extracted. Really, it was more motivated by revenge, or a desire to be the sort of cool antihero who does the stuff nobody else will that needs to be done, but “the ends justify the means” served as a rationalization. Another example like that (though perhaps more controversial) is the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The problem with applying the trolley problem to real life is that we are mere human beings of flesh and blood. We have a whole host of cognitive biases that mislead us even when we have the best of intentions. If we give our minds a way to justify things that we know are bad, it gives it an out that allows us to rationalize the irrational and justify the unjustifiable.
There are two practices that are necessary to apply in order to counteract these biases. First, it is necessary to adopt a set of strong moral guidelines based on past experience and historical evidence. Second, it is necessary to regularly practice some form of introspection or meditation in order to better understand where your thoughts and feelings arise from, and how they flow through your mind. Said guidelines do not have to be rigorously adhered to 100% of the time, but they should be respected, and only deviated from after clear, careful consideration, understanding why the guideline exists and why deviation from them is almost always bad.
“Base” consequentialism, where you recognize that pulling the lever in the trolley problem is the correct decision, but simply accept that as a guiding principle, is a terrible moral philosophy, worse than deontology and possibly worse than having completely unexamined moral views. Some of the worst atrocities in history are the result of that sort of “ends justify the means” approach, detached from a set of moral guidelines and detached from humility and self-reflection. I would even say, speaking as a communist, that many of the bad things communists have done in history are a result of that kind of mentality. Following moral rules blindly is preferable to breaking moral rules without first doing the necessary work to be trusted with breaking them.
There’s plenty more I could say on the topic but people always complain about my long posts so I’d better cut myself off there.
Elaboration:
The trolley problem isn’t intended to demonstrate that consequentialism is simply correct, as some people seem to think. Rather, it’s meant to highlight disagreements between different moral philosophies and present contradictions in our moral intuitions. There are two follow ups to the classic trolley problem: one involves pushing someone off a bridge to stop the trolley, and the other involves a doctor killing a healthy patient in order to harvest their organs to save the lives of five people who need transplants. While a majority of people agree with pulling the lever in the original problem, most people disagree with pushing the man off a bridge, and virtually no one agrees with harvesting organs from a healthy patient. This reveals an apparent contradiction in our moral intuitions. To adopt the principal that it is right to kill one to save five very quickly leads to conclusions that are widely condemned as morally abhorrent, and so a deeper examination is needed. Like most things in philosophy, the trolley problem is meant to raise questions, not answer them.
The deontological answer is to say that consequentialism is simply wrong, because it leads to those sorts of conclusions, but in my view this is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
The reason our moral intuitions scream at us not to push the man off the bridge or harvest organs is that these hypotheticals have unrealistic constraints and foreknowledge. In real life, it’s extremely unlikely that a trolley with enough force to run over 5 people would be stopped by one person, and it’s also not something we could possibly calculate with any degree of certainty ahead of time. Our physical intuitions get mixed up with our moral intuitions, and it’s difficult to actually accept the constraints of the hypothetical. The organ harvesting example is even worse. If the crime was ever revealed to the public, it would cause major damage to the reputation of the entire medical field, which would cause people to avoid potentially lifesaving treatments, and the doctor doing it would lose their license preventing them from saving who knows how many lives. Meanwhile, surgeries carry inherent risks and it is impossible to know with the certainty assumed by the problem that they will be successful, and there’s also the possibility that the other patients could miraculously recover. Moreover, the problem of not having enough organs could be addressed on a larger scale through policy without resorting to murder. The problem asks us to assume that every possible alternative is arbitrarily cut off and that we are 100% guaranteed to get away with it - which our brains rebel against, for very good reason. Many people commit crimes feeling certain that they’ll get away with it, but then get caught, and immediate, short term solutions often seem appealing, even when they might have very negative long term consequences or when a more cautious, long term approach might be wiser.
It might seem that I’m simply rejecting the validity of those hypotheticals altogether, and to an extent I am, but this analysis reveals something important. People often fail to consider all these different factors that might make a situation not as simple as the original trolley problem, even when they appear to be. That is the danger of “base” consequentialism, of applying the principle of “the ends justify the means” blindly and without due consideration of alternative solutions or of consequences that are not immediately apparent. It is generally very foolish to reduce things to the trolley problem when they are more complicated, and people who reduce the election to a trolley problem are making the exact same kind of error as people who reduce the organ harvesting thought experiment to a trolley problem.
I’ll use a hypothetical of my own to further illustrate my point. Suppose you and four other people have been taken hostage, and the hostage taker tells you to kill one of the other hostages, or else he’ll kill all of them including you. Is this a trolley problem? It might appear to be, but the reality is that introducing a human actor instead of a purely mechanical process changes everything. What happens if, after you kill a hostage, the gunman says, “Great! From now on, you work for me. You will kill anyone I say to kill. And if you refuse, I’ll kill twice as many people. My first order is for you to capture more hostages so I can repeat this and recruit another person just like you.” Isn’t that obviously indefensible? It would be completely justified for someone to kill you to stop you from doing that. But this is exactly where the ideology of lesser-evilism leads. We cannot allow ourselves to be manipulated like machines into strengthening the very people who put us into the situation in the first place.
I make a point every time I refer to lesser-evilism to call it an ideology, because that’s what it is, even though it’s adherents do not recognize it as such and simply call it obvious, objective, and rational. It is none of those things. It is important to recognize that this is a specific belief system, and one that frequently leads to absurd and abhorrent conclusions, and that many people reject, including many academics and philosophers.
This is more direct, but I always saw the original thought experiment as a way to explore that very concept - is inaction a “choice”? IMO, the only rational answer is Yes.
Even without the third rail, “no choice” is very clearly a choice. People just selfishly want to believe they don’t share responsibility if they just let things happen “naturally”, as of their inaction means they aren’t involved. But they are. We all are. Pretending otherwise is foolish.
Ð original was actually intended as a joke to mock ð schools of þought represented by boþ options presented.
Basically saying ðat boþ lead to horrifying outcomes when unchecked by oðer ways of þinking.
Yeah, that’s why there’s all the variations of pushing an extremely large person in front of the train to stop it, and things like that. The lever, obviously it’s a choice that you should make. The person, it’s still a choice, but at what point is it not an issue you should try to handle.
Voting is a lever. There’s other actions that are more akin to pushing someone onto the tracks.
Those of us who don’t vote know this. We’re counting on it.
The machine is going to keep on killing people overseas and persecuting minorities. But the system is based on consent. If Harris wins she will claim that the voters have endorsed her and all her policies, even if we held our nose and voted for in spite of those policies. Same with Trump, who tried to take away his supporters’ healthcare and was surprised that there was a backlash since his campaign was claiming the people had spoken and he had a mandate.
A big enough group of third party and non voters shows the flaw of these parties. If they want me to support them, then work with me, pander to me dammit. Expecting my vote when you promise absolutely nothing for my community is a common Democratic trait; look at how little some Democratic politicians did for the black community and their retort was “where else are you gonna go?” They’re doing it again for black Americans and Muslim Americans. Harris won’t even be seen with those voters but she found time to hug Liz Cheney and invite her into the big tent. Harris says Black Lives Matter, she says Trans lives matter, she says Israeli lives matter, she won’t say that Arab lives matter equal to Israeli ones. Why shouldn’t I vote for Stein, who DOES say this? Harris made a choice to back every one of Biden’s failed policies and made a calculated decision that she can win the election without me. Hillary thought the same, and hoped that by throwing Muslim-Americans under the bus she could maybe get a few republicans to change to her side. It failed, and it will fail again.
Edit: ah yes, downvote me all you want but I’ve been speaking to voters in swing states and you’re only lying to yourself if you can’t address this issue for them. Harris can’t even bring herself to say the most basic talking points in support of Palestinian rights. Just say you plan to make a committee to look into how to build a future Palestinian state or that looking back it was wrong for Biden to deny the Palestinian death count, and that would address a lot of concerns, but it’s like she’s intentionally making it harder for Arabs and Muslims to vote for her.
No politician is going to bend their policies for the population that doesn’t vote.
For so long, boomers had the majority of sawy with politicians because they had the highest percentage of voter participation.
But we DO vote. American Muslims actually have been a reliable Democratic voting bloc since 2004 and since we are a more educated and more wealthy community than the average American we also have been reliable democratic donors. Why the party under Biden has gone out of its way to avoid us is just horrifying.
Probably because ð actual reason you broke rank is because you want to exclude queer folks.
You þink we don’t see your guy endorsing Trump is ð same one who went around his city taking down rainbow flags and cancelling pride marches?
Ð ummah always saw Palestine as a pawn to anchor ðeir antisemitism wið, and now ðey’re using us again to anchor ðeir queer-phobia.
“Look what you made me do!” language, only ð gun is pointed at your own head because you’re a maþ illiterate moron wið as much literacy in self preservation.
“Give me what I want or I’ll make you watch while I let ðis mountain lion maul me and eat me!”
Add disabled people to this list, homeless people, just so many of us who would suffer under a facist.
Pretty sure the homeless one should be on both ends of the track
In a sense very true.
However Trump’s proposals would make being homeless even worse, while Harris’s would make it somewhat better (although way less than is needed).
So I still stand by my categorisation.
Nuance is unacceptable. There is only utopia and hell.
Some people really think like that ahaha.
“Both parties are the same”…
Tell that to the people who’se families would get deported, to the women who lose reproductive rights, to the Ukrainians relying on our support to fight off an imperial aggressor, to the poor elderly and disabled people on social security…
If both parties are the same to you, you’re likely in a position of privilege.
I’d actually say not really, democratic proposals for urbanism would significantly help ð unhoused even on ð more NIMBY end of ð spectrum.
homeless people need a flag
Pretty sure they need houses
But for comical effect I found this https://www.walmart.com/ip/Homelessness-Awareness-Month-USA-Flag-T-Shirt/5628172427
Walmart selling that is just rich
In the early days of the IWW, many of the Wobblies were hobos. So maybe you could say that the IWW cat is a homeless icon.
My favorite one is missing! Political Dissidents AND party members deemed a nuisance!
Amrikani Falesteini here,
If you þink letting Donald Trump back into office is a reasonable answer to democratic leniency on Israeli war crimes after he handed Bibi West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Golan Heights, and is right now actively encouraging Bibi to keep going in mimic of Nixon and Reagan before him, you are eiðer a knowing zionist agent, or an unwitting one, and eiðer way you need to quit bitching, sit ð fuck down, and do your share of solidarity ðis november if you want to keep using my people’s bodies as your set dressing for your white people savior shit.
look, alright, you did your bit, it’s passed the point of unique and quirky and gotten into just plain annoying.
Go back to reddit
Fuck no, you go back.
You’d like it better back there, they love unfunny forced running gags, imagine all your updoots! Surely you’ll get enough attention there to satiate your histrionics
It’s one national government, Micheal! What could it cost to derail, 10 lives?
“Elon Musk isn’t just some no good immigrant, he’s my no good immigrant”
There’s always rubles in the borscht stand.
Edit: I don’t give a shit how many down votes I get. I’m correct! Vote blue! And show Palestinian, Arab, and all marginalized demographics you/we are not going to abandon them for self preservation. Show more empathy via doing everything within your capacity to help those around you. There are marginalized people around you. Do more. Be better. We all will be put in the tracks as the individual and we all hope others won’t boil down your life to a binary train track meme.
I’m going to be 100% with yall that comment and post this shit.
Before I go on, let me say I voted dem and know they would be better for the world over Trump.
But is that’s the standard and argument you expect people to vote for, you are in for a rude awakening… To anyone reading this or agreeing with these outright insulting comments and posts about how you know better need to take a long look in the mirror. Because…
If the only support you are giving to the Palestinian and Arab people is voting Dem and having arguments about lesser evils, then you are not helping the situation.
Yes vote dem. But get off your ass and protest, donate, and support those communities currently harmed be democrats disastrous Gaza and Middle East policy. That’s how you sway hearts and minds. These fucking backhanded, self serving, ignorant posts and comments won’t stop anything but prove to those communities that the democrats base does not give a shit about anything that doesn’t directly effect themselves.
Yall are missing the forest from the trees. Not voting for the light genicidal party nor the full genicidal party isn’t some gotcha win for Trump. It’s a failure on our part to demand our party doesn’t continue using our votes to do harm.
call your senators daily and demand they publicly denounce Israel and the IDF. Donate money to organizations that are saving lives destroyed by our bombs. March with your fellow Palestinian and Arab brothers and sisters. Divest and boycott any business with ties to Isreal and the IDF.
We should be on the tracks trying to destroy them not worrying about who we are sending the train towards. We’re better than this. This is just conservative tactics used on a population that we need to vote blue! We are better than this! show some empathy and get involved. I have Palestinian friends and they would spit in your face if you said this kind of shit to their face because it’s removing the humanity of the 40k people killed by Isreal via bombs provided by Biden/Harris. If you/we don’t care why should they?
I’m voting Democrat to preserve some semblance of democracy in this country, but I have to say I’m quite disappointed in my congress critters. My senator in particular. I’ve emailed her frequently, including links to articles detailing the crimes against humanity committed by the IDF, and all I get is a form letter response about how “Israel’s right to defend itself is so important” and “October 7th was terrible” and maybe a line about how horrible it is that Palestinians are suffering written in a way that either only blames Hamas or uses the most passive voice I have ever seen in writing.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin?
Nah. Amy Klobuchar. I’m a Minnesotan.
Damn, that makes two of 'em, then.
Almost all of them. It’s nauseating.
Exactly. And that does not mean our job is done. Please keep writing and advocating. If more people do this we can save lives. Not only if those that we can see. It’s about fighting for the best of humanity opposed to the race to the bottom. Vote blue, get involved, fuck the IDF, divest and boycott.
When I have more time during my winter break, I’m going to mail a handwritten letter with some articles printed out, and follow up with a phone call. I’ll read the damn article to her if I have to.
If the only support you are giving to the Palestinian and Arab people is voting Dem and having arguments about lesser evils, then you are not helping the situation.
Jesus fucking Christ man, is it really so ridiculous to believe that a week before the election the current concern is voting Dem considering that is the upcoming issue with a hard and irreversible cutoff?
Many of us are involved in politics outside of voting. I write my congresscritters regularly, usually on matters of foreign affairs, for all the good it does. I donate when I can.
But right now a considerable number of people are banging the “DON’T VOTE BOTH SIDES THE SAME” drum when there is a very good chance of a literal fucking fascist being elected, the issue of “These votes are NOT fucking equivalent” is pretty fucking important to bring attention to, and bringing it to attention with asspats and “I understand if you don’t want to stop any further genocides happening, but…” is the kind of feckless, useless civility politics bullshite I’m constantly criticizing the Dems for, so you can be sure as shit I’m not cutting anyone else slack for that approach.
Ya exactly. Where the fuck have yall been? I’m not trying to be pedantic or insulting but we that actually cares have been fighting for a long time to actually help! And yes they’re are things outside of our control but we should never fucking stop trying to stop the train. You (those that haven’t done anything to in your personal life to oppose fucking genicide outside of commenting and posting) are the reason why Palestinian and Arab Americans will stay home on election day. We need their vote! So get involved! Regardless of how the election ends we need to come together as a unified community and not individuals that act as if the Palestinians are already dead regardless of our collective actions! I’m guessing there are enough more marginalized demographics between you (not you specifically) and the next set of binary track decisions. If they (the rich and powerful) can do it to the Palestinian people they’ll do it to you. And when they do come for you I pray others don’t wait until a week before elections when they start posting train track memes as that’s a point that should be made.
Get involved. Show communities that are currently on the chopping block you’ll never stop trying to save their lives regardless as how close the train is. Get involved! Voting is the absolute least you can do, but you can do more! This post and comment won’t sway a fucking election but us unifying and help those in need as much as possible will!
I’m done. Yall be acting like I’m the one being crazy when I’m saying no one has to be on the tracks of more keyboard warriors actually did something for others. Get involved!
END
call your senators daily and demand they publicly denounce Israel and the IDF
Honestly, do YOU do that? Daily?
What has been your success rate in getting your senator on the line?
You must be on a first name basis by now.Uhhhhhh what? Are you being purposely dumb? Of course when I say call your senators, I’m not saying get them on the actual fucking line! Call his office/voice mail and make the comment… And don’t just comment one thing comment about all the communities currently being tied up on the tracks. And if you don’t want to do that have you donated to charities helping in marginalized communities local or abroad? How about volunteering? How about protesting? Whatever is in your capacity you should be doing it!
Of course when I say A I mean B
Getting real tired of this Trump-supporter-like line of reasoning
If you’ve always thought people ment literally call your senators personal lines when they say, “call your senators” you probably are a moron. It’s that better? No one ever has ment it in the literal sense.
Maybe they haven’t and are just pointing it out. Few do, and that’s the problem. It’s not democracy, it’s representative democracy, but it only works like a democracy would if people hold their reps accountable.
So no, the ones suggesting to hold their reps to the fire, now and after the election, probably haven’t themselves. But they aren’t wrong, and it shouldn’t be thrown back in their face but instead embraced as a good idea to start now.
Otherwise nothing changes, because other factors already contact our reps daily and influence them, that’s why they vote the way they do.
A problem is that even if you do, you’re just talking to some part-time intern they hired to not have to listen to you.
For a single voter call, that’s true. That’s why it needs to be in mass numbers, and constant. Make them concerned that if they don’t show some change, people will start showing up physically. With pitchforks.
And if they don’t still, then go get some pitchforks.
Agreed but the chance those tracks will be destroyed before the election is slim.
I applaud your call to activism but in reality much less people will ever commit to fighting for their ideals that way.
Many more people will however are willing to give a token to a “right cause”
Voting D is that token. It doesn’t fix shit, especially considering the genocide but it will be a slower decline of human rights then the alternative.
More time to do activism.
There are many others, also on lemmy that are not calling for activism but for a token of not voting. I think the meme is a representation of that particular logic.
Everything you said is correct. I just don’t want to see all the surprised Pikachu when their inaction and self-righteousness results in a Trump victory. They’ll cry, “why didn’t the Palestinian and Arab Americans show up for the democrats?!”
The train hasn’t hit yet there are still millions of lives we can save by doing more than just voting. If we’re not willing to do everything to save them, why should they do anything to save us? I don’t care how close the train is. I’ll be trying to destroy the tracks until it hits me and the persons tied to the tracks. That’s my point.
These memes boil an unbelievably complex issue to a binary outcome. Marginalized communities are going to be there regardless of the outcome of the elections. Don’t wait until the train is about to hit you or something you care about before you decide to start dismantling the tracks. Then see how you feel when someone presumes your inevitable cleansing. I honestly feel like I’m living in Bizarro world or something. Like is what I’m saying beyond our capacity? We are doomed if we won’t all step on the tracks to stop the trains.
Voting D is that token. It doesn’t fix shit, especially considering the genocide but it will be a slower decline of human rights then the alternative.
by any logic it accelerates the decline. it gives a clear signal that they can get away with anything as long as they can project a worse alternative.
by any logic it accelerates the decline.
“Enabling mediocrity of non-fascists is a faster decline into fascism than literally electing a fascist”
Even by your own assertions on the matter of what electing Dems does, this is absurd.
What do you mean by “project”? Trump is objectively worse.
that doesn’t matter to them. it would have been bernie running against harris and they will be still still saying vote harris else sanders will destroy the economy. remember 2016 ?
There is not enough time for a revolution before the election.
Reality is people will have to make a choice D/R or neither. No matter how they chose there will be either a D or R in political power.
If you have a proposition that will actually guarantee a different outcome i am willing to listen…
My personal take is to wait till the second this power game is over and hard dictatorship is avoide. start then. At the very least you will have many more people willing to join. Currently your just hurting the credibility of your own cause.
We have the same admin and reps until January, so even before the election people can start doing what they should have been doing all along and participate in more than just a vote. I’ll say it again, this genocide didn’t start a few weeks ago (when the “don’t vote for genocide” meme started), it didn’t start last October, it didn’t begin on any other major event that got the media attention for a while, it’s been decades, almost a century, of illegality and oppression and killing.
Also a reminder, if you’re of one party or another and a different party gets into the seat, they are still your representative. You do not have to wait to get a matching letter to call them and praise or bitch about what they are doing.
what credibility anything will have when harris says that america has voted for her with the policy to continue arming israel to any extent ? a policy she has repeated multiple times during her campaign without leaving any ambiguity.
what’s stopping her from saying this is the will of the american people and start locking up any protest in name of antisemitism ?
and its not just israel, her policy on fracking and inflation is no better. life for working class has become hell in last four years, corporate greed is out of control and her campaign has been just “trump this trump that, vote me else you will have trump.”
If you have a proposition that will actually guarantee a different outcome i am willing to listen…
only outcome that will bring any iota of change is one in which popular vote clearly suggests we don’t want trump or harris.
THANK YOU!
Our community is suffering, and the only solution people are offering are to yell at us and shame us for not finding this situation unlivable. “Your community will keep dying in either administration but could you vote for the pro-trans politician while you’re suffering?”
Mehdi Hasan was the only person who was able to reach out and connect to those voters with his recent video, and he did so with sympathy and understanding. He convinced me to vote and did so without bullying or calling me names.
Removed by mod
Just nuke the planet cuz humans suck regardless
I feel at this point the majority of content on this sub is not funny or a meme anymore. While I don’t agree with Trump at this point Lemmy is becoming “astroturfed” like reddit
This is, objectively, a political meme. Humor is not requisite.
This happens every election cycle the closer election day comes. Is it really any surprise political advocacy is higher during political season?
And what makes this “astroturfed”?
“Things I disagree with are being upvoted so it must be a coordinated campaign”
American elections bring out the worst in everyone everywhere.
Third party represent.
So that’s the middle path, a useless/selfish moral high ground that will ultimately see more people dead/suffering.
People on the internet who claim to hold democracy in the highest regard and gatekeeping voting if ideology differs.
Name a more iconic duo.
Alternatively: “I’m voting for Diet Fascism and if you don’t vote for Diet Fascism too, you’re voting for Full-Fat Fascism” but said with the sternest voice the weakest losers can muster.
More “I’m voting for diet fascism and if you don’t vote you’re complicit in anything that comes, which will either be diet fascism or full-fast fascism. Not voting doesn’t prevent either of these, and one is obviously preferably. No action is still a choice you’re making.”
It should be giving the choice to a Nazi.
Libs love to imagine genocide roller coasters.
But I dunno why they expect this to inspire loyalty.
I’m not loyal to the Democrats or to America and I still vote
What else are they going to do? Change their policies to suit their voter base?
I just want a candidate that supports both universal healthcare and the 2nd amendment.
Quick, somebody get this guy on the ballot!
Considering everyone is talking about fascists coming to power and life getting more threatening, it would make some sense for the groups in the photo to look into being armed.
I’ll be honest, I’m not planning to vote. Though if I did, it would most certainly not be for the orange man.
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I don’t care to sign up for potential jury duty some random day.
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I do not care to vote for anyone with religious motivations.
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I don’t care to vote for anyone with their head stuck in other countries’ business.
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I’d much rather vote for someone that actually has our country first and foremost.
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Honestly I feel ashamed to even be born in a country that hocks weapons like candy.
I could go on, but when I feel the election is like choosing between the lesser of two evils, then I choose not to vote for either evil.
Too bad there isn’t a clear better candidate in the lead.
Not voting means you’re fine if either of the two major candidates win. Inaction is also a choice with consequences that can have decades of impact.
Last time I went to vote, it was for the 2016 election. I spent 3 hours in line, only for them to close the voting library with around 200 people ahead of me still waiting to vote. Our state does not allow early voting.
This is not legal; you have a right to vote. Call those numbers if you have an issue and don’t leave the line.
We don’t all have to be activists, but one day of the year we can spend a little extra time ensuring we remain a democracy.
That’s very strange that they closed the polls with people waiting. My understanding was you had a right to vote if you were in line.
Because it’s a made up story bro.
Removed by mod
I hope at least someone is paying you to lie lol
You know what? You and everyone accuaing me of lying about this can go to hell, I am telling the truth. Shit, if this is the attitude of the typical voter, all the more reason I don’t care to vote, I don’t care to stand in line with douchebags that’ll just as soon call people liars instead of accepting that I’m telling the truth and admit that it was pretty fucked up.
I have nothing more to say about it, Mississippi is about a back-asswards state anyways.
8pm is 8pm, no exceptions.
Sad that I (and a few friends) got there and stood in line from around 5pm on, only to still be like 200 people back in line when they closed.
Cool story, too bad it’s inaccurate. In every state in the USA, if you are waiting in line when polls close you have the right to remain in line and cast your vote, regardless of how long it takes.
If you were told to go home because the polls were closed and they weren’t accepting further voters, then you were lied to.
Tell that to the ~200 people that didn’t get to vote that evening. Hell, everyone was standing in the rain waiting in line to vote when they closed, and everyone waiting outside was like what the fuck?!
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What about your local stuff? You can vote and just not pick a President choice. Although #1 still applies, I guess.
How do you even manage to vote in a state that doesn’t allow early voting? Last time I tried to vote, I spent around 3 hours in line, only for them to close with about 200 people ahead of me still waiting to vote.
Wow, won’t even allow voting for those in line? You don’t even have to tell me which party controls that state. Bet there’s no mail-in or absentee ballot availability either, or very strict rules to limit it.
I’ve been watching early voting numbers in my county, they even have a “current wait” tracker online, and it’s been regular 30 mins to even a few hours wait each day. Now imagine the same number of people all in one day. It’s madness to force that on people.
My only solution to you is try to use midterm voting for the local stuff. Or bend the rules and claim you’ll be out of state and need an absentee ballot. I think they legally can’t prevent that, even thought they’d love to.
Mississippi. Doesn’t even register on the early voting states list…
https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/early-in-person-voting
My condolences. I don’t take red states as a “us or them” but more of a failing of the country to prevent any place to fall to that level.
I’m not exactly impressed with this state either ☹️
Easy solution; move out of Mississippi. I did it and never looked back
It’s not that simple to just pack up and move elsewhere at the drop of a hat. They might have friends and family there that they don’t want to leave behind, and moving can be very expensive and exhausting particularly if you have a lot of stuff. It’s especially hard to move right now with rent and housing prices through the roof.
Just telling people to move doesn’t help, because if they had the means and wanted to, they probably already would have.
Not having Jury Duty is like, the least important thing when it comes to voting. Usually they pay you for your time, and hell, sometimes you show up and they either strike you from the pool or don’t have cases left for the day, and send you home soon after you arrive. I had jury duty earlier this year, got taken out of the jury pool, and I still got paid for my time.
Any of you don’t want to be on jury duty just saying you don’t wish to do it can be enough to be removed fron the jury pool (alternatively seeming way too interested could also be a tactic)
He said he was voting in 2016, so he is in jury duty list already and this argument is pointless.
They must have updated the system in my area. On Thursday, I got an email telling me I didn’t have to show up for jury duty that was supposed to start Monday.
Where I’m at you have to call a number every evening to see if you need to show up in the morning.
Yeah, that’s what I was expecting, too. I’ve had to do that before.
They pay you. Not very much though. If you’re living paycheck to paycheck it’s a financial hit.
Ah the bridge option. Nice job “not choosing”
Last time I went to vote, it was for the 2016 election. And you better bet your ass I wasn’t gonna vote for the orange man then either.
I spent 3 hours in line, only for them to close the voting library with around 200 people ahead of me still waiting to vote. Biggest waste of my time ever.
And no, our state does not allow early voting.
It’s reprehensible that they closed the polling place.
But three hours is a small, tiny price to pay to participate in democracy and potentially help tons of minorites and at risk folks avoid another trump term.
With around 200 people ahead of me? It would have taken way more than 3 hours to even have a chance to get in the door.
I acknowledged the issue with them closing the polls. But if you had gotten in, the time would not have been a waste. You dont know you won’t get in this time.
I’m a live-in caretaker for an elderly man that has an out of state doctor’s appointment on the 5th, I won’t even be in the state that day.
My hands are tied any which way you look at it.
You couldn’t apply for an absentee ballot? Even in Mississippi you have an ironclad reason that you cannot be present on election day.
That’s completely different than the situation discussed above.ajd totally understandable.
Mississippi. Doesn’t even register on their list.
Oof, that’s too bad.
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