I recall a post somewhere from a person saying they can tell when a leftist online is from a blue state or a red state by how they act - I think this whole interaction is very telling where this person is from.
In my state, I’d be happy to have a Democrat of basically any kind over a Republican. Abortion rights are fucked, public education is hobbled, and I expect LGBT rights to be eroded further in the next year or so. Would I like to see leftist policies implemented? Absolutely, but I’ll take what I can conceivably get, even if that means things simply don’t get worse.
Yes this is very well said. Whenever I see these kinds of comments I can’t help but wonder just how much privilege the author is conveniently disregarding.
I got into words one time with an acquaintance over the idea of protest voting. He really got under my skin because he said something to the effect of “well if trump wins I’ll be fine, and if I’m not I’ll just leave” - it’s like yeah dude, you can do that, plenty of other people can’t.
It’s funny, I had thought about mentioning that I’m a straight white dude, so I’m pretty safe from direct problems when it comes to the Republicans targeting women and minorities. Of course, I have both A) friends and family who do not fit that mold, and B) a fucking conscience, so I will likely never vote Republican as long as I live…
Of course, I have to make concessions to those ideals whenever I vote, due to the issues like Gaza…which, while it pains me to say it: I will not willingly let those friends and family members’ rights be taken away on account of a bunch of strangers thousands of miles away.
Do I hate genocide? Duh.
Will I vote for “Genocide Joe” or whatever? Absolutely.
For both the reasons stated above and because a protest vote in the US just means letting the people who more broadly oppose your ideals win (and they’d just make the situation worse).
I’m slowly becoming more convinced that any and all so-called leftists online that refuse to vote Dem over Gaza are just intentionally trolling or are bots - the sheer lack of awareness just baffles me.
Yep! This, a thousand times over. I’m also straight, white, a man, and financially secure. By all accounts I’d be fine or probably benefit for a short while from a trump victory. But I also fundamentally view voting not as just a right but a responsibility. As such I also view protest voting as fundamentally irresponsible, and a betrayal of my fellow Americans, principally those less privileged than myself.
At the end of the day, sticking your head in the sand and “vOtInG yOuR cOnScIeNcE” doesn’t change the calculus of it being a spoiler vote and makes it more likely for trump to win, plain and simple. This directly increases the net suffering in the world by not only accelerating the genocide of the people of Gaza, but also making the US less safe and welcoming for a large swath of the population. It is fundamentally a selfish, reckless, and conceited position to take; it prioritizes one’s individual feelings over the collective safety of our society.
