this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2024
1480 points (99.9% liked)

196

16597 readers
1889 users here now

Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.

Rule: You must post before you leave.

^other^ ^rules^

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
1480
rule (lemmy.cafe)
submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

FAQ

Q: why not organize and stop treating the bus as a legitimate entity? why aren’t you working to stop the bus?

A: do both. cut the fuel line. break windows. put oatmeal in the gas tank. but maybe your efforts don’t succeed this election cycle. and if so don’t fucking throw away your vote if it can help your neighbors fucking survive. “harm reduction” is not a political strategy for action. it is a last minute, end of the line decision to save lives, after all other resources have been exhausted.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Problem. Harm reduction voting requires at least one good faith candidate.

Right now we have choice between the scenic route to go off the cliff and the express route. Electoral boycotts are effective once they reach critical mass. Telling everyone they need to vote harm reduction without a good faith candidate is just suppressing the natural tendency of a democracy to flush a bad set of leaders.

We could also use a general strike but they'll just order us back to work and call it a union victory.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

What the fuck are you on about? You take the fucking scenic path! At least that buys you some time and maybe you’ll crash into a tree along the way and manage to have a few survivors.

There’s no brakes on the trump train. The rails are headed right towards the cliff, it’s downhill, and somebody lubed them up with McDoubles (the rails and the conductor).

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The problem is, that's been my entire life. And now I've seen the "less harmful" side actively stop people who would help from getting elected. Even to funding the "more harmful" side.

At some point you have to stop. Why can't I vote to just hit the brakes?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

You’re one of the four people who didn’t vote for ice cream or driving off a cliff. Instead you decided to write-in frozen yogurt.

The cliff drivers still win, and you still ain’t got no froyo.

It’s cool if ice cream isn’t for you. Thats fine. I think most of us, even if we don’t want ice cream…hell, even if we’re lactose intolerant, would rather go along to the ice cream parlor than to drive off the cliff. Because like it or not, those are the only two realistic options.

Also the harm-reduction strategy really only applies to the top of the ballot. It’s been that way my whole adult life, too. It sucks, but if you want any change, it’s not going to start at the top of the ballot. It’s going to start at the bottom.

There are two main parties at the top of the ballot and they aren’t moving easily. There’s a lot of reasons for that, but at the end of the day, right now, they are the two, and that’s not changing except from the bottom up. From the not-fiercely-challenged races.

[–] pkill 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Scenic path will put you asleep instead of eliciting you fight or flight response. Ditch any faith in this corpse of a system ffs.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You are literally saying "let fascism come, I'm ready".

Not everyone is. Your personal fight means nothing against the most powerful state in the world. You need a popular movement to just have a chance. Otherwise it's just part suicidal doomerism part larp.

[–] pkill 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

then get organized. Check out Revolutionary Communists of America, they might have a chapter in your city already. An individual can do nothing, but a collective can do everything.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Jokes on you, I'm not from America. I'm one of those people who will suffer from its fall to fascism, living on the imperial periphery.

[–] pkill 1 points 8 months ago

oh. they are a part of IMT. Besides what's on the map, a Bolivian and Belarusian sections are being formed.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

The scenic path is only good for those enjoying the scenery and not the people still having to use their spit and blood to power and lube the bus.

They won't care how it crashes and stops just that it does. You just aren't ready for it to be over. It doesn't matter what you want though anymore.

It won't matter if want it to keep going just a little bit longer, when it happens it will happen. And people will rejoice for the end of their suffering even if it just starts a new version of it.