this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2024
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submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
  • Palestine 🇵🇸
  • Ukraine 🇺🇦
  • Uyghers
  • Indiginous peoples
  • Black lives and people of color ❤️🖤💚✊
  • The trans community 🏳️‍⚧️
  • The queer community 🏳️‍🌈
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[–] [email protected] 19 points 7 months ago (2 children)

a country’s leadership is not its people. trans teens who are dying did not “put themselves in this position.” the same way Gazan infants are not responsible for their own oppression, starvation and death, nor the people of Ukraine.

this is the point of the post and it’s crazy to nevertheless see your response be “cry harder”? incredibly disrespectful.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (2 children)

No, but the Gazan people doesn't have any power over it's government. Meanwhile you guys in the US live in one of the worlds most democratic countries (29 most democratic*) and therefore have alot of power over your government. Sure trans teens don't have voting rights but on the grand scheme of things their a small minority of the US population and a majority of everyone in the US has indeed voted in support for their leaders.

Democracy only works if the people are invested in it and care about their rights. If they don't care the democracy will crumble. Democracy ain't something you gain and then have forever, you have to look after it and take care of it. Saying that you don't have any power and refusing to take action is not magicaly going to give you the power you find yourself lacking.

"Cry harder" feels a bit rude though. Maybe you could instead have a nice day and try to change politics for the better.


* from the Economists democracy index 2023. Palestine was in place 115

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

where on earth are you drawing this “refusing to take action” from? just a bit confused by your turn there because you were going strong at first; this post is in no way encouraging apathy! :)

stamets’ “cry harder” comment was pretty obscene though and i thank you for recognizing this.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That's just the feeling I got from your post; making memes online and finding yourself powerless without doing anything. But ofc I can't back that up...

Sorry for that (:

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

thanks for your apology; accepted :)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Living in the US for most of my life, and voting in every election, I can tell you your assumptions are incorrect: a few states control most of the power here due to the electoral college, and everything down to state and local initiatives gets lobbied into the ground by special interests.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

a few states here control most of the power here due to the electoral college

Yes I'm indeed aware of that. It's a way of electiong representatives and it has a lot of implications (most notably the two party system), good and bad. Doesn't really change things though it's just a different (and weird) way to do democracy


And everything down to state and local initiatives gets lobbied into the ground by special interests.

Yeah, I have nothing to say about that. It really seems like a big pain but I'm having a really hard time imagining what it's like since we don't have that much lobbying here in Sweden, it feels really absurd for me.