• knightly the Sneptaur@pawb.social
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    3 hours ago

    The way out of a death spiral is not directly into oblivion.

    So we need to change course, that means not doing the same thing we always do.

    It fucking sucks that genocide is in the category of really important things that need addressing but it is not in the category of things that can be addressed in this particular election.

    I strongly agree. Not only does it fucking suck, the lack of any reasonable choice betrays the entire electoral system as an anti-democratic waste that deserves nothing but our contempt.

    The electoral path is not at the ballot box every four years at the presidential level. It’s down the ballot and on the other the years.

    I can’t think of a response to this that isn’t condescending. It’s cute that you think we will be allowed to vote our way out of a system that is designed to keep the levers of power out of our hands.

    Tell your representative how you want them to vote and get other people to do the same.

    The better solution is not to put your fate in their hands in the first place. Don’t build political capital for someone else, build alternative structures of power that can serve the needs of your community.

    • Dwemthy (he/him)@lemdro.id
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      49 minutes ago

      Okay, so you don’t believe in representational democracy. I’m not surprised that if you can’t be bothered to vote then you can’t be bothered to influence who you get to vote for.

      What’s a realistic way to build these alternative structures? How do these alternative structures work such that your local needs are met and the genocide in Palestine gets stopped?

      • knightly the Sneptaur@pawb.social
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        12 minutes ago

        Okay, so you don’t believe in representational democracy.

        Nope. Relying on political operatives to faithfully represent our interests is how we got into this mess in the first place.

        I’m not surprised that if you can’t be bothered to vote then you can’t be bothered to influence who you get to vote for.

        I already voted. I’m just not pretending that we get to have any influence over who we get to vote for.

        What’s a realistic way to build these alternative structures?

        Follow a historical example like the Black Panthers. If your community has an unmet need, serve it and use it as an opportunity to organize your neighbors.

        How do these alternative structures work such that your local needs are met and the genocide in Palestine gets stopped?

        Nothing threatens the structure of power more than the existence of organized groups of people who don’t depend on it.