• Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    No, it’s really not. Either voting is seen as an endorsement, and any vote endorses genocide while not voting doesn’t; or a vote is a choice, and not voting or voting for Trump (or 3rd party) endorses genocide, while voting for Biden doesn’t. They can’t both be correct, you can’t do a tit-for-tat, either you’re supporting genocide or Pug is.

    In an ideal world, we would vote for candidates that excite us, that share our views, or who we feel will simply do a good job. In an ideal world, you are afforded the luxury of voting like this. If you see voting as an endorsement then you’re more likely to vote like this, and you’re more likely to assign a moral reaponsibility to voting, such that you’re responsible for the actions of the person that you vote for.

    But you’re also responsible for preventing the actions of the person that you didn’t vote for. In the real world, in the US with FPTP, voting is a choice. You can vote for one, or the other, or say you don’t care (not voting), or use your vote to try to take a moral stand (voting 3rd party). But barring a statistical miracle, there are only two options. The actions of the president WILL affect people. Palestinians will be killed. Queer people will be harrassed or protected. Workers will be beaten or supported. Students will be penniless or financially free. The environment will be abused or respected. Ukraine will be slaughtered or strengthened. The US could die or live.

    When you choose not to vote, you think that you relieve yourself of the responsibility of killing Palestinian citizens. But how can you possibly say this if by not voting you have made their conditions materially worse? And along with that, caused the same for our own citizens and our planet? When you don’t vote, you aren’t escaping the system. You haven’t avoided making a choice. You’ve simply said that you don’t care what is chosen. So yes, not voting means that you don’t care if things are bad or worse. You don’t care if only some people die, or if the state is wiped out entirely. You don’t care if there is food aid, or if Israel will be allowed to starve Gazans. You don’t care if they die, as long as you get to feel like you wouldn’t have caused it. Well, you would. We all have a choice-- one (mostly) equal vote-- and IT IS YOUR DUTY to make the right choice.

    • electric_nan@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      I’m struggling to parse your first paragraph, but I think I’ve got your gist. I do not think that withholding my vote is an endorsement for killing minorities. I do think that a vote for Biden is an endorsement of genocide. I was just trying to point out what a ridiculous accusation it was. I definitely don’t expect pug to cop to endorsing genocide tho.

      Again with this “ideal world” imperfect candidate bullshit. This is genocide we are talking about, not free college, or reparations, or fucking anything else.

      Third paragraph pretty much more of the second. I don’t care: stop the genocide first.

      Fourth paragraph. This isn’t about assuaging my conscience. I am responsible whether I vote or not. I am responsible because I continue to pay taxes that support terror around the world. I am responsible because I don’t act more forcefully against the system that grinds up children. If you think I won’t vote for a genocidaire to feel superior, you are totally misunderstanding me. Maybe it’s your own conscience? All of what you say about Gaza is being done right now, by the guy you are exhorting me to vote for. The state is being wiped out, food aid isn’t getting in, and Biden is allowing Israel to starve them. Are you worried that Trump is going to bomb their corpses?

    • electric_nan@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      I’m struggling to parse your first paragraph, but I think I’ve got your gist. I do not think that withholding my vote is an endorsement for killing minorities. I do think that a vote for Biden is an endorsement of genocide. I was just trying to point out what a ridiculous accusation it was. I definitely don’t expect pug to cop to endorsing genocide tho.

      Again with this “ideal world” imperfect candidate bullshit. This is genocide we are talking about, not free college, or reparations, or fucking anything else.

      Third paragraph pretty much more of the second. I don’t care: stop the genocide first.

      Fourth paragraph. This isn’t about assuaging my conscience. I am responsible whether I vote or not. I am responsible because I continue to pay taxes that support terror around the world. I am responsible because I don’t act more forcefully against the system that grinds up children. If you think I won’t vote for a genocidaire to feel superior, you are totally misunderstanding me. Maybe it’s your own conscience? All of what you say about Gaza is being done right now, by the guy you are exhorting me to vote for. The state is being wiped out, food aid isn’t getting in, and Biden is allowing Israel to starve them. Are you worried that Trump is going to bomb their corpses?

      • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        If you think I won’t vote for a genocidaire to feel superior, you are totally misunderstanding me.

        Well then what are you basing your vote on? It’s not the material conditions of the Palestinians in Gaza, because you aren’t picking the choice that aligns with that. You say it’s not for yourself. Is it just on principle? I sincerely don’t understand how you could hold the principle of Palestinian lives over the actual lives themselves.

        Maybe it’s your own conscience? All of what you say about Gaza is being done right now, by the guy you are exhorting me to vote for. The state is being wiped out, food aid isn’t getting in, and Biden is allowing Israel to starve them.

        I thought we built a whole supply pier to get food in more effectively? If you have more details, do tell, because I’m unsure of the details there, but I believe that was its purpose.

        • electric_nan@lemmy.ml
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          5 months ago

          Aid is not getting in from the supply pier because we agreed that it would have to go through an Israeli checkpoint before distribution. Predictably, Israel is not allowing the aid to be distributed. Relying on the perpetrator of genocide to help you ameliorate the genocide is so stupid that it defies belief. Unless of course, the pretense is the point.

        • electric_nan@lemmy.ml
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          5 months ago

          Aid is not getting in from the supply pier because we agreed that it would have to go through an Israeli checkpoint before distribution. Predictably, Israel is not allowing the aid to be distributed. Relying on the perpetrator of genocide to help you ameliorate the genocide is so stupid that it defies belief. Unless of course, the pretense is the point.