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this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2023
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politics
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I don't disagree with your general point, but the idea that we can just vote these systems away is just as much as a distraction that you shouldn't be falling for, as the generational division.
Modern "democracy" exists to uphold capitalism, and capitalism needs these divisions, along with a desperate working class, to exist. When you agree to only play within the rules they've set, you've already lost, they've made sure of it.
We are stuck with a corrupt capitalism right now, so voting at the local level as well as the federal level is one of the only ways. Trump was killing our country with his covid shit, then Biden came in and fixed it. That's an obvious reason why voting works. At local levels, you'll have good transit and your utility companies aren't bending you over if you vote well. We have to fix this shit because the greeds are in office constantly trying to break it in their favor. It's exhausting but we have to do it.
I never said "don't vote", what I am saying is - harm reduction is all well and good, but don't think it will actually change anything fundamental about the status quo, because it won't, if it did, they wouldn't let us do it, as the saying goes..
much more worth it then to invest energy and other resources in things that actually will create change, like organising within your community to actively support each other instead of waiting for the system to do it, because it won't. Building solidarity not only among workers, but within all communities, and from there creating dual power structures (communal food banks and kitchens, child care, hobby clubs, youth clubs, libraries for books but also toys and household items, as well as potentially groups doing direct action and those who support them from the backlines from medics to propagandists, there is something for everyone).
Create the roots for a better way of living, then destroy this one. They are never going to give it up willingly (or "legally", again, according to the "laws" they write, including those of "democracy").
Why not both?
I think it has to be both.
There are many times throughout the history of the United States where a community came together and became prosperous only to have everything taken away by people supported by the state through shit laws and/or law enforcement turning a blind eye. Look at Black Wall Street aka the Tulsa massacre.
I get that corruption is prevalent and is difficult to clean out, but there was massive sea change after the 1930's crash that lead to the US having a massive, strong, and healthy middle class.
Oh like we did too Cuba and any other would-be socialist nation?
If include other countries, that list gets pretty long.
Yes.
🙄
Never mind that it's mostly the people who still believe in this puppet show that is "democracy" who don't do both, not those pointing out how pointless voting really is (and yet I still fucking vote, in case you decide to deliberately miss the fucking point again).
Hi I was looking for resources about this? My “liberal” neighbors are either apathetic or make a self-aggrandizing exercise out of attempting mutual aid and outright resist any but very right wing leftist ideas.
What a stupid mentality. If only younger people showed up to vote. Of course elected representatives are representative of their constituencies. Only old people show up to the polls. They are doing their job. Maybe get involved in your local government instead of coming up with this nihilistic attitude about capitalism etc.
Edit: or perhaps keep romanticizing about the Bolshevik revolution that ain't ever happening in the US and sit on your asses and whine on Lemmy.
Like moneyed interests don't lobby to get the deck stacked
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/04/upshot/voting-wait-times.html
https://www.npr.org/2020/10/17/924527679/why-do-nonwhite-georgia-voters-have-to-wait-in-line-for-hours-too-few-polling-pl
https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-legislature-congress-redistricting-maps-e2b881d326360ec52caccc43c01234aa
https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.php?ind=f03&Bkdn=DemRep&cycle=2012
Take a look at that breakdown. It was pretty even in 2020. Then look at the previous years.
Very hard skew toward the minority population party. There was only this correction in 2020 because Trump at the wheel would have tanked the economy.
Like i said elsewhere: and if media conglomerates are publishing this info, it’s for more reason than, “oops, we were wrong, admit and cut to the next story.” It’s kind of like body cams: if what we’ve seen is this horrendous, what are they still hiding and why?