this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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Unpopular Opinion

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-47
We Should Stop Voting (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by sahin@lemmy.world to c/unpopularopinion@lemmy.world
41 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Voting makes you think your opinion matters while you vote, but it actually doesn't matter. Voting makes you think you can change something, but it doesn't change anything. Voting makes you think you should wait for a lot of time to change something in elections, while you can strike right away and shouldn't wait for elections. Voting makes you think you are living in a free democratic country, but it is actually a monarchy and dictatorship.

Do you think the votes are really 49-51% randomly? Or do you ever think it might be intentional. They have all the media, all the power, they can make you think whatever they want.
What they do is, give you two shitty options, make you vote for them 49-51% and do whatever they want and make you fight each other while they are doing the things that you hate.
People are fighting like "if you hadn't voted for this guy, that wouldn't have happened" but it would have happened again, because the other side is also working for the same guys.

Do not vote. Do not wait for elections. Go on strike right away. Stop following media, stop following politics, if your life sucks nobody will change it but you.

The poor has no friends other than the poor. Do not become enemy to your poor/worker friend, even if they support the other political party, even if they are minority that you dont like.

Edit: I really do not understand. I told people we can elect a monkey if we had media, and they upvoted it: https://lemmy.world/post/43003985 While, when I tell people voting doesnt work and we should stop doing it, it is downvoted. This doesnt make sense. Media can make people elect a monkey, but we should still go vote??

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[–] tjr@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

This kind of thinking is why trump won. Also if you genuinely want to know why the US is so stuck in a 2 party system, it’s because of the voting system. In their (and much of the world’s) “first past the post” system, every voter only has one vote, meaning that if I decide to vote Kanye for president, but I would rather Kamala than trump, there is no why to express that and I have just wasted my vote. This means the best option is to vote for the most popular parties, not the ones which align with your interests. In ranked choice voting you rank your candidates 1-x and your vote is distributed in rounds, where if your candidate gets eliminated your vote goes to your second choice. It’s what the entire world should use. CGP Grey has a good video on it if you’re curious.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

"Do not vote. Do not wait for elections. Go on strike right away. Stop following media, stop following politics"

Most people in the U.S. would end up homeless pretty quick if they followed this advice.

You'd have like 5,000 people a day on strike, and they'd all be fired and replaced and no one would know about it because they didn't follow media or hear anyone talking about politics supporting it.

Kind of works out to, kill yourself and possibly your family, and hope no one knows about it

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago

Eh, USA is a very fucked up place when it comes to how voting works. Rigged game, etc etc

In civilized places, optional voting is a right. In uncivilized places, optional voting is perfect for putting all sorts of barriers between the vote and the "undesirables" in a legal way.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

your in luck. its already happening. about 20mil eligible voters did not vote in the close election between kamala and trump. have the country you (did not) voted for.

[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 14 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I disagree.

I think people should stop working. Just let society stop "economy" for 3 week days in a row.

Just sit down and let the billionaires and AI make a go of it without us.

Let them have that for 3 days in a row.

[–] sentient_loom@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

This is possibly a popular idea.

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

This, if we could do the impossible and get all the decent people in the US on the same page at the same time, a general strike would speak louder than any voting would.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world -5 points 2 days ago

They wont care. The best thing you can do, is buy local, share local, create the local economy. This will be a constant problem for them. While they can blame you for everything when you stop working for a few days.

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If you don't think your vote matters...don't vote. But stop trying to convince other people not to. More people need to get involved in how the government is run...not less.

Politically illiterate people like yourself are the biggest reason why Trump is currently in power. Americans are generally poorly educated, but to actively try and spread your stupidity to others is not just ignorant...it's evil.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world -5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You are the reason Trump is in power, because you believe in democracy and they give you two shitty options and you think this makes sense. You are illiterate. You think this stupid way of choosing a leader is a good way lol

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

No. When you're given two shitty options, you choose the less shitty one. That's what adults do. Children throw a tantrum, flip over the board, and cry about how unfair it all is...which inevitably means other people choose for them. Deciding not to participate at all, just guarantees you will always be a victim to someone else's choice. In this case, you got Trump.

Honestly, the fact that you've had an entire year to digest the consequences of NOT voting, and you STILL hold this absurd view, just tells me everything there is to know about your critical thinking skills. If you can't even grasp the basics of cause and effect, maybe you're right...maybe you shouldn't vote.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

My vote has no effects, your vote has no effects. You get the propaganda from TV, social media, billboards and you think you are choosing the leader, but they actually choose the one they want by making you vote for them.
If you are a political candidate, you need zero talent, all you need is media. Give me media power, and I can make people choose a monkey.
Less shitty one is the same, it just seems to be less shitty. They are played by the same guys. Even if they are not currently played, they will be played. Do not except anything from politics. Create a solidarity, boycott everything, go on strike.
So, voting makes you think something will change and postpones everything.

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Do not except anything from politics. Create a solidarity, boycott everything, go on strike.

Lol! And what will that do? This is just you, throwing a tantrum like a child. Without also backing up any actions you take with legislation, nothing you do will matter. Your actions will all have been for nothing.

You have your entire worldview backwards. You have convinced yourself that doing nothing is the best course of action. While any rational person with even a shred of common sense can see the flaw in your stupidity. Go back to sleep, sheep. You are wasting oxygen the rest of us could be using to more effect.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You are using oxygen very well, so you elected Trump. That's great. Bravo!
Did I tell you do nthing? I told you to stop voting and actually do something. You are telling me, no we need to vote lol

And what will that do? It will do 1000X more things than voting and thinking you are changing something lol

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Except that what you are telling me to do, will have literally zero effect with someone like Trump in charge. Unless you have people in office that are willing to write and defend legislation that will protect your rights, then all the "action" you think you are taking, will do nothing, long-term.

Read a book, kid. Learn how the working class gained as much as it did last century. Learn how political apathy has led to almost all those rights being clawed back by the elites that currently control the system. Your "strategy", is how we got here. All you are advocating for with this bullshit, is to clear the path for them to take away even more. You are the total lack of resistance they are counting on, in order to get what they want.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Working class didn't gain rights by voting obviously. They got it by striking, by stopping working, by solidarity, by unions. I don't think voting has more effects than 5%, if we include everything they made. We give too much importance to voting. It actually matters so little

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Laws are what solidify our rights. Without laws to prevent it, the working class would be slaughtered every time they do what you claim is all that's required.

With Trump in power, we're heading back in that direction. They want to undo all the progress we've made over the last century. Voting is what keeps people like Trump out of office. The only way to prevent fascism is to never let it have power in the first place. You need to vote in order to prevent that from happening. If you don't...then all you are doing is standing aside and holding the door open for them, instead of standing in their way.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't understand, Trump is heading us back, he came with voting, and you say voting keeps him out of office. He literally came there by voting. You are telling me, voting prevents fascism, while voting takes them to the power. I really don't understand.
Solidarity, unions keep them out of office, while voting is what makes them be in power.

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ok. So, is it just that you don't understand how democracies work, then? Or do you just not agree that they work, at all? I feel like I'm talking to someone who was born yesterday, and needs the most basic concepts explained to them.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Democracy works, but voting is a tiny fraction part of democracy. Unions, free speech, liberated media is what makes democracy important, and guess what. We don't have liberated media, free speech, and even unions anymore and we still think voting is important. It is not! It even makes everything worse for the people. We are postponing our problems to elections and we blame people who vote, for the evil things that political people make.

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh. So you really don't understand how democracies work. Voting is the entire foundation they're built on. That's not just a "tiny fraction". It's the whole point.

Seriously. How do you think unions function? You've clearly heard of them, but obviously don't know how they work either.

I'm starting to think this whole post is just you trolling.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't get it, you think unions and voting are tightly coupled or something? Trump won, let's stop unions? Kamala won, let's recreate unions hurray!
One success of voting might be Mamdani, but he still doesn't talk about wealth tax, he still will not improve your lives either. We will see. Only people can make a change, no politician will care about you, unless you are lucky.

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What are you talking about? Unions are run by voting. You vote to decide who represents you in negotiations. You vote on contract proposals. You vote to go on strike. You vote to come back in. Unions are literally workplace democracies.

It's the exact same thing as when you vote for who represents you in government. It's exactly the same thing when you vote on down ballot issues. If you don't vote, then everything that happens around you, is decided by other people. If you don't vote, other people choose for you. Voting is literally the bare minimum you can do, to make a difference in your community.

Everything you are complaining about is only a thing because not enough people are engaged in the process. If you leave everything to other people to decide...they will choose whatever option best works for them...not you. That's how we got here. Other people are using the system to their own benefit, because people like you have given up.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world 1 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

"Not enough people" lol. In Turkey, 90% people attend elections and guess what? They elect Erdogan. Maybe you don't know but he is the leader for the last 25 years. So, even 90% attendance doesnt make a good leader to be elected. You are being played. Anyway, good luck crying

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Lol! That's a pretty wild false equivalence you tried, there. First of all, Turkiye is a completely different country, with a completely different culture. Who they vote for, and why they vote for them, is completely different than what US voters are looking for...so, obviously their choices are going to be different too.

Secondly, your example makes my point...not yours. In Turkiye, 90% of the population voted...and they got exactly what they voted for. It's different than what the US population wants...but that doesn't change the fact that they still got the result they wanted.

How does that prove that voting doesn't work?

[–] sahin@lemmy.world 0 points 4 hours ago

I don't think people want a dictator lol, and you think Trump won't be elected if 90% attends but this is not the case either. It changes nothing, and it makes people numb, by forcing them to wait for votes. You should not care about votes but care about actual changes.
In Turkey, the election results are again 52-48 percent, similar to US elections. And I promise, the next one will again be 52-48 percent, because this is the best ratio to make people argue with each other. They intentionally make this ratio by the power of their propaganda.

[–] remon@ani.social 2 points 1 day ago

Do you think the votes are really 49-51% randomly?

But votes currently are 27% - 25% - 15% - 11.5% - 10%

[–] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Have you heard about the German Democratic Republic? Eastern Germany from 1949 to 1990.

They had a one party system, completely with votes and all. After every election, they would announce the results as something like 98% or 99% for the one party and their leader.

The 98% were a lie, and everybody knew it. But that didn't mean that the elections were all fake. Only the resulting numbers were made up.

People actually went and voted, because everybody was watched, and they would have some serious disadvantages in life if they didn't vote for the party.

In order to express their protest, many people returned the blank ballots into the ballot boxes.

[–] heyWhatsay@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Better to vote independent than not vote at all.

[–] sahin@lemmy.world -2 points 2 days ago

Your vote doesn't matter. They already know the result of the election beforehand. It is not hard

[–] mrdown@piefed.social 0 points 1 day ago

I understand your feeling but no, voting for third party is better

[–] msokiovt@lemmy.today -2 points 2 days ago

To be fair about it, every vote is for a Jesuit who was already selected in some position for a reason.