In the primary
I used to agree with you but which candidate was in the primary that did not support a system bombing kids?
The presidential primary is probably the wrong place to start, unfortunately. Because of its scope, it’s hugely expensive in terms of both money and power to get a successful candidacy there. In order for there to be a Bernie on the debate stage 2016 and 2020, you need a couple dozen progressives in the House, a few progressive Senators, a handful of progressive governors, and a metric boatload of progressive state and municipal legislators. For international affairs, the dominant force there is going to be the House Reps and Senators because the other offices won’t have much leverage on that issue. It’s hard to campaign on an issue that splits the big tent and triggers foreign spending against your campaign. The fact that there has been no inkling of an indication that Congress would have the prospective candidate’s back makes it basically nonviable at the national level, as much as that stings. Airing a campaign message of “we will cease a betting thenIsraeli government in their war crimes” beside lower level candidates going out with messaging of “we need to strengthen our relations with our allies in the Middle East” is a disaster waiting to happen, and that is a message that won many a House Rep Democratic primary. It’s an unbearably slow process to drum up a response to a system that is murdering children by the day, and the only solace is that every success makes the next win easier. But it is the system we have, and the only way to change/reform that system short of violence is through a series of small, hard-fought victories. It’s how liberals/progressives were able to get the extent of LGBT rights that we do have, it’s how direct military intervention and corporate bailouts are becoming, if not fully frowned upon, a policy that carries some shame and embarrassment for its advocate. It’s also how abortion rights have been eroded by the regressives, and it’s how transphobic policies are becoming a nationwide phenomenon
I agree. I’m an activist, though what I do is non-electoral (direct action aimed to help people and prevent death or severe harm). It’s exhausting, and everyone is like “why don’t you do things” when they sit on their ass watching TV and I spend hours doing activism that keeps people alive. It takes an absurd amount of work to make minimal changes, and even as someone who doesn’t have a very positive view of electoral politics, I have massive respect for the progressive activists who try and make a difference.
Whether or not a system that murders so many people, and makes it impossible to stop the most horrific crimes against humanity is legitimate is another story. Stopping a genocide is mandatory under international law, but the immovable systems don’t care, and don’t do anything but fuel it. And as a queer person, a system that forces me to argue that I matter and deserve rights isn’t exactly one that lives up to the liberal values the system says it is founded on.
While I like the hopeful mood of things getting easier over time, that’s not a hard and fast rule. Im willing to bet that due to modern social media and the way that these impenetrable echo chambers have formed, it will be easier to be racist, and queer phobic, and eventually, the politicians will be insulated from bad press.
It is very exhausting to do activism with such a small group surrounded by a larger oppressive system. Ironically, the best thing is to make sure you are still taking care of your own needs and rest. Not only because it will make sure you don’t burnout and can continue to help in the long term, but because by setting that example for other people to see it is possible to help without being overwhelmed.
In my opinion, the initial challenge to get people involved is to have them witness for themselves what is going on and what they can do to contribute. Once they see the need and a path to help then they are more likely to do so. But they also have to see that helping does not have to include giving up all their time with their loved ones and being destitute.
I’ve joined existing orgs that have a clear path, and I’ve started one/resurrected a dead one, and I can say the moment the path to action is visible, people have an easier time getting moving and things begin to fall in place. Once the groups have enough core members, it’s easy for folks to pick up work when others need to take time for themselves. It’s beautiful to see :)
On a completely unrelated note, all of the activist chats I’m in have blown up following the election. Some of the groups have even started receiving donations from new people, and others have received tons of new members. Even with those horrible circumstances, it brings me some hope for the next four years.
The only genocide you care about is the one that you can use to get fascism elected.
You vote for the least bad option, and start doing the grueling grassroots work to make the options less bad
Eliminate the electoral college Ranked choice voting Eliminate the senate or make it propprtional to population Expand the number of house seats Expand the supreme court Public funding for elections Media that is not advertising driven Unions! Coop employee owned companies
Do these and start building something that doesnt suck
America is ruled on Israel first politics. Media is Zionist. Politicians who just mention “ceasefire is good” got record primary funding against them, even if those that lost never made Israel an issue against them. The rest of American oligarchy influencing politics sides with Israel instead of fighting with them, because usually Israel doesn’t take much of the budget. Israel becomes the kingmaker. Trump is favoured by Netanyahu maximalists, but all politicians take a loyalty oath to Israel/AIPAC.
Ranked choice voting
This is your only recommendation that gives alternate parties a chance. It would need a campaign focus that Israel first rule/money of the Republicrats disqualifies them. Media would need to be nationalized, other “lobbyists for evil” would also need threats to be nationalized. UBI/Freedom dividends is more important than democracy, because it redistributes power to the people instead of hoping for a hero to fix everything.
We can’t escape genocide because we can’t escape money in politics.
So you do the exact same thing over and over and over again because both sides will tell you the other is the worst that would happen, when in fact both would continue supporting bombing babies.
Starting to suspect that’s not how being part of the most powerful nation in history works, actually
“The power source is ignoring consent, because poor people are stupid!”
The rich people around the room nodded, and donated more to the politicians.
You are free to own an assault rifle.
And that’s basically it.
Can that assault rifle shoot the bombs? No? Oh.
You can’t. Vote for whoever you want, but we’ll never stop bombing children. I’m not voting for any pro genocide candidates, but I don’t really care if you do as long as you don’t pretend that’s not exactly what you’re doing.
vote with your feet.
If you choose to live in the US and pay taxes, you’re choosing to contribute to those atrocities.
If you choose to live outside of the US most of the year, you are not required to pay US taxes up to $125,000 and are not funding those atrocities.
Using the language of fascist genocide perpetrators is not the way to go.
Also…who the fuck can afford to “live outside the US most of the year?” Just squirt on down to our summer home? The fuck
“Using the language of fascist genocide perpetrators is not the way to go.”
then don’t do that.
"Also…who the fuck can afford to “live outside the US most of the year?”
if you can afford to live inside the US at all, you can afford to live outside of the United States as long as you want at a much higher quality of life.
you don’t even have to get angry about it for no reason.
if you can afford to live inside the US at all, you can afford to live outside of the United States as long as you want at a much higher quality of life.
You are not in contact with reality.
Bruh americans earn on average 4x the cash people in central and eastern Europe do. For same jobs, 2x is often the norm. The prices of groceries are maybe 80% of the groceries in the US. If you can afford to pay $1k in rent, then you can afford to pay $250.
Most people don’t have jobs they can do from a different continent.
Every job that is available in the US is available in other countries as well
For the pay available in the country? Plus you need visa and such.
It’s doable, just painting it as something everyone in the US can easily do is very silly.
“You are not in contact with reality.”
go ahead, struggle to prove me wrong.
I’ve been traveling like this for over a decade, so this should be funny.
No thanks, dork.
didn’t think so.
Look, your grace, those things that appear over there aren’t giants but windmills, and what looks like their arms are the sails that are turned by the wind and make the grindstone move.
Moving is cheap and easy! Abandoning your social circle will lead to happiness! Giving up everything you’ve ever known is the moral choice!
If you don’t do this, you’re partly responsible for bombing kids and should feel bad!
Easier to support genocide I guess. And yes, you are responsible for bombing kids - you pay taxes to the government that does it and you vote for people whose policies allow it to happen. You don’t get to play the victim of a system when you are a cog in the machine.
Don’t remember playing the victim, my dude. It’s not within my power to change it
You are playing the victim. You say you can’t change it. You say you can’t move. Those are all lies. You can do all of that, you just don’t want to. This has been proven by millions of people who have done just that - whether comming into the US, into the UK, Germany, France, or any other country. And yes, voting for policymakers that support genocide and paying taxes into a country that later go to a country to support them in commiting genocide, is “partially supporting genocide” whether you like it or not. An angry facebook post saying “I support Palestine” isn’t worth thousands of dollars of your taxes being used on ammunition that later kills people in Gaza.
What are you doing accomplishing making angry comments on Lemmy? You should be volunteering for Amnesty International full time or you are complicit in genocide
“Moving is cheap and easy!”
true that! much cheaper than paying for American housing.
and much easier than getting your driver’s license.
the healthcare and, yknow, all infrastructure is cheaper too, and simpler to access.
“Giving up everything you’ve ever known…”
well, this is wrong.
what do you imagine you’re giving up?
do you think other countries don’t have supermarkets? or cheetos?
“you’re partly responsible for bombing kids…”
If you are paying American taxes, a significant amount of your income is going directly to American military activities and aid, including that going to Israel(and many other countries).
If you live outside the country most of the year, you don’t have to pay those taxes that yes, are “partly responsible for bombing kids”.
there are viable alternatives to submitting to the implied impotence of this meme.
That’s a fact, Jack.
Couldn’t think of a way to spin losing your entire support network into a positive I guess
You’re complicit in slave labor if you use electronics and should feel awful about it, by the way.
“Couldn’t think of a way to spin losing your entire support network into a positive, I guess”
sorry to hear that happened to you.
upaide, even if you’ve lost everybody, it’s really easy to make friends while you’re traveling.
everyone’s very interested and gracious.
“You’re complicit in slave labor if you use electronics and should feel awful about it”
you mean you don’t feel bad about being complicit in slave labor?
sorry to hear that happened to you
Are you? You’re the one who skipped the line while stretching to dismiss my other legitimate concerns about your fantasy suggestion
I don’t feel bad about being complicit in slave labor for eating food and using electronics because I need food to live and I need electronics to earn money to buy food. If you go far enough down the chain in anything, you’re likely to find human rights abuse. All that letting myself feel bad about every single awful in the world would accomplish is making me depressed to the point of being unable to care for myself
Just take some of your money that you have, and use it to live internationally!
If that’s the route you want to go, do it.
why not?
