this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2024
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submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by spujb@lemmy.cafe to c/196@lemmy.blahaj.zone
 

FAQ

Q: why not organize and stop treating the bus as a legitimate entity? why aren’t you working to stop the bus?

A: do both. cut the fuel line. break windows. put oatmeal in the gas tank. but maybe your efforts don’t succeed this election cycle. and if so don’t fucking throw away your vote if it can help your neighbors fucking survive. “harm reduction” is not a political strategy for action. it is a last minute, end of the line decision to save lives, after all other resources have been exhausted.

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[–] audrbox@beehaw.org 31 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Voting metaphors that don't have people dying in either option are disingenuous imo. Like I understand the concept of harm reduction to a point, but let's not pretend one of the options is something as innocent as "getting ice cream".

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)

absolutely agree. the situation is closer to driving into the grand canyon versus into the sun.

nevertheless i do think the intended rhetorical effect of the post has value, esp for those who don’t intend to vote at all.

[–] audrbox@beehaw.org 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I hear you. I think many people who aren't intending to vote do understand the situation but just have a different moral take. Like, sure, driving the bus into a brick wall may save some lives compared to driving it off a cliff. But for the people that'd die in the wall option, they're still dead either way. Shouldn't we at least try to stop the bus from crashing at all, as unrealistic as that may be?

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 16 points 8 months ago (1 children)

i highly recommend doing both, organize and vote

[–] audrbox@beehaw.org 11 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I say organize, vote uncommitted in the primary if you can, and do what you have to in November. But yes, agreed.

[–] root_beer@midwest.social 7 points 8 months ago

We didn’t have that option in the Ohio primary so I just left that space blank and voted down-ticket.

[–] Pan_Ziemniak@midwest.social 1 points 8 months ago

Spoken like a proper leftist. Its funny how the lemmy trolls pretend ither countries dont gave anarchist or communist parties trying to participate in the neoliberal politics as is. Bc its beneficial to leftist causes if the people youre trying to sway, cooperate with, create a new way with, you know, actually can afford to do all those things.

Does anyone here realize how we're arguing whether the easiest action u can take is praxis? No one says dont do the other stuff.

[–] gandalf_der_12te@feddit.de 6 points 8 months ago

yeah it's more like driving into a bush versus driving into an active volcano. The bush gives you at least a 30% chance to survive.