2w ago

Missed it by that much

Show Context

383 comments

I find it very interesting how conceptualizing binary states vs continuous ranges play into justifying not voting for the lesser evil.
By definition, a request to acknowledge the lesser evil means that the audience is able to understand "evil" on a continuous range.
Yet all of the justifications I see against voting for the lesser evil center on viewing the world through an absolute, binary lens. "I lose either way." "Genocide is genocide, nevermind that there's more of it, protestors are being silenced, the ones doing the genocide call Trump's administration a 'dream team', we now have a genocide against trans citizens as well", etc.
Do you think you'd lose less had Kamala won? Why or why not?
- My life is going to go on much the same no matter who is in office.
  The rest of you, though, should be asking yourselves why the greater evil won and consider running a good candidate in the future.
  The fact you're trying to justify "losing less" proves my point further about your conditioning. Try to direct some of that energy towards the people who have conditioned you. Maybe then the greater evil won't win next time because you people did something different.
  
  My life is going to go on much the same no matter who is in office.
  Ah, now you're saying the quiet part out loud - you cast your vote from an ivory tower, and that privilege allows you to justify not voting by chasing an esoteric ideal while facing no real consequences.
  Must be nice! If you have nothing at stake, there's very little reason to listen to your suggestions about voting. You have no skin in the game - you're the entitled rich kid protestor who, at the end of the day, goes back to a life they don't have to worry about.
  
  That person is simultaneously saying that if Harris won, they would have lost while also saying that whoever is in office wouldn't affect them.
  
  What quiet part out loud? I'm being realistic. Funny how you tried to get me to say "harris would've been better," and when I didn't you decided to take the "oh you're so privileged!" route instead. You've been conditioned to blame non-voters over the people who vote for establishment candidates that lose to fascists no matter what.
  If you want to get mad at someone, get mad at the people who vote for nominees that will lose to trump. They expect people like me to "fall in line" instead of themselves. They'd rather have trump than a candidate who actually fights for the working class, so that's what we get.
  I've said this before and I guess I'll keep saying it again: All of the anger you people are directing towards non-voters would be better spent directed towards the people supporting candidates that nobody wants to vote for.
  In other words, get mad at the people who voted against Bernie in the primaries. They're the reason why I didn't go out and vote. They're the reason why we have 2 trump presidencies.
  It's your turn to "fall in line," otherwise you're cool with a fascist in office.
  I don't expect you to "fall in line" though. You're just going to keep getting mad at people like me and expecting different results. You're a bigger ally of fascism than any non-voter ever could be.
  
  I like how none of this giant wall of text contests that you're talking about votes from an insulated place of privilege. You'll also notice that I never tried to influence who you vote for, I simply asked about why you voted that way. I let you explain why you would or would not be losing less if Kamala had won. (I will say thought, If you feel penned in when asked to explain your thoughts, it might be a sign they require more consideration.)
  I don't give a shit how you vote, I just wanted to see the thought process behind folks who obstinately refuse to acknowledge that things are on a continuum, instead viewing things on a binary level. I want to talk to someone that believes so hard they they were willing to sacrifice, not someone to whom a vote is inconsequential no matter what.
  You know how in flatland, the 1d dot cannot be blamed for not knowing there exists higher dimensions?
  To your life experience, the candidates were genuinely are the same. That is both enviable and pitiful.
  Cheers, have a good day.
  
  You've literally recycled bullet points from multiple posts while not acknowledging a single thing I've said, lol.
  Your life experience dictates that both candidates were the same. I've understood that about you, and I know that that's why you don't believe in a "lesser evil", because to you they're genuinely the same evil. Your life doesn't change much no matter which was elected, so you feel free to vote your conscience. Does that sound about right?
  Are you talking to me, trying to understand me, or are you talking to a caricature you've put up in your head? What makes you think I'm mad?

383 comments