https://midwest.social/post/18536008
Edit of yesterday's meme with accounted for non-voters
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Edit: I don't give a shit how many down votes I get. I'm correct! Vote blue! And show Palestinian, Arab, and all marginalized demographics you/we are not going to abandon them for self preservation. Show more empathy via doing everything within your capacity to help those around you. There are marginalized people around you. Do more. Be better. We all will be put in the tracks as the individual and we all hope others won't boil down your life to a binary train track meme.
I'm going to be 100% with yall that comment and post this shit.
Before I go on, let me say I voted dem and know they would be better for the world over Trump.
But is that's the standard and argument you expect people to vote for, you are in for a rude awakening... To anyone reading this or agreeing with these outright insulting comments and posts about how you know better need to take a long look in the mirror. Because...
If the only support you are giving to the Palestinian and Arab people is voting Dem and having arguments about lesser evils, then you are not helping the situation.
Yes vote dem. But get off your ass and protest, donate, and support those communities currently harmed be democrats disastrous Gaza and Middle East policy. That's how you sway hearts and minds. These fucking backhanded, self serving, ignorant posts and comments won't stop anything but prove to those communities that the democrats base does not give a shit about anything that doesn't directly effect themselves.
Yall are missing the forest from the trees. Not voting for the light genicidal party nor the full genicidal party isn't some gotcha win for Trump. It's a failure on our part to demand our party doesn't continue using our votes to do harm.
call your senators daily and demand they publicly denounce Israel and the IDF. Donate money to organizations that are saving lives destroyed by our bombs. March with your fellow Palestinian and Arab brothers and sisters. Divest and boycott any business with ties to Isreal and the IDF.
We should be on the tracks trying to destroy them not worrying about who we are sending the train towards. We're better than this. This is just conservative tactics used on a population that we need to vote blue! We are better than this! show some empathy and get involved. I have Palestinian friends and they would spit in your face if you said this kind of shit to their face because it's removing the humanity of the 40k people killed by Isreal via bombs provided by Biden/Harris. If you/we don't care why should they?
Jesus fucking Christ man, is it really so ridiculous to believe that a week before the election the current concern is voting Dem considering that is the upcoming issue with a hard and irreversible cutoff?
Many of us are involved in politics outside of voting. I write my congresscritters regularly, usually on matters of foreign affairs, for all the good it does. I donate when I can.
But right now a considerable number of people are banging the "DON'T VOTE BOTH SIDES THE SAME" drum when there is a very good chance of a literal fucking fascist being elected, the issue of "These votes are NOT fucking equivalent" is pretty fucking important to bring attention to, and bringing it to attention with asspats and "I understand if you don't want to stop any further genocides happening, but..." is the kind of feckless, useless civility politics bullshite I'm constantly criticizing the Dems for, so you can be sure as shit I'm not cutting anyone else slack for that approach.
Ya exactly. Where the fuck have yall been? I'm not trying to be pedantic or insulting but we that actually cares have been fighting for a long time to actually help! And yes they're are things outside of our control but we should never fucking stop trying to stop the train. You (those that haven't done anything to in your personal life to oppose fucking genicide outside of commenting and posting) are the reason why Palestinian and Arab Americans will stay home on election day. We need their vote! So get involved! Regardless of how the election ends we need to come together as a unified community and not individuals that act as if the Palestinians are already dead regardless of our collective actions! I'm guessing there are enough more marginalized demographics between you (not you specifically) and the next set of binary track decisions. If they (the rich and powerful) can do it to the Palestinian people they'll do it to you. And when they do come for you I pray others don't wait until a week before elections when they start posting train track memes as that's a point that should be made.
Get involved. Show communities that are currently on the chopping block you'll never stop trying to save their lives regardless as how close the train is. Get involved! Voting is the absolute least you can do, but you can do more! This post and comment won't sway a fucking election but us unifying and help those in need as much as possible will!
I'm done. Yall be acting like I'm the one being crazy when I'm saying no one has to be on the tracks of more keyboard warriors actually did something for others. Get involved!
END
For sure. We should do better so we're not in this predicament.
But unfortunately, we are, and there are people on the tracks. Right now. And we have a decision to make (and "not playing" is one of those choices, and it doesn't absolve you of blame).
I hate to be a bad news bear, but calling and writing congress does effectively nothing. When it comes to actual policy (and not empty lip service), politicians only serve donors and lobbyists.
If we want real change then we will need to replace our broken and corrupt two party system with a modern multiparty democracy
Bullshit. They keep tallies of what their constituents have called in for and it does work when enough people pester long enough.
I'm voting Democrat to preserve some semblance of democracy in this country, but I have to say I'm quite disappointed in my congress critters. My senator in particular. I've emailed her frequently, including links to articles detailing the crimes against humanity committed by the IDF, and all I get is a form letter response about how "Israel's right to defend itself is so important" and "October 7th was terrible" and maybe a line about how horrible it is that Palestinians are suffering written in a way that either only blames Hamas or uses the most passive voice I have ever seen in writing.
Exactly. And that does not mean our job is done. Please keep writing and advocating. If more people do this we can save lives. Not only if those that we can see. It's about fighting for the best of humanity opposed to the race to the bottom. Vote blue, get involved, fuck the IDF, divest and boycott.
When I have more time during my winter break, I'm going to mail a handwritten letter with some articles printed out, and follow up with a phone call. I'll read the damn article to her if I have to.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin?
Nah. Amy Klobuchar. I'm a Minnesotan.
Damn, that makes two of 'em, then.
Almost all of them. It’s nauseating.
Agreed but the chance those tracks will be destroyed before the election is slim.
I applaud your call to activism but in reality much less people will ever commit to fighting for their ideals that way.
Many more people will however are willing to give a token to a “right cause”
Voting D is that token. It doesn't fix shit, especially considering the genocide but it will be a slower decline of human rights then the alternative.
More time to do activism.
There are many others, also on lemmy that are not calling for activism but for a token of not voting. I think the meme is a representation of that particular logic.
Everything you said is correct. I just don't want to see all the surprised Pikachu when their inaction and self-righteousness results in a Trump victory. They'll cry, "why didn't the Palestinian and Arab Americans show up for the democrats?!"
The train hasn't hit yet there are still millions of lives we can save by doing more than just voting. If we're not willing to do everything to save them, why should they do anything to save us? I don't care how close the train is. I'll be trying to destroy the tracks until it hits me and the persons tied to the tracks. That's my point.
These memes boil an unbelievably complex issue to a binary outcome. Marginalized communities are going to be there regardless of the outcome of the elections. Don't wait until the train is about to hit you or something you care about before you decide to start dismantling the tracks. Then see how you feel when someone presumes your inevitable cleansing. I honestly feel like I'm living in Bizarro world or something. Like is what I'm saying beyond our capacity? We are doomed if we won't all step on the tracks to stop the trains.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1091 https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/u-s-made-weapons-used-by-government-of-israel-in-violation-of-international-law-and-u-s-law/
why didn’t the democrats show up for the Palestinian?
Yes. There will be a binary outcome very very soon.
Trump will win our Harris will win.
Trump will try to make worse things happen. Kamala will try to make better things happen.
It's simple. It's binary. Trump or Harris. There is no third possibility. There are no shades of grey.
by any logic it accelerates the decline. it gives a clear signal that they can get away with anything as long as they can project a worse alternative.
"Enabling mediocrity of non-fascists is a faster decline into fascism than literally electing a fascist"
Even by your own assertions on the matter of what electing Dems does, this is absurd.
Still less absurd than you blaming the few people who don't vote for your cult.
The right is because of the right, firstly. Then secondly, it's because the people in literal power right now did shit with it.
There is not enough time for a revolution before the election.
Reality is people will have to make a choice D/R or neither. No matter how they chose there will be either a D or R in political power.
If you have a proposition that will actually guarantee a different outcome i am willing to listen..
My personal take is to wait till the second this power game is over and hard dictatorship is avoide. start then. At the very least you will have many more people willing to join. Currently your just hurting the credibility of your own cause.
We have the same admin and reps until January, so even before the election people can start doing what they should have been doing all along and participate in more than just a vote. I'll say it again, this genocide didn't start a few weeks ago (when the "don't vote for genocide" meme started), it didn't start last October, it didn't begin on any other major event that got the media attention for a while, it's been decades, almost a century, of illegality and oppression and killing.
Also a reminder, if you're of one party or another and a different party gets into the seat, they are still your representative. You do not have to wait to get a matching letter to call them and praise or bitch about what they are doing.
what credibility anything will have when harris says that america has voted for her with the policy to continue arming israel to any extent ? a policy she has repeated multiple times during her campaign without leaving any ambiguity.
what’s stopping her from saying this is the will of the american people and start locking up any protest in name of antisemitism ?
and its not just israel, her policy on fracking and inflation is no better. life for working class has become hell in last four years, corporate greed is out of control and her campaign has been just “trump this trump that, vote me else you will have trump.”
only outcome that will bring any iota of change is one in which popular vote clearly suggests we don’t want trump or harris.
What planet are you on that you believe that this could happen or that it would make anything better in any way whatsoever?
if its not possible to happen then stop harassing others with these utterly vile memes. all it does is shows the world what a broken vile society we have become.
if the number that doesn’t want to vote harris or trump is insignificant then why is every left community being brigaded with this kinda trash begging to give our support to a child murdering, pro fracking, prison slavery shill. you guys are no better than the racist bigots supporting trump.
BoTh SidEs!
There's a huge difference between a majority and a minority big enough to sway it for idiot weirdo geriatric genocidal trump, with his out loud promise to kill leftists for their political views, but you're not so hot on spotting differences, are you?
yes he has said he will appoint a special prosecutor for biden and his administration. that’s not a good enough reason to vote someone for presidency when she should be jailed alongside biden, blinken and made to watch their warcrime footage for life. these sellouts deserve it.
I'll take the massive non sequitur as you covering the point.
What do you mean by “project”? Trump is objectively worse.
that doesn’t matter to them. it would have been bernie running against harris and they will be still still saying vote harris else sanders will destroy the economy. remember 2016 ?
2016? Hmm… wasn’t that the year Bernie asked everyone to support the nominee vs. Trump and one in ten of them did the exact opposite and voted Trump instead?
Between that and 2020, it’s no surprise if no one takes third party or its voters seriously. Don’t blame anyone else for this. You did it to yourselves.
2016 was also the year when dnc rigged the primaries and fcked the country.
yes we got what we deserved for supporting that. since then dnc and morons who keep posting these disgusting memes have made sure to see what dnc is. a corrupt party of leeches who only pretend to care about blm and lgbt while doing genocide.
Honestly, do YOU do that? Daily?
What has been your success rate in getting your senator on the line?
You must be on a first name basis by now.
Uhhhhhh what? Are you being purposely dumb? Of course when I say call your senators, I'm not saying get them on the actual fucking line! Call his office/voice mail and make the comment... And don't just comment one thing comment about all the communities currently being tied up on the tracks. And if you don't want to do that have you donated to charities helping in marginalized communities local or abroad? How about volunteering? How about protesting? Whatever is in your capacity you should be doing it!
Getting real tired of this Trump-supporter-like line of reasoning
If you've always thought people ment literally call your senators personal lines when they say, "call your senators" you probably are a moron. It's that better? No one ever has ment it in the literal sense.
Are you genuinely unaware that the process of calling your reps doesn't go directly to them?
Maybe they haven't and are just pointing it out. Few do, and that's the problem. It's not democracy, it's representative democracy, but it only works like a democracy would if people hold their reps accountable.
So no, the ones suggesting to hold their reps to the fire, now and after the election, probably haven't themselves. But they aren't wrong, and it shouldn't be thrown back in their face but instead embraced as a good idea to start now.
Otherwise nothing changes, because other factors already contact our reps daily and influence them, that's why they vote the way they do.
A problem is that even if you do, you're just talking to some part-time intern they hired to not have to listen to you.
For a single voter call, that's true. That's why it needs to be in mass numbers, and constant. Make them concerned that if they don't show some change, people will start showing up physically. With pitchforks.
And if they don't still, then go get some pitchforks.
THANK YOU!
Our community is suffering, and the only solution people are offering are to yell at us and shame us for not finding this situation unlivable. “Your community will keep dying in either administration but could you vote for the pro-trans politician while you’re suffering?”
Mehdi Hasan was the only person who was able to reach out and connect to those voters with his recent video, and he did so with sympathy and understanding. He convinced me to vote and did so without bullying or calling me names.
I would flip this back on those who suddenly, despite decades of oppression, really care about Palestinians... Show me one thing that any of those people have done the further that goal.
As someone that supported BDS years before oct 7, I don't think it's fair to fault someone for learning new politics. Especially considering how these events demonstrate the utter failure of our media to cover this topic with even an ounce of non-partisanship.