I find the quality and variety of discussions on the fediverse to be lower than what I had on reddit. Lemmings have strong preconceived notions and little interest in changing viewpoints from new information. I think I’ll be switching back.
Edit: you’ll find that most of the comments deny any shortcomings of the culture and go directly to invalidating my opinions via character assassination. If lemmy was a community that actually stood for the ideals which it espouses it would take constructive criticism in the spirit in which it was intended. QED.
You’re not being pragmatic. Being pragmatic is to take the lesser of two evils. You’re taking a different option entirely. Inaction. That is why you aren’t respected for your political opinions.
“Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.” - John Stuart Mill (A quote butchered and falsely attributed to Edmund Burke)
I will admit I fell into this during the first election cycle in which I could vote, which was 2016. I couldn’t stomach voting for Hillary after the Debbie Wasserman Schultz/DNC corruption with Bernie.
I dispised trump, but refused to vote for the lesser of two evils. Never again… I’m not a big fan of Biden, but I voted for him and I will eagerly do so again.
I get it. I don’t think anyone expected Trump to be as truly horrific as he was. A bad president? Yes. But a nigh dictator? What a lot of us feared but never thought it’d actually happen. But at this point it literally is the option between a mediocre president who could do a lot better and the death of the republic. Glad you see that. Wish a lot of people like OP would too.
Anyone that knew his track record did. He’s always been a petulant child. He’s also had criminal connections since the '80s at least. He’s had ties to Russia since the mid '90s. He bankrupted a casino, maybe two. He’s only had one successful business in his life, and that was his “reality TV” show. I saw his face when he won, he was expecting to lose, and nobody in that room was happy when it was announced that he won. They all realized that all their dirty laundry was gonna come out with the level of scrutiny that the POTUS is normally under.
I personally didn’t think he had a chance to be elected… I thought Hillary was going to win and didn’t want to cast a vote for her because I disliked her as a candidate. But I would definitely go back vote for her if I could.
What did he do that was being a dictator? Pulling out of Syria?
Your entire account is dedicated to making inflammatory and trolling comments. I’ll pass on this discussion, thanks.
And that attitude is why they will never change.
Why change when people will always bend the knee?
The solution isn’t just voting. Vote for the better of 2 shitty candidates, AND get involved at the local level to fight for change. Sometimes that can look like getting involved in local politics to push the democratic party left from the ground up. Other times it looks like mutual aid and community organizing.
How is contacting politicians and alerting people to key issues (that will cost the election) inaction? Inaction is plugging your ears and saying “nothing can be done to change the status quo”.
Contacting your elected officials and trying to get them to do something? Awesome! Allowing the entire country to fall into the hands of a fascist, dooming millions of people to starvation, debt and medical problems until they die, ruining a democracy, and fucking over one of the worlds largest economies because the president won’t simply say a thing you don’t like? Pathetic and also inaction.
Receipts! Kapow!
You have exactly one bargaining chit with politicians each election. First you need to make it very clear what is required in exchange for it, then you need to follow through. If you fail to do either then you’ll just get more of the same or worse.
I know! I’ll stand in front of an A-10C and get the pilot to pull the trigger so that way someone can’t shoot me in the toe with a Daisy Air Rifle! I’m a fucking genius.