Edit: thanks for the good question. I'm firing at the hip here and not editing this a lot because I'm a little drunk, but the following may explain it a bit I hope.
The act of voting itself is by almost any measure inconsequential. We don't really care if you as an individual do or don't vote in presidential elections. What we take issue with is the presentation that voting is the primary, only, or most important form of political participation. You're not going to stop our descent into fascism by voting for neo-libs because they're going to keep fanning the flames of material conditions and contradictions that drive people to adopt fascist ideology. Every single election is presented as the ultimate struggle against fascism and we just HAVE to put up with the center-right corporate shill one more time to prevent the fascists from gaining power - but please ignore the fact that they keep winning and growing in influence anyway. Definitely don't get any ideas about doing anything besides voting, that would hurt the bottom line. Show up and crank the lever legitimizing your own oppression and be happy for the opportunity.
Our derision about all this comes from the kafkaesque absurdity of that cycle and inability of people obsessed from seeing the futility in it all. Stopping fascism is going to require more, and the emphasis on voting as the only option intentionally obscures those other solutions. It gives the false impression of doing something, which arguably is maybe worse than doing nothing at all. All the energy and time that could go into more effective political action is instead poured into ineffectual voting campaigns that only serve to reinforce the status quo (which, again, is a steady slide towards reactionary positions.) The atomic unit of propaganda is emphasis, thus SO much attention is given to voting and that crowds out real solutions that actually work from public consideration.
Plus, it doesn't even make sense, truly. If Donald Trump is an actual fascist that is seeking to enact genocide, war crimes, and general human rights abuses beyond imagination... Shouldn't we be handling this a little more ahem permanently? If the liberals in power were serious about their own rhetoric, they should be doing a hell of a lot more to "protect democracy" than riling up the base with scary language every four years. Truth is they don't believe their own story, they think they can keep getting away with trotting out war-criminals and debt hounds and forcing us to accept it because the opposition is somehow worse. They're not wrong about the opposition being immediately worse, they're just wrong about being able to get away with it forever. Their own ghoulish policies feed the forces of greater fascism, and this grift only works until the fascists actually DO seize power, and then they'll kill the liberals and communists alike. We shouldn't wait around for that to happen, so part of that means getting over our religious devotion to voting as our primary understanding of political participation.
I absolutely disagree with the idea that voting fixes everything and it should be the sole focus. And I dont think its going to stop fascism, just slow it down (maybe). But it takes little effort for me to vote, so why not?
And I do really think Trump is a fascist and is enabling fascist. My neighbors are fascists. My community is filled with fascist. I make friends where I can and I own guns and ammo. I do what I can. But voting? Its this small thing that takes a little bit of time that might help out.
And I do think there is a less noticed benefit of campaigns. Like when Bernie ran and brought "Medicare for all" to light. We had a large shift in the US of people wanting something different. If a revolution is ever going to happen, we need that overton window to shift further to the left.
Yeah, again, it's all well and good to go out and vote if it's easy. It's (intentionally) not for everyone, though, and it's (definitely) not the solution we really need. We parody and lampoon the vote fetishists and liberal conception of the activity, those who use it as a self-actualizing process and believe in it whole-cloth, not folks like you trying to do any bit that might help. There's people who think they're good people and doing their part showing up to crank the blue lever every four years, all while the climate burns, women's and lgbtq and minority rights are stripped away, and warmongerers kill and maim millions for profit. They are complicit in their indifference, and the lie that #ing is enough keeps them in that comfortable state of inaction. Showing disdain and mocking what they consider holy is a strategic move to shake them from that complacency. You don't need to make the opposite mistake and feel bad about voting, though. As long as you understand how little it matters and don't propogate the myth around it and are organizing in more meaningful ways, then you're doing absolutely nothing wrong.
Now, one could make an argument that participation in voting at all lends the veneer of legitimacy to the system, but that's a bit less cut and dry than the criticisms of liberal voting and their attitudes about it.
I understand what you're saying. I think I just got some lib brainworms. Even though I know voting means so little, I think its the right move to vote.
And yeah, I get all the way the system isn't legitimate. It is what it is. I can participate while advocating for its change.
When I'm less drunk I'll come type up a constructive critique of the "I think it's the right move" position. I have more I could expound upon regarding that legitimacy matter.
And I think I get the legitimacy matter. Between the two party system, winner takes all, electoral college, lobbyist, the money needed to run, massive campaign donations, gerrymandering, voting intimidation, and.. shit.. probably a lot more that I'm blanking on. There just a lot of bullshit in the US voting system.
Edit: thanks for the good question. I'm firing at the hip here and not editing this a lot because I'm a little drunk, but the following may explain it a bit I hope.
The act of voting itself is by almost any measure inconsequential. We don't really care if you as an individual do or don't vote in presidential elections. What we take issue with is the presentation that voting is the primary, only, or most important form of political participation. You're not going to stop our descent into fascism by voting for neo-libs because they're going to keep fanning the flames of material conditions and contradictions that drive people to adopt fascist ideology. Every single election is presented as the ultimate struggle against fascism and we just HAVE to put up with the center-right corporate shill one more time to prevent the fascists from gaining power - but please ignore the fact that they keep winning and growing in influence anyway. Definitely don't get any ideas about doing anything besides voting, that would hurt the bottom line. Show up and crank the lever legitimizing your own oppression and be happy for the opportunity.
Our derision about all this comes from the kafkaesque absurdity of that cycle and inability of people
obsessed from seeing the futility in it all. Stopping fascism is going to require more, and the emphasis on voting as the only option intentionally obscures those other solutions. It gives the false impression of doing something, which arguably is maybe worse than doing nothing at all. All the energy and time that could go into more effective political action is instead poured into ineffectual voting campaigns that only serve to reinforce the status quo (which, again, is a steady slide towards reactionary positions.) The atomic unit of propaganda is emphasis, thus SO much attention is given to voting and that crowds out real solutions that actually work from public consideration.
Plus, it doesn't even make sense, truly. If Donald Trump is an actual fascist that is seeking to enact genocide, war crimes, and general human rights abuses beyond imagination... Shouldn't we be handling this a little more ahem permanently?
If the liberals in power were serious about their own rhetoric, they should be doing a hell of a lot more to "protect democracy" than riling up the base with scary language every four years. Truth is they don't believe their own story, they think they can keep getting away with trotting out war-criminals and debt hounds and forcing us to accept it because the opposition is somehow worse. They're not wrong about the opposition being immediately worse, they're just wrong about being able to get away with it forever. Their own ghoulish policies feed the forces of greater fascism, and this grift only works until the fascists actually DO seize power, and then they'll kill the liberals and communists alike. We shouldn't wait around for that to happen, so part of that means getting over our religious devotion to voting as our primary understanding of political participation.
I absolutely disagree with the idea that voting fixes everything and it should be the sole focus. And I dont think its going to stop fascism, just slow it down (maybe). But it takes little effort for me to vote, so why not?
And I do really think Trump is a fascist and is enabling fascist. My neighbors are fascists. My community is filled with fascist. I make friends where I can and I own guns and ammo. I do what I can. But voting? Its this small thing that takes a little bit of time that might help out.
And I do think there is a less noticed benefit of campaigns. Like when Bernie ran and brought "Medicare for all" to light. We had a large shift in the US of people wanting something different. If a revolution is ever going to happen, we need that overton window to shift further to the left.
Yeah, again, it's all well and good to go out and vote if it's easy. It's (intentionally) not for everyone, though, and it's (definitely) not the solution we really need. We parody and lampoon the vote fetishists and liberal conception of the activity, those who use it as a self-actualizing process and believe in it whole-cloth, not folks like you trying to do any bit that might help. There's people who think they're good people and doing their part showing up to crank the blue lever every four years, all while the climate burns, women's and lgbtq and minority rights are stripped away, and warmongerers kill and maim millions for profit. They are complicit in their indifference, and the lie that #
ing is enough keeps them in that comfortable state of inaction. Showing disdain and mocking what they consider holy is a strategic move to shake them from that complacency. You don't need to make the opposite mistake and feel bad about voting, though. As long as you understand how little it matters and don't propogate the myth around it and are organizing in more meaningful ways, then you're doing absolutely nothing wrong.
Now, one could make an argument that participation in voting at all lends the veneer of legitimacy to the system, but that's a bit less cut and dry than the criticisms of liberal voting and their attitudes about it.
I understand what you're saying. I think I just got some lib brainworms. Even though I know voting means so little, I think its the right move to vote.
And yeah, I get all the way the system isn't legitimate. It is what it is. I can participate while advocating for its change.
Don't worry, we shall tear them out with careful application of patient explanation and relentless dunking
This bear eats worms.
New site tag line?
When I'm less drunk I'll come type up a constructive critique of the "I think it's the right move" position. I have more I could expound upon regarding that legitimacy matter.
I'll be happy to hear it.
And I think I get the legitimacy matter. Between the two party system, winner takes all, electoral college, lobbyist, the money needed to run, massive campaign donations, gerrymandering, voting intimidation, and.. shit.. probably a lot more that I'm blanking on. There just a lot of bullshit in the US voting system.