I mentioned that I voted, and they naturally asked me who I voted for. I said, "De la Cruz. Third party."

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that?", one of them said, and the whole group looked at me a bit puzzled — so I reiterated, "De la Cruz, a third-party candidate."

"...Wait, there's a *THIRD* party?"

  • Cowbee [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    7 hours ago

    No, I’m not at all fine with concentration camps. I’ve started doing some small amount of advocacy recently that is resisting them to some small degree.

    Fantastic, though this depends on how you're organizing. Getting organized is the only way to effect change.

    I don’t really know you, so I have no idea. For all I know you are doing a ton of other productive stuff, in which case great. But the one data point that I have at this stage is that you’re supporting voting for a stooge who the ruling classes are completely thrilled to have in the election, sitting there compliantly siphoning off 1% of the electorate to no purpose and serving as a stand-in for RCV, widespread protest, incrementalism, or anything else that might threaten their power that might otherwise get some investment of energy instead.

    The ruling classes kicked De La Cruz off of Georgia's ballot, keeping her name but ensuring no votes for her count. RCV is a carrot that is both too ineffective to meaningfully change anything and yet too effective for either party to allow at scale. Widespread protest happens outside the ballot box, and "incrementalism" is doing nothing for the people as the Empire dies. You can't threaten the ruling class by supporting them via the dems.

    They hear that you really want to vote for a minority party in a FPTP election, and they laugh and laugh, chortling themselves to sleep secure in the knowledge that you’re content to spend time on counterproductive grandstanding that only helps them consolidate power that little bit much more. They can’t wait to get back to reality of colonial dominance tomorrow, as it is the reality of their lived experience, knowing that people who could be their opponents are spending time instead on fantasies.

    They already consolidated their power, moving away isn't helping them. The main thing you don't get is that the dems also serve the ruling class eco-porky

    I eagerly await your angry downvotes. Deep down, you know I’ve got a point.

    1. Hexbear doesn't have downvotes

    2. You don't have a point.