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It would be infinitely safer
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It’s not worth dying on behalf of the Democratic Party
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She’d be able to radicalize far more young people and be the most popular streamer in history
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IT’S NOT WORTH DYING FOR THE FUCKIN DEMOCRATS holy shit talk about a close call
Counterpoint : One of only reason she even has a modicum of popularity is because shes seemingly one of the only "barely-left" voices we have that is actually close to a lever of power. Removing that proximity I think would also reduce that influence
She has no influence or power, she herself has admitted that much in recent months, she should prioritize her safety and mental health, also she could make way more money, just think of all the charities and orgs she could boost with her streaming money
Also her resignation over safety concerns could result in positive safety overhauls for the rest of the squad
In a weird way also, I think the representation matters too, even if you are right the amount of actual power is very little to none.
People want to see that leftist voices can actually be elected and heard in a capitalist bourgeois democracy, its kind of an oxymoron seeing that she can't change much, but I think even the illusion that change is possible is still encouraging to many.
Then think if she spent her entire life fighting for these changes. Imagine if someone like Bernie Sanders instead of giving his life to public service, spent his time being a radio Disc jockey, or whatever the equivalent of a twitch streamer would have been back then. Sure he could have donated alot and "raised awareness" but we wouldn't have a fighter emblematic of the struggles of so many working people to point to and say "This is how we can be better"
Honesty I've come to the conclusion that after an initial bump, representation in the long term doesn't matter, the effect fades and quickly at that, and as far as being a voice and being heard amongst the bourgeois I don't believe people buy that, they can see she's sidelined
To take a page out of Amber's book, people have great instincts and they're not fooled by any illusion of representation, at least not the people we want to reach
And who knows maybe if people like Bernie Sanders had cut their losses and went into radio disc jockeying, they could have become the leftist equivalent of people like Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones, frankly I think the left would be in a better state today had that actually happened
I think we do need some electoral representation otherwise we'll just be nothing more than some country club or lifestyle community that, while doing good things day to day on the ground, in the grand scheme of things will just be ineffective.
Besides, the Bernie campaign did manage to successfully pull American politics slightly leftwards and massively swelled the ranks of people who were actually willing to consider socialism in the US
All politics in the west is a lifestyle brand, leftists shouldn't be denying reality just because it makes us unconformable, you organize around the conditions that actually exist not the conditions we wished to exist
Besides, the Bernie campaign did manage to successfully pull American politics slightly leftwards and massively swelled the ranks of people who were actually willing to consider socialism in the US
People say this, but forget that without Trump on the other side of that equation Bernie's message would have hit the same way it hit the previous 40 years, which is to say not that well, and AOC is no Bernie and never will be, unless of course Ben Shapiro somehow becomes a Trumpian like figure for the American right in the next 20 years, in which case she may have a chance
All politics in the west is a lifestyle brand, leftists shouldn’t be denying reality just because it makes us unconformable, you organize around the conditions that actually exist not the conditions we wished to exist
I think then it is our task to figure out how to change this. Being only a lifestyle brand will guarantee we don't make a dent on imperialism but create a group of people who grow old look at their bills and think (oh yeah politics was just fun activity who has the time -- and rightfully so). I will be honest something like m4a while good would be a hollow victory to me if it means we dust our hands go home and forget about the cost that America exacts on the world. There is a reason so many "radicals" from the anti-war movement in 1960s onwards just joined the establishment.
People say this, but forget that without Trump on the other side of that equation Bernie’s message would have hit the
That is a gross mischaracterization. In 2016 Bernie was popular not because of Trump but because he represented an alternative outside of Hilary (like Trump is a reason he had to fold, do you think he would endorse Hilary so readily if the opponent was someone other than Trump?). He is the result of decades of austerity in the neoliberal era.
In 2016 Bernie was popular not because of Trump but because he represented an alternative outside of Hilary
Bernie got his shot in spring 2016 because Trump broke all the political taboos in the fall and late summer of 2015, and he scared people, a lot of people, Hillary didn't become a major player until AFTER bernie folded. It was Trump who struck the populist tone first (and stuck with it) not bernie, even tho he was better at it (for a couple months until he folded)
do you think he would endorse Hilary so readily if the opponent was someone other than Trump?
Yes, absolutely, bernie would have folded no matter what, the narrative works for any Republican which is why the dems will do the same thing in 2022 and 2024, they're never gonna stop and the succ dems will continue to fold
Even stripping away the race/gender angles, it's as simple as you're shrinking her platform and overall reach, especially when she can be a politician and also do some streaming.
Haha I was agreeing with you, I appreciated that you were able to take my long-winded comment and boil it down to the best parts.
yeah that's what people on here want. right now she's doing lameass shit like "responding to the interests of her constituents." we just want her to become another eceleb to obsess over.
Right but I'm not implying this is some intentional thing, I'm just saying I don't think twitch is the right platform that plays to AOC's strengths if we're talking having her leave politics entirely.
Twitch is politics, especially if a brown former congresswoman is playing, granted that's not saying much about the current state of politics but hey, that's where we are
Yeah I mean, I think it's great that she streams, it's an effective outreach tool. I just don't think she needs to reduce her reach by giving up being a politician entirely to do more if it.
Yeah, but I'm SAYING that "reach" doesn't actually exist, it's just a media creation that relies on demographic misconceptions and personnel online anecdotes, which is why it doesn't matter if she streams for a living or not, and considering the recent assassination attempt brought on by said media misconception/fiction just makes retiring on its own a good idea
I mean she's done it multiple times, she's a gamer and she raised a lot of money from it, and being the only former congresswomen on twitch is a pretty damn good gimmick and I'm saying this as someone who doesn't like twitch
And if the socialists can watch Hasan they can watch her, I find it hard to believe she wouldn't be more popular than Piker
but she’s still able to have a considerably greater impact on the world now than if she just decided to become a somehow-less-radical, female Vaush.
I see no evidence of "greater impact" that's just lib media talk and say what you want about Vaush but that slug has a HUGE audience
At best she’d just ‘radicalise’ a bunch of libs into being too-online pro-imperialist succdems.
And that's GOOD ENOUGH, better to do that then get assassinated by some mid-western nazi, we don't need martyrs
but it’s better to be a left-leaning politician than a do-nothing media personality. Bernie Sanders for all his faults did far more for American socialism than a hundred Breadtubes.
To be a left-leaning politician in the west IS TO BE a do-nothing media personality, that is the hard pill to swallow, and you can immortalize bernie all you want that doesn't change the fact HE LOST, all his gains were reversed, his movement crushed, and the country is further to the right now than it was two years ago. Any illusion to the contrary is just media fluff
Did I miss a thing? Or is this reflecting back on the raid on the capitol?
AOC did a stream last night and spoke in detail about what she experienced during the attack on Capitol Hill and about being a survivor of sexual assault.
I disagree that she’d be more effective as a streamer. She needs to be honest with herself and do what is best for her, but her becoming an influencer full time I think it becomes really easy to write her off. And then go further to say look left politics doesn’t have the staying power elect me I have bank money.
I’m not a diehard fan and I recognize she has a lot of flaws but she brings people to these ideas and has been instrumental in putting more people in leadership positions. Half of DSA’s membership can be tied to her election and that means something even if you think they’re not as effective as your local trots.
I take an opinion that we need to basebuild through familiar reform processes before pursuing revolution - Americans are not Russians and have the illusion of change through legal processes. So to me her work is important to organize and radicalize. If she stays in office and doesn’t do anything but tweet nice things for 4-6 more years then at worst that helps bring a few thousand in that could otherwise go to the right.
The details of AOC literally almost getting murdered during the capitol siege came to light yesterday
uhh actually my favorite anti-idpol socialists on twitter have assured me and their nazi reply guys that she's being crazy and hysterical
https://twitter.com/emmaladyrose/status/1356424292800544772
This Twitter thread gives a rundown.
What happened to "move our politicians left" meme? Did you libs give that up already?
That was always just a cynical meme deployed by the libs to silence leftist critiques of Biden, now that he's president its gone into the memory hole like most liberal propaganda models, only for it to eventually be rediscovered in 2022 and 2024
yeah because thats what america lacks , ... people giving their opinions about stuff....
