#people who risk their lives in protests do more than voting

[coyoxxtl]

tumblr centrist liberals stop acting like voting is the most influential and important political activity you can participate in challenge

[bijoumikhawal]

"Biden is the best choice and he's actually really empathetic and reasonable but also you can't wait for a candidate that won't do genocide and war crimes because to become a presidential candidate you have to be willing to do that" see what you fundamentally don't understand is I'm not waiting for a candidate that won't do war crimes, because I know that. I cannot morally stomach this system, it's a joke to claim its democratic, and AMERICA DELENDA EST. this country is a plague on this Earth

[decolonize-the-left]

Happy 2nd The-Right-Literally-Stromed-The-Capitol-And-Dems-Still-Won't-Stop-Platforming-Them-In-Elections Anniversary!!!

Let's place a bet, yeah?

I bet your lives that the person dems tries to pit themselves against for the presidential election in 2024 is gonna be some Ted Cruz/Ben Carson/Trump-esque right-wing Trashcan that Dems will think is too extreme to be an actual contender in a presidential race.

And I bet it's another close call because Dems refuse to see that the gap that made them different from Republicans is only for show at this point.

And I bet after the last couple election cycles that things go absolutely fucking left for all of us because now we All know the right is willing to storm the capitol meanwhile anyone short of being a straight up leftist can't decide if breaking a window at protest is a justifiable action in response to police literally murdering people in broad daylight on a regular basis.

So like. Yeah.

Super in love with the concept that despite knowing all this and despite the fact that leftists and progressives have pointed this out Year After Year that Democrats and liberals will STILL try and gaslight all of us into thinking it's just coincidence that they keep platforming harmful bigots and it's just Coincidence that They happen to be the only ones who can save us every election. And the rise in right-wing ideology DEFINITELY doesn't have anything to do with democrats literally advertising it to people (who otherwise would've supported a MUCH more conservative and center-right candidate....who could've beat a democrat).

.......but yeah vote blue. The party literally platforming and advertising extremists aren't extremists themselves. Definitely not. They're definitely taking Super Normal and Acceptable measures to keep themselves in power keep people in the USA safe. Platforming extremists and spreading right wing ideology is what good, compassionate people do. As long as the ends justify the means right? As long as it's for the greater good, right?

For the record.... Republicans are PISSED about this. And I understand that as Democrats and liberals you have an impulsive need to be happy about that. I get it. Republicans suck. You know what sucks more? Nazis. White supremacists. Even Republicans know that. They don't want Dems platforming them. Let me say that again. Even Republicans know how harmful and fucked up this tactic is.

And maybe the rising numbers of white supremacists and bigots don't pose a threat to you, but they do pose a Literal increasing threat to minorities who have to deal with and face them on a daily basis, a reality politicians and privileged liberals forget because it's not Your reality.

I can assure you I'd rather have a conservative republican who Doesn't increase the amount of people who want me dead sitting in office than to have a democrat in office who chose to risk MY life and safety for a seat that they won't even use to protect me (after THEY created more hateful violence around me) knowing full well they'll do the same thing in another 2 years.

I really don't want to be right but if I am, you can bet your ass I'm gonna drag this post out of the fucking depths to reblog during the campaigns. And it's not an election year or election cycle right now either so don't give me that "you're just a psyop/Republican/Russian plant" bullshit. I'm a minority of Several communities and as such I'm a fucking target for hate like this. I'm allowed to critique the people who intentionally INCREASE the number of people who want people like me dead.

Like you all can say a lot about Republicans but Republicans aren't the ones spreading right wing propaganda on primetime TV. Democrats are. And it's not even a secret. They don't even deny it. Y'all just don't wanna think about the implications of what that means for You as someone who supports Democrats. So you pretend it's fucking normal. An acceptable risk.

It's not, you freaks.

[nappingpaperclip]

sorry to pop y’all’s white liberal bubbles but even if every white liberal to centrist in the US votes blue, I genuinely don’t think Biden is gonna win due to the amount of voters he has lost in his handling of this genocide.

Do you all genuinely think he has a chance when he has disillusioned not just Palestinian-Americans and the people who care about them, but also Christian and Muslim Arabs, non-Arab Muslims, climate activists, and anyone who cares about immigrants or the fact that he’s bombing other countries??

Like listen to me: when you ask people to vote blue no matter who, who are you asking? Are you asking people who look and think like you?

Can you imagine asking that of an immigrant whose still at risk of being sent to a detention center? A Palestinian-American who has lost family in the genocide? A Christian who sees how Palestinian Christians are being killed in their Holy Land? Muslims who see the violence towards other Muslims both at home and in Palestine? Catholics who see even the Pope calling for a ceasefire but not their own Catholic president?

Can you imagine asking that of a Syrian refugee? Someone who’s family or friends live in Iraq or Yemen or Lebanon or Palestine? A climate activist whose friend got 10+ years in prison on RICO charges for protesting the Willow Project? Climate activists who saw their friend be shot and killed while protesting Cop City? 18 year trans high-schoolers who have to go to school and face the threat of bullying and corrective rape and murder every day? Indigenous people whose stolen land you’re living on, whose land is shrinking thanks to pipelines Biden personally approved?

Can you imagine asking that of women who need abortions because they are at risk of dying but who can’t get them anymore, because Biden held codeification hostage for blue Congressional votes? 18-20 something’s who wake up every day and see the mutilated bodies of children on their timelines? Black people who fear for their lives at every traffic stop, now more than ever knowing that the IDF trains our police? A person living on the streets because they lost their partner to COVID and can’t find work?

Would y’all say it to their faces? Would y’all hear yourselves while you did it? Would you get mad at them for reacting however they react?

These are people who exist btw, in and out of your communities. These are real people with real experiences. Would you still ask that of them, knowing what they’ve been through?

Did you know that Biden has former BlackRock leaders in his cabinet? Yknow, the largest investment company, which invests BILLIONS of dollars every year into private prisons (which includes immigration detention centers), oil companies, deforestation, arms manufacturing, etc. ? Look it up! Remember how Biden promised to address climate change? How he promised to let those kids out of cages? Did y’all forget about them?

Sorry but I just don’t see him winning with the amount of support he has lost, which is why saying “a vote for third party is a vote for Trump” is a fuckin joke. That’s not how the electoral college system even works, and also people voting third party are people who would rather not vote. Trying to organized disillusioned voters to vote for third party rather than not voting is not “gonna make trump win.” Biden’s own actions is going to make Trump win, if anything.

Stop blaming other people who are actually affected by these issues for Biden’s loss of support or if he loses to Trump. STOP BLAMING MARGINALIZED PEOPLE. BLAME BIDEN FOR HIS OWN ACTIONS

[daughter-of-sapph0]

I'm curious, how does refusing to vote for Biden help? I've always held the opinion that until we fix the system voting for a third party isn't helpful. Is the refusal to vote for him just to pressure him into calling for a ceasefire or actually committing to his campaign promises? If so then why is that worth the risk of Trump getting re-elected where things will only get worse for everyone? Apologies if this came of as insincere as I am being serious and would like to better understand your position.

you're at least attempting to ask a question. I mean, you're still a cunt about it, but I'll play along.

basically, checking a single box once every four years does next to nothing. it doesn't matter who I vote for because I live in a very blue state that's voted dem for every election since Clinton. one singular additional green party vote won't lose dems the election or anything

what will change things is being involved in your community. sit in for a school board meeting. visit events at your local library. get involved in your city's local government. organize protests and marches. volunteer at a homeless shelter or kitchen. start a community garden. participate in boycotts and strikes. meet people in your community, and make it an actual community.

(I'd also recommend other things which tend to lead to more direct change, but I'd probably be put on a watch list).

I'm not saying "don't vote". in fact, do vote. but don't JUST vote.

I've lived through some of the most divided and two-sided elections in us history. and I'm still pretty young, so I've only voted for one presidential election so far. so forgive me if I seem a little bit jaded and fed up with the "vote blue no matter who" bullshit. because no matter who the president is, it won't make any real change. there'll still be genocide and famine and war and covid and bigotry. you can't just rely on Genocide Joe to magically fix everything for you if you ask him nicely enough.

you need to actually do something that matters a lot more than checking a box. and that's what the vbnmw crowd doesn't understand.

anyway, if you didn't read any of that and just got mad and the meme making fun of y'all, then I'll leave you with this little logic puzzle:

if not voting for biden is basically giving a free vote to trump... then by that same logic, not voting for trump is basically giving a free vote to biden.

[chiarrara]

I don't know I just feel like....

We just watched a man self-immolate in his military uniform. And I don't want to sound like an idiot, because it's much more than this but, couldn't you say that was a very extreme form of conscientious objection?

He could not be complicit anymore, but there is literally no way out of being complicit in this genocide if you live in America. For him especially, being trapped in military service. But for all of us. All of us are trapped in complicity in some way, and we can try to counteract that sin with as much meaningful direct action as we can possibly do, but all of that action comes with some proportional level of risk.

So, a man burned himself alive in an extreme form of conscientious objection (the only form available to him - one of great violence)

And people are still on here telling people to suck it up and vote for Biden.

I just... maybe I'm really stupid and I just can't see the logic y'all are putting forward. Because the way you lay it out it all seems to make so much sense to you. I understand we're trapped in a two party system. I understand the Republicans don't have the same consciences we do and are gonna vote en masse for Trump. I understand Trump is a danger globally and domestically. I understand all that, and I don't want his second term to come to pass. I'm not ignorant of how dangerous he is.

But a man self-immolated to object to the system of complicity he's trapped in, and the most logical response y'all have to a bunch of people wanting to opt out of complicity in this election, and the next four years of horrors that will be done in their name is to tell them, you just have to suck it up and be complicit. Your only tool is to make a phone call. You can try to protest, but there's a non-zero chance you'll be beaten and arrested and have your life ruined, by the way. You can donate to try and put a bandaid on the horrors you're seeing through your phone screen everyday (and you should, but God it's sure not stopping anything). But you're not allowed to object to being complicit in the selection of the Genocider-In-Chief.

It's not going to stop the genocide. We know this. It's not going to stop the election. We know this. It's not going to change anything directly, and Trump is going to get elected (which he will either way. most people who would vote against him are doing it anyway, y'all are fighting a very very small online minority).

But a man self-immolated in his military uniform. He didn't think that act was going to directly stop aid from going to Israel, or stop the genocide, or destroy the US military industrial complex. He didn't think his one small (but extremely brave and impactful) act was going to solve everything. Everything that was going to happen is still going to happen just with one less man in uniform.

But it wasn't nothing. It didn't do nothing. It's not his fault that the military will keep on chugging. It's not his fault that things are getting worse in Gaza every day. But he's not complicit anymore and he sent a message. And he had to die to achieve that.

And y'all are telling us we can't even do the very small act of not being complicit in the presidency. It's a less effective act of protest, but I also don't have to die for it.

It's not a boycott (I've seen this strawman, i don't know why you think we think that). It's not going to "send a message to the government" (obviously, we're not ignorant). It's to the Party that runs these candidates, and makes money off of "pick us because we're not the other guy" then commits crimes against humanity. I don't want to roll over and be fucking complicit in that.

Parties and candidates look at those numbers. they see how many people voted for them last time and how many people this time.

They don't care about our voices, and our protests, and our emails. They care about donations, and they care about votes. That's it. That's all they look at. If the emails and the phone calls and the protests don't result in a drop in one of those two things, they don't fucking care.

I don't know. This is a long ass ramble, but I'm trying to work out my feelings about this. Because we can't opt out of paying taxes, we can't really opt out of the benefits of living and being born in the Global North, we can't opt out of work, we can't opt out of the military, we can't opt out of following the law without extreme violence being brought against us. We can't do a whole fucking lot besides call, email, donate, and protest in a way that doesn't get us beaten and arrested, and if you do get beaten and arrested, you'll be dealing with the legal consequences for years or potentially the rest of your life.

And a man burned himself to death to object but I can't withhold my vote???

[fireball734]

I have seen a lot of posts about the upcoming election, and a lot of people want to either abstain from voting, or vote 3rd party because they are upset and/or just disapprove of how Joe Biden is handling the IDF-Hamas war that has been raging on for the better part of the past 5 months. I completely understand why they are doing that, and they 100% hold the right to do so. We're not going to have this conflict fixed if we continue voting for the party that passively endorses the genocide of Palestinians (Democrats), and the party that not only actively endorses, but wants to take a much more involved role in said genocide (Republicans).

However, I personally will not be doing so, despite having very very strong desires to vote 3rd party, and let me tell you why. The political scene in the United States at the time I make this post is EXTREMELY volatile, and the general public can be swayed to any extreme position will enough nudging. The "a vote not for us is a vote for the enemy" saying is unfortunately true to an extent. An absence of a vote for one party naturally weakens their performance at the polls, which in turn makes the opposing party's performance stronger relatively. If you lean left, you know for certain that you do not want Donald Trump in office again. If a sizeable group abstain or vote 3rd party, it does admittedly send a message to the Dems that "hey, we do not like what you are doing, and until you start doing the things we want you to do, we are going to take our votes that give you people power elsewhere". However, it also brings a high risk of the GOP winning the Presidential seat again, which given the man currently leading that party, is something that we as a country cannot afford to let happen again.

Look, Joe Biden is not doing the Palestinians any favor, and still passively supports Israel to the point that even the White House staff are resigning in protest. However, Donald Trump in the Oval Office again would not only make the lives of Palestinians that much worse, but it would make the lives of everyone who isn't rich, white, straight, and "Christian" that much worse as well.

I fully understand that we need at minimum the introduction of a 3rd party in our political system. However, making US Politics more than just a 2 party show should be our long-term goal right now. Our short-term and MUCH more urgent goal right now is to prevent the rise of fascism and Christofascism that has been brewing, festering, and growing in our own country. Remember, every baby step of progress that we can not only take, but also HOLD, is precious. If we cannot completely bash the fash in our generation's lifetime, then the very least we could do is set it up for our future generations to do just that.

[elistodragonwings]

I am getting really concerned by the people on the left saying they won't vote for Biden anymore because of his support of Israel. And look, I get the emotions. I'm horrified by what's happening too and I'm angry (though not surprised) by our government's response, and I'm also horrified by the people who seem to think this is an acceptable way for the world to resolve it's problems... I think any sensible, caring person would feel intensely about this.

That's all the more reason to channel those emotions into determining our values, seeing clearly the situation we're in, and focusing on practical goals.

Are people's values really to risk letting us slip even further into authoritarianism, even further into the kind of societal and government thinking that lead to this atrocity, just to make a moral point? Because Biden may be fine with this overseas, but we all know the far right would do this right here AND let it happen elsewhere, if not take part in it (and if you think they wouldn't, might I remind you of all the black communities white supremacists burned in the 1920s, all the First Nations people forcibly displaced before that...we have a history here and nothing says we wouldn't do it again).

Someone I know said since she lives in a reliably blue region, she's going to vote 3rd party to "protest" Biden since she thinks it's "safe" to do so.

Biden doesn't care. He'll never know how you voted even if he did. But if enough people decide to "protest" like this, he might lose even a "reliable" area. And it certainly won't make a different if he gets the message then. It probably won't make a difference if you protest vote and he wins either. Margins are already so thin, what's the difference if it's a little thinner?

All you're doing if you vote like this, is telling the rest of us that you're willing to risk all of our well-beings, all of our chance to stop the slide into fascism, all of our chance to move forward and stop things like this from happening in the future, just to express how unhappy you are? I think we're all very clear about that! So what is your actual goal? Do you really think you're helping Palestinians by risking making it even harder to bring about change?

I know it's hard to do something distasteful. But our situation is bad and you can't force a good option out of it. It is not morally impure to be realistic, to make choices in a non-idea situation, even if it feels unpleasant. No one is going to get hurt worse than they already are if Biden/Democrats win again. A lot of people will get hurt a lot worse if they doesn't, and the far right has long been making plans to ensure the left won't get the chance again to have any sort of power. Things are getting worse and we can not afford to lose this.

If you are aiming to be a safe person who shows solidarity with the oppressed, then please don't endanger even more people as an expression of your outrage.

[no2ticonderoga]

Well, my friends, we come to the end of 2023. And It sucked on a lot of levels. And 2024 doesn’t look like it’s shaping up much better for a lot of us. There is a lot of bad shit in the world, and a lot of it is out of our control, and that can make us feel helpless and lost. But as we turn the corner into a new year, remember that there are things we can do.

Take care of yourself. Drink water. Go for a walk. Absorb some sunshine. Take a shower. Put down your phone for an afternoon, turn off the TV, and enjoy the people around you. Even if it’s just sitting in a coffee shop with a book. Even if enjoying the people around you simply means people watching and not interacting. There is still a lot of good in the world, and social media is not always the best way to see that. Spend time with your hobbies. Spend some time doing things for you.

Don’t get caught in a outrage vortex. There’s plenty of things to be outraged about, no doubt. But don’t guilt yourself into believing you need to wallow in it. Don’t fall for the argument that enjoying things is a privilege and you shouldn’t be allowed to do it just because there are people in the world who can’t. That will always be the case, and as sad as it is, you can’t go on a downward spiral forever. That way lies madness. You do what you can for who you can, and when you can, no question. But you still need to live.

Do what you can, but don’t guilt yourself for not doing more than you’re able. There are great causes to donate your money and/or time to. Both abroad and at home. The Red Cross/Crescent/Sheild is a great place to help get medical aid to those who need it regardless of where you are. Doctors Without Borders. Your local food banks, clothing swaps, and community organizations, for a more locally targeted aid. In the US, there’s a group called End 68 Hours of Hunger, which gets food to kids who might not get a meal from school lunch on Friday to breakfast Monday morning, and is amazing cause. There are so many kids who need help, and they’re doing what they can. Can’t give money? Give some time at a local animal shelter, or donate your old ratty towels. They’re always looking for them for the animals. But if you can’t do any of that…don’t beat yourself up. Do even simpler things. Hold the door for the person behind you. Even if you can’t give to the unhoused person on the street corner, smile at them. Treat them like a human. There are things that cost nothing, and have an impact far beyond you can known.

VOTE. It costs literally nothing, and is virtually the biggest thing you can do to change the world. There are a lot of countries that are holding elections this year beyond the US. Mexico will elect a new president. India is voting. The UK is closing in on election. Take the time to educate yourself. Cast your vote wisely, to protect women, children, the environment. And don’t let the perfect be the enemy of good. Look, is Joe Biden a great president? No, probably not. But he’s done some good things that he doesn’t get a lot of credit for. But really, the question is, is he 100000% better than Trump’s second term? Yes. Is it worth withholding your vote, to take that risk, because you’re unhappy about something he did. ABSOLUETLEY NOT. Is the Labour Party in the UK perfect? No, they’ve got some issues. Is it worth risking more years under Conservative Rule. Hell no. It the anti-Modi coalition perfect in India? Probably not. But are they better than the alternative? You have to understand voting is the only way to get the change you want. And to prevent changes you don’t want. Staying home accomplishes NOTHING. It’s not a protest. It’s not symbolic. It’s not a message. Staying home is allowing people and policies you don’t want to win. It’s a simple as that. DO NOT STAY HOME. DO NOT LET PERFECT BE THE ENEMY OF GOOD.

This got longer than I intended, people, but I hope you all can take something out of my rambles. And I’ll be back tomorrow my “2024 New Year Fic Resolutions” for all of you to see and to bug me about this year. I’ll be putting them out into the universe to manifest them.

[fayrobertsuk]

It’s Striking

Here’s the thing: the mail strikes are going to inconvenience me this year (have already done so - I get my meds via post), but I can mitigate against that. The nursing strikes, thank goodness, did not affect me directly, but I can see how they might if the future ones are necessary. Rail strikes are less of a thing for me currently as I’m not risking exposing my knackered immune system to public transport. That’s not the point.

All these events are inconveniencing people, making some parts of their lives harder, but if you’re not thinking about how workers choosing to protest in the only way left available to them - by withdrawing their labour, and crucially, not getting paid - and how vital these services are just by how they impact you, I don’t know what to tell you.

Everyone. EVERYONE needs to have the means at their disposal to live well, cover their basic needs of food and water, shelter, warmth, stability, security, family. EVERYONE. I’m not talking about deserving, I’m talking about needing. Every person on this planet needs the access to sustainable, secure living. And yes, I include in that criminals and drug users and people who don’t want to work. Everyone has the right to survival. The people on strike don’t have that. Their pay and conditions are so bad that people are leaving their organisations in droves, and those left are not being supported (not least because it’s proving difficult to replace the colleagues they’ve lost). They’re struggling to feed and safely house themselves and their families. This CANNOT be happening in the 21st Century, where we have more obscenely wealthy people than ever.

Union members think long and very hard before striking; it’s a huge matter for debate and negotiation, and is voted on by everyone in the union before the action is taken. Striking is a last resort, which should tell you a LOT.

So if you’re feeling angry or inconvenienced about it, do not blame the strikers - they are making an incredibly courageous move, and it’s the fault of the people failing to give them the means for survival (crucially - people who are incredibly wealthy and secure) that your post and your non-urgent medical appointments are being delayed, and you’re having to find other ways to get to work and school, etc. It’s on those failing to negotiate meaningfully, the greedy people putting profit above the safety and security of people like you. Don’t be fooled by media manipulation - those on strike have far more in common with you than you have with those telling you that the strikers are wrong. Never forget that. And never forget the importance of collective bargaining and the fact that rich people need you, and that you have more power than you realise.

[inconveniently-discorporated]

US human rights/politics ahead.

Senator Lindsey Graham today introduced legislation that would ban abortion nationwide if passed. Now, it's unlikely it will get passed as the house presently sits, but that could change with future legislation depending on how elections go.

Here's some things you can do to help fight for your rights:

Reach out to candidates in the upcoming November election from both sides of the aisle and get their opinion in writing. Make a neutral request for more information -- would they vote to support legislation like this if elected? Compare answers. Is one candidate squirrelly on a straight answer, and the other willing to be explicitly against? Show that to people you know. Show them the stakes, from the candidates' own mouths.

Reach out to your representatives, even if you know they're voting against this. Ask them not to just vote against it, but be vocal and do outreach and educate people on the dangers of removing avenues of healthcare. Ask if they have suggestions for resources you can look into for fighting against this sort of legislation.

Be explicit with people you know, ESPECIALLY if they're not likely to vote or they're not sure. This legislation hurts and kills living, breathing people who have hopes and dreams and families and even existing children who depend on them. USA already has a shameful rate of preventable maternal death, especially for the BIPOC community. This legislation makes it worse, and puts even happily expecting parents at risk if they face complications and are not able to access suitable care. If you are not voting for people who will stand up for these rights, you are allowing them to be taken away.

Offer to help people you know with voting accessibility if you can. Make it a night out if you have to go to the polls, make it a night in if you have mail in voting (e.g. offer fun pens & potluck where people can come only if they've voted or will bring their ballot to privately fill out and drop in a secure mailbox). You could offer childcare, rides, body doubling (let's vote together, or, let's sit down and do this paperwork together). Accessibility includes physical, mental, socioeconomical factors.

"Yes, and" -- I know. People who talk the talk but don't walk the walk are incredibly frustrating. We don't just need words, we need action! I submit to you that I would rather see people talk about it than not at all, and talking about it is an accessible way to get involved, especially if you're facing other challenges that prevent people from participating. Also, I believe that a lot of people WANT TO be more involved, but it can be overwhelming figure out how and where. I've been using "yes, and" successfully -- "Yes! This is great to see you talk about -- and you can help by (donating/writing in/joining me for this protest/volunteering). I see that you care a lot about this, let me know if you have any questions or need any ideas!"

We still have a voice and we can all work together. YOU STILL MATTER and YOUR VOICE STILL MATTERS even if you can't get out and take certain kinds of action.

I'm all about making civic duty as accessible as possible, because I feel like sometimes people make it all or nothing. You have to go out and be involved in all of these things or else your contribution is worthless. It's not worthless. Taking action can happen in any capacity.

Yes -- this sort of stuff deserves us to act to the fullest capacity we have. This does NOT end here, and MANY communities are at risk of having their rights trampled, from various kinds of healthcare, to marriage protection, and possibly much, much more. It deserves our full attention. But, capacity looks different for everyone. I urge you to work towards yours, and help people where you can so that they can participate in our democracy in effective ways that protect their rights.

[the-gayest-dragon]

I’m all for protesting and disprupting the system, especially in regards to protecting marginalized people or the environment. 

I do wonder however if certain types of protest aren’t counterproductive, especially with some environment activists. I’m thinking specifically about people who disrupt traffic by gluing themselves to the road. 

Personally, I almost always vote green, I’m very vocal about ecology irl and I don’t even have a car so I’m not at risk of being personally bothered by those activists. However, I’d be pissed if someone kept me from going back home after a whole day at work. Yeah, some of these car owners could probably use public transports instead of their own vehicle, but some people can’t function without a car because of where they live and other factors. 

I feel like these kinds of actions (which only inconvenience people who have no political power) are more detrimental than helpful. Maybe it’s because I’m a little shit with a contradictory mind, but if I was anti-ecology I’d be even more convinced that this is just a bunch of hippies disconnected from reality. And I’d become even more anti-ecology.

[sniperct]

It's easy to despair. A queer (trans now, the rest for sure coming) genocide in progress, climate change putting billions of people at risk, an unstable putin playing brinksmanship with NATO, and so many of our rights under attack or dismantled as fascism is well beyond creeping at this point.

I'm not healthy enough or have enough stamina for protests, not rich enough to donate more than a few dollars to various organizations. I can barely keep my own mental health even due to my job.

So I retreat into things like writing fics because it's a small joy for myself and if it makes even one person feel better or have an escape or whatever it's definitely worth it. And we always need something to escape to. (And this is super important, because if we're 'on' all the time we burn out and then we're not able to help anyone)

And I carve out my own defiance screaming about voting at all levels, about calling representatives.

I try to fight disinformation and remind people that voting is not in fact useless, but an act that needs to be done, year after year, election after election, for the whole of our lives.

Republicans did that, and look what they've accomplished. We can do it too. And we need to at all levels from dog catcher to president.

To all voting age people in the United States who are able to vote, are not suppressed, and still don’t vote?

If you *choose* not to vote, then you have no fucking right to complain about the people in power. None. If you vote, and your guy wins, and they fuck up? Complain, protest if you are able, hold their feet to the fire. If you vote, and your guy loses, complain about the guy who won, protest. If you weren’t able to vote? Complain away because the systems of power prevented you and definitely protest if you are able.

But if you don't vote, and you were able to vote? Fuck You.

If you choose not to vote to 'send a message' or whatever bullshit? I don't wanna hear you complain, because you chose not to participate.

The US is a 2-party system. One party wants me dead and wants the world to burn with unrestricted climate change. The other does not. It's as simple as that. (and climate change is an existential threat to civilization and billions of lives, I cannot stress that part enough)

Voting is not the only thing we can or should do. But it's the base, first level thing that we should all be trying to exercise (and fighting for those who can't)

[littleapocalypsekitten]

I've never had the courage to vandalize my neighborhood and I feel a bit bad about it. So, I was just reading about someone who takes their dog out to have a poop in the yard of a neighbor with a pro-life / anti-choice bumper-sticker on their car as a form of silent protest. Reading the comments on that made me think about neighbors I used to have. It's too late to do playful vandalism now, as they've picked up and moved far away to Florida, but, ooooh, the temptation. So, on the corner near the sub-divided house where I live in an apartment was what me and my own referred to as The Trump House. We would shout "Truuuuuuump House!" while shaking our fists in the air when they had overly loud parties in in imitation of a scene in Futurama where the dean of Mars University complained about the Robot House fraternity. This house, man... they put a huge Trump / Pence flag out on their porch. I cannot emphasize enough to you how huge this flag was. It was the one where the logo looked like the T in Trump was anally-fucking the P in Pence, too. The thing lasted until it wore out and they got another one. They got them in different colors. When Trump lost in 2020, I saw a Trump flag with a lion-head logo, which I was informed was basically a kind of Trump-loyalty fascist flag, as in a "screw the electoral process, we want revolution" flag. The house had VERY loud parties. Every once in a while, loads of vehicles from Oklahoma (we are not on OK) would show up and there were huge family parties. Their kids would spill out into the streets and not let cars pass, just being purposeful, uncontrolled brats. They'd set off illegal fireworks and the cops came to the house more than once. I heard from neighbors that the father of the family was a candidate for local office - he was running for the state legislature. I looked him up and got one of his ads on Youtube in which he was ranting and railing about opening up schools again and being against masking during Covid - his whole thing was "Open up the state!" and it's like... as someone with a restaurant-job I *got* during Covid and living with someone who was retail and "essential" and had to work despite actual health problems and great risk of Covid, the state NEVER "shut-down," my guy. He was rumored to have torn up some Black Lives Matter signs that someone had put up at the local Starbucks, making an ass of himself. According to the neighbors I actually talked to, he was at the Capitol on January 6 and had taken a whole busload of idiots down there. Apparently, he wasn't one of the ones who stormed the Capitol, his people just hung back, were the outskirts protestors, but...still. He and the family moved, probably having taken a financial hit after losing spectacularly in the local-legislature vote. I had been tempted many times to, say, make silly flags out of large rolls of heavy-duty sign-print paper that we have and my art-skills to replace the house's flags in the middle of the night, or something of that ilk, but never had the courage to. You see, I worried I'd be caught on a security-camera and before we knew it, me and my own, being poor (we really are in a neighborhood that's too good for us due to a lucky apartment-find), we'd get in trouble with the local law and get kicked out. I'm pretty sure our landlord would side with Trump House on the matter if I'd do anything to goof on them.

[dereksmcgrath]

I title this post pretty much the same as the last one, that teaching literature is an act of political protest, because I have more to say on that topic. 

But I have to change gears for today and talk about something slightly different. So, please forgive me if this is even less organized than my usual rambling–but I’m in a foul mood, and I have few fucks to give right now, because, God-fucking-damn-it, I am fucking pissed off with this bullshit. 

But before I get to that: 

Don’t believe the nay-sayers–you need to vote. This is not negotiable: this is your responsibility, and everything that happens moving forward is on your head if you don’t vote. Why do you think the Supreme Court got stacked like it did except for fascists turning out to vote and not enough of us anti-fascists voting? Why do you think laws aren’t passed when the anti-fascists don’t have enough seats in the Senate to overcome stupid procedural rules? Why do you think your state isn’t going to protect your right to an abortion–and yes, it is your right–when you didn’t vote to put Democrats into the governor’s seat and in control of your state’s legislature? Yes, your vote does matter–don’t believe any fool who says otherwise. Get registered and check when registration and voting deadlines are. But your vote is not enough because you also need to…

Donate to abortion providers.

Protest these judges and any fool who wants to take away your rights to an abortion, reproductive health, and bodily autonomy, and, as we’ll see below, your right to your marriage and your gender identity. 

This post was going to be about something else, had today not been the day that a Supreme Court full of illegitimately appointed justices, put on that court by fascist Republicans (but I repeat myself) who did not receive the popular vote and who were illegitimately put into the White House, decided not only to take away the right to an abortion but promise, as in that leaked briefing, to take away the rights to same-sex relationships, same-sex marriage, and contraception. 

And my failure to understand how awful this decision is means I'm overlooking what this does to people who can become pregnant, people with cancer, and people seeking in vitro fertilization.

And it goes back to something that happened in 2018. That year, I was teaching at a public university. At orientation, we received, in writing, instructions that we were not to discuss politics in the classroom because, as state employees at a public university, we risk discriminating against people of other political points of view. 

Earlier, in January 2017, right after that sham of an election that installed a fucking fascist who couldn’t win the popular vote, I was told by a colleague about instructions our department received that we were not to be political. 

All of this is such nonsense. When you have a fascist rightwing stamping its foot down onto the face of education in an attempt to kill it, how do you look at anything we teach and not imagine, “Oh, jeez, I better not talk about anti-bigotry, because some Republican student is going to get real offended and think I’m discriminating against their point of view that I’m supposed to be pretend is valid and not a steaming pile of manure”? 

Despite how I write here, I don’t walk into my classroom with an agenda that says, “Today, I will talk politics”--because politics is part of our lives. I don’t just mean that every action we take is inherently political–I mean that politics, coming out of legislatures and seats of executive power, have decided how we live our lives is political. You’re in a same-sex relationship? Up for political debate, so, political. You want to get an abortion? Up for political debate. You believe Black Lives Matter, you say “Trans Rights,” you go to Pride? Political, political, political. Your life is made into politics by someone who is not you: your ability to define what is and is not political is outside of your control due to a community that has decided this specific part of you is up for discussion, but you as a teacher don’t get to exist as such in your own classroom. Look how many educators have lost their jobs for being LGBTQ+ because of these regressive laws that suggest just saying “gay” or “trans” or “bi” or anything else in the classroom–but not “straight”--means you are breaking an unjust, unconstitutional law. 

And it’s only become worse thanks to the laws prohibiting what we can and can’t include in class–anti-bigotry, LGBTQ+ content, anything that reminds us that our humanity does not stop because of our race, ethnicity, nationality, or any other marker of identity–but I’ll say more about those bullshit laws in a moment. 

The point is, I see no way how you can be an effective teacher if you are not saying something in class that does have political resonance. I’m looking through teaching materials by colleagues, and the words themselves “politics” and “political” pop up so frequently because you can’t teach what we teach–about what has constituted the United States literary canon, about what it means to be seen as a woman in this country, about what it is to be Black in this country, about how your identity butts up against how a nation sees you–and not be political. 

“But maybe the instructions to teachers just mean ‘don’t talk about partisan politics, like the differences between Democrats and Republicans!’” 

Are you fucking naive? How do you navigate such a ridiculous course of action? How do you talk about what we talk about and not have someone say “Nah-uh, that sounds like something a liberal would say, you’re being a partisan, I’m offended”? 

Ignore for a moment how the red states keep making numerous topics “political” and then pass bullshit laws to prohibit those topics from being taught or discussed in class: promoting anti-bigotry in the classroom becomes political and hence prohibited; talking about the rights of women and trans people, including their rights when it comes to abortion (fuck the Supreme Court ruling, that right is inherent to your body, regardless what this bullshit court or the law says), becomes political and hence prohibited. 

Hell, how on Earth do you expect to teach gender studies, literature, history, race and ethnic studies, anthropology, or biology without any discussion about race, gender, sexuality, or trans identity, out of fear that some boogeyman will pop out of the classroom garbage can to shout, “Ah ha, I found you talking favorably about anti-bigotry and talking disparaging about bigotry! I will report you”?

It is pathetic to have seen this wishy-washy approach by public universities when it comes to these shackles put on teachers and students, denying them their ability and their right to speak freely in class on what we should be promoting–equality, inclusiveness, equity, the right to control over your own body, the right to be in a classroom without getting gunned down, the right to speak out against these injustices. And it’s a top-down process, where the head of a public university is too much of a coward to stand for the right to an abortion, and all the privacy rights included with it, because she doesn’t want to offend people. 

Fuck that shit. 

I say this as someone who has worked at public university and for academic groups based at public universities where, despite personal appeals I made, sometimes directly to an immediate supervisor with enough sway to use the machinery at our job to do something, either refused to take a stand on the side of justice in these matters, or watered down any public statements in defense of our rights because, and this is how it was told to me, out of fear of offending our current members. 

What the hell? How are you more afraid of offending fascists than you are of defending the most vulnerable of your members? 

What academic group would want a member in it that is willing to look at someone and say, “I want you to lose bodily autonomy,” or “I want your race and ethnicity and gender and sexuality and nationality and ability to be used against you,” or “I like the Republicans and what they are doing”? How can you be a good teacher, a curious academic, an engaged researcher in this country and support any of this incurious, anti-education, anti-human madness? 

And the next time I walk into a classroom, if I have a book in a gender studies class that brings up abortion, and I teach how the text represents the topic, and it may start a debate among students that somehow turns into the merits of how applicable this book is now to our current post-Roe v Wade world, is that going to be “political” and end my job right there as a teacher at that school?

Today, I have seen zero statement from any recent university or academic group I worked with on abortion, on reproductive rights, on the threat to your gender identity and your marriage–nothing. That is cowardice. 

Goddamn the Supreme Court. Goddamn this country and its residents if they accept this nonsense and do not with all their energy peacefully and lawfully protest against all of it–until the laws are changed. Goddamn any university or academic group that cannot muster enough courage and integrity to say, “We oppose the Supreme Court’s decision and stand by the right of all people to control their reproductive health and their bodies.” 

And to reiterate: vote (YES, VOTE, STOP PRETENDING THAT ISN’T ONE OF MANY STEPS THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE TO SAVE US FROM THIS MADNESS), donate, and protest.

[spezispud23]

I live in the United States of America

I am so scared.

I no longer have autonomy over a portion of my body. I feel violated. I feel assaulted. I feel the same lack of control and power I felt when I was molested by a trusted family member at the age of 12. That man never saw justice. I will not allow that to happen again.

I thought that as I grew up, as I attained more and more authority over my body and my choices, I would feel whole again. And I did. Until my anatomy became a weapon weilded by my government. I was so small when that family member took advantage of me, and I am small again in light of recent events.

My body will bear no children under this government. I won't be one of the people shitting out white babies for a group of crusty old men who are afraid of becoming a minority. It's tragic, because I'm living with the live of my life, and I want a baby or two. I want a beautiful life with him, I want to raise children to be beautiful people with him. But I will never give this fascist police state what it wants.

Fight with me. No more separation between POC rights and women's rights and queer rights. We are all drowning in an ocean of injustice, barely treading water while a fucking yacht floats past.

Votes don't matter. Republicans are just the ones who got their hands dirty. Democrats are just as guilty for their inaction. Politicians don't fucking care about you and they never will. They're fed the crumbs of the elite and they grow fat and content with those morsels.

It's time to take advantage of those gun rights that are so fervently defended. Take the class. Learn how to use it. I despise violence, but it is the only language those in power understand. We have to be fluent if we want to survive.

It's time to go to politicians' houses and protest. Throw eggs. Scream at all hours of the night. Set off car alarms without damaging vehicles. Be loud. Bring them a little bit of the hell they inflict upon us to keep themselves comfortable.

It's time to strike. Go to work, make that money, then spend as little of it as possible. Trade with your neighbors, start a garden, barter. Start a commune. Stop getting your groceries and goods shipped to you. Travel by car as little as possible. Hoarding cash is the same as taking their god hostage.

It's time for abstinence. Unless your contraception is secure and you are perfect in using it, do not risk becoming pregnant. Not now. Not until we build a safe place for our children to grow. Not until the act is our choice again. Delete your period trackers, be very careful with your doctors, don't talk to anyone you cannot absolutely trust about your uterus.

It's time for strength. For unity. I don't know what tomorrow with look like. I am frightened, and I am mourning the possible loss of the future I wanted. But this is bigger than me, than you, than anyone. We have to have courage and make sacrifices. I'm sorry we have to do this, but it's necessary.

I love you for reading this. I love you because you are human. You are real, a living, thinking, breathing creature who deserves to be free. I want to be free with you. For now, be strong with me.