I’m not banned yet because the admin’s at least a bit sympathetic, but I sure as hell don’t think 90% of the group’s gonna want to speak to me after this. I told them I’m voting and campaigning for a 3rd party candidate who is anti-Israel and pro-trans and explained that I could not in good conscience vote for Biden after his blatant and willing complicity in genocide. Here are some of the arguments I encountered in response to that:

  • “Not voting for Biden makes it easier for Trump to win, and Trump will genocide trans people in addition to Palestinians. Therefore anything you do supports genocide, so you might as well support less genocide.”
  • “Your trans friends will all know that you’re functionally anti-trans.” (I’m sure this would be a shock to my trans friends in my org, all of whom have made it clear they will also not vote for Biden)
  • “Trump would genocide Palestinians even harder.”
  • “Biden wants to stop the genocide, but the Republicans won’t let him.”

Some choice quotes:

Have pride in your self centeredness, I guess.

Choosing someone who you know cannot win, especially as they’re not the chosen candidate, is only symbolically different than choosing apathy.

It’s just objectively how it works in this system. There is no non vote.

And it is most depressing your friends here at home are not important enough to check one box for.

And this:

[The Palestinian] genocide is going to happen regardless of the two. But the one that’s happening here, that one can be stopped. And you refuse to do anything about it because you think you’re so much better.

You’re right about one thing, though. I do think I’m better than people who give their endorsement to running over Palestinian children with tanks.

And I’m better than people that choose two genocides at once, I guess. If we’re ranking each other. I’d laugh if it wasn’t stupid.

  • AssortedBiscuits [they/them]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    72
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    5 months ago
    1. Unless you live in a swing state, it doesn’t matter who you vote for. And unless everyone in the discord lives in a swing state, it doesn’t matter who they vote for either.

    2. If your org has Palestinians, tell the people in that discord you’re not voting for someone who ordered the deaths of your comrades’ extended families. As far as Palestinians are concerned, Biden murdering their extended family is fucking personal. Nobody’s fucking voting for some dude who killed their family and friends.

    Don’t argue with principles because liberals have none.

  • GalaxyBrain [they/them]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    62
    ·
    5 months ago

    I’ve been baiting people into posting paragraphs of the good things they think Joe Biden did and then replying I don’t read the rhetoric of genocide collaborators. Do It at home. It fucking rules.

    • CyborgMarx [any, any]@hexbear.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      65
      ·
      5 months ago

      It’s always how liberals fall into fascism

      “We have to support the nazis to stop the commies”

      “We have to support this dictator to stop the Soviets”

      “We have to back the neolibs to stop Reagan”

      “We have go support the war on terror to stop Bush”

      On, and on, and on

      • Commiejones [comrade/them, he/him]@hexbear.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        5 months ago

        Liberals don’t exist. They are all just crypto fascists. Liberal ideology is self contradictory and always shifting because it is not real. It is just a disguise for people who want to say they are not fascists while doing fascist things.

  • sub_ubi@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    57
    ·
    5 months ago

    The best way to push a candidate left is to promise you’ll vote for them no matter what

  • AlicePraxis [any]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    54
    ·
    5 months ago

    unless you live in a swing state your vote is symbolic either way. I guess these people would prefer you symbolically vote for a genocidal piece of shit

    even if you do live in a swing state good on you for voting based on your principles. the whole “voting for third party candidates is useless because they can’t win” is such horseshit. motherfucker, you’re the reason why they can’t win. they’re electable if you vote for them…

    • qaopjlll [he/him]@hexbear.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      27
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      5 months ago

      Your vote is symbolic regardless, swing state or not your vote is not going to decide the election. Which makes voting for someone solely to prevent the other candidate from winning utterly pointless.

  • Dessa [she/her]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    50
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    Not voting for Biden makes it easier for Trump to win,

    Not voting for Trump makes it easier for Biden to win.

    and Trump will genocide trans people in addition to Palestinians. Therefore anything you do supports genocide, so you might as well support less genocide."

    If either side supports genocide, supporting either side supports genocide. What I am doing is refusing to support genocide.

    “Your trans friends will all know that you’re functionally anti-trans.” (I’m sure this would be a shock to my trans friends in my org, all of whom have made it clear they will also not vote for Biden)

    My Palestinian friends appreciate that I’m not functionally anti-palestine. By not voting for Trump, I am not voting for trans genocide.

    “Trump would genocide Palestinians even harder.”

    How exactly?

    “Biden wants to stop the genocide, but the Republicans won’t let him.”

    Can you be more specific?

  • Evilphd666 [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    48
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    Are they completely ignorant of the trans genocode happening under Biden?

    Third parties are an option… just saying doing the same over and over again expecting differnt results / harm reduction well…

    The next is going to be a 4 year term. Both are term limited out. Midterms usually bad for the guy in office’s party. So what happens after 2028? Clean election. Possible 2 terms up for grabs. You think after 4 more years of DaBiden people are going to want another round of Joe Biden’s Democrats?

    Or you could skip the wait and vote 3rd party.

  • GenderIsOpSec [she/her]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    43
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    “Evil is evil, Stregobor,” said the witcher seriously as he got up. “Lesser, greater, middling, it’s all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I’m not a pious hermit. I haven’t done only good in my life. But if I’m to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”

    Sapkowski has some good takes, for a pole poland-cool

    fucking horrifying lack of empathy from people going “Well they can have a little genocide, as a treat so we wont have any.” which isnt even fucking true. Biden was in power when Roe v Wade was taken down. Trans rights are being demolished all around and the democrats do nothing.

    Fuck these people.

  • Kiagz [she/her]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    42
    ·
    5 months ago

    Liberals alway seem to conveniently forget that trans Palestinians exist, and that the biggest danger to trans people living in Gaza currently is not Hamas, but the fascist, genocidal settler state that “lesser evil” Biden is doing everything possible to support

    • ExtimateCookie [none/use name]@hexbear.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      29
      ·
      5 months ago

      They always like to think of Palestinians and maybe all Arabs as this monolithic mass, instead of a culture that also contains a lot of diversity. I live in a Muslim country and there’s a lot of diversity. There are trans people, and openly gay people, progressives, atheists, feminists, etc. Even between Muslims with traditional values there’s a lot of disagreement.

      • Kiagz [she/her]@hexbear.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        19
        ·
        5 months ago

        Yeah, and western mainstream media only ever acknowledge that these groups exist in Arab countries when they can use them to pinkwash imperialist actions such as sanctions, coups and invasions

  • SnowySkyes [she/her]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    42
    ·
    5 months ago

    “Your trans friends will all know that you’re functionally anti-trans.” (I’m sure this would be a shock to my trans friends in my org, all of whom have made it clear they will also not vote for Biden)

    Boy I sure do LOVE being used as a non-consensual pawn in a game of petty internet arguing.

  • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    41
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    “Your trans friends will all know that you’re functionally anti-trans.”

    Hi. Please tell this person specifically that your trans friends say fuck-this-guy-in-particular for weaponising us, he doesn’t give fuck about trans people. Screenshot if you like.

    Also anyone that votes for someone performing a genocide is complicit in that genocide and legitimising their mandate. The only correct choice is to not give them a mandate. Every single murder that the US performs in conjunction with this war these liberals have knowingly endorsed with their votes, every single death should be thrown in their faces, they now own this blood and have no ability to say “I didn’t know he would do that”. I feel like saying “you voted for this” to their faces every single fucking time I see a dead child.