this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2024
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It's a situation that I have been expecting for a while, but I wasn't fully ready to accept it. Specifically it's one of my LGBTQ friends who honestly believes in the democrats will protect them and their partner. I have tried to make the point that both parties are eroding any sort of civility towards all marginalized groups, but fear seems to drive them more than logical observations. They make the excuse that change doesn't happen over night and that the left continues to grow and will have meaningful affects down the road. I fundamentally just don't agree with that idea and vocalize it regularly. More and more it is ending up in a circular argument where I am painted as unrealistic and my rhetoric (leftist rhetoric) is doing more harm than good because it promotes distrust in the only system we have to work with. I try to tell them it's kind of the whole point. We gotta start somewhere if we want to see a better, more representative system, but they are so hung up on the immediate future while simultaneously saying that my idealistic feelings are shortsighted and I cant expect change in the immediate future... The double-talk is wild, I know.

I am trying my hardest to stop from engaging at this point because on the most basic level we agree on a lot of stuff, but they are just way to wrapped up in the fear mongering of the democratic party. They know that the two party system is broken, they know that something drastic needs to change, but they also think that they are powerless to do anything except choose the lesser evil. It pains me because I am watching them do the same shit past generations have done, where they give up on their ideals for the sake of preserving the current status quo that they benefit from. I am legitimately watching them imply "fuck you, got mine" under the guise of civic duty and I hate it. I want nothing more than to be able to finally say "I told you so" without being a smug asshole about it and ruining our friendship.

Thanks for reading my rant. It's probably a bit disjointed, but the frustration is boiling over and I needed to vent to the only group of people that seems to understand the hopelessness of being a disenfranchised leftist.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (4 children)

I am proably gonna get banned for writing this, but be fucking realistic. I know it isn't perfect, I know other parties exist, and I know the system is corrupt, but man up and deal with it.

The election is near, Trump has a very high chance of winning, and the whole country is on the tipping point of becoming a fascist regime.

Can you please use your brain and think for even just a little bit? Kamala isn't perfect, but in the meantime it's gonna hold together the country, and then you have 4 years to organize and vote for a better party, but in the meanwhile, voting anyone who isn't kamala is voting for Trump.

Go on with the downvotes, I don't care

[–] [email protected] 4 points 32 minutes ago* (last edited 31 minutes ago)

People have been making your argument for decades. Every single fucking election it's widely claimed we're on the "tipping point", people everywhere said it last time with Trump, and what did he do when he got into power? Largely just continued the status quo of making everything gradually worse.

If anyone thinks voting remotely matters and they want change, they should vote third party. But as always, I don't think voting will change anything no matter what.

Take half the fucking effort you put into this "Vote for genociders or get fascism" shit and put it into organising or direct action.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 38 minutes ago* (last edited 36 minutes ago)

man up

Eat shit

I dont care

Suuuure

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 minute ago

but in the meantime it's gonna hold together the country

Have you considered that Kamala's worthless neo liberal economic policy, racist border policy, and hawkish right wing foreign policy will ensure fascism? A vote for for Kamala is a vote for 4 years of stagnant decline and imperial embarrassment that brought about trump in the first place

[–] [email protected] 3 points 39 minutes ago

and the whole country is on the tipping point of becoming a fascist regime.

Why would I, a red fascist hate this?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

I recently heard 'genocide is a good option because it will promote long term peace'

[–] [email protected] 1 points 29 minutes ago

Can't have war if you genocide all races think-about-it

[–] [email protected] 35 points 13 hours ago (4 children)

I know people say not to cut off the lib friends and I'm trying not to lose connections that have mattered to me, but it is hard to make myself bother with most of them anymore. I feel like they are just demonstrating they can't be relied upon.

What am I saying, their complete return to "normal" and pretending covid isn't dangerous is 100% demonstrating they can't be trusted

[–] [email protected] 27 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

people say not to cut off the lib friends

I think this is honestly just a big cope from people. I know how seriously they take their convictions when they say stuff like this because my militant masking and insistence on accomodations as an immunocompromised person since January 2020 has utterly destroyed my social life and I don't just get to turn the other cheek about that, lol. So yeah, I'm with you. Fuck em. Your world will become far smaller, but what world? A world of people who will abandon you for this? For genocide? For an evening at Applebees? Kill the liberalism in your soul that makes you want to poison yourself in the company of these people and you can begin to figure out how to live.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 12 hours ago

My social circle is much smaller now and it sucks. But not as much as long covid would. Not as much as playing nice with white supremacist assholes who excuse genocide when it's done against people with my skin color.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

their complete return to "normal" and pretending covid isn't dangerous

"Trust the science" liberals like when the "science" is skewed so it sounds like wine is a health and longevity supplement (it's not; those old studies were bullshit ignored the other material conditions of the healthy and long lived people) and that covid is "over." Basically, trust in the "science" that says more treats.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

It's maddening how many "trust the science" liberals -- many of them tech and science nerds and professionals! -- just ignore when I point out he science of airborne transmission, the science of long covid, the science that says the only way to be pretty safe is if we all mask the fuck up in respirators.

Because respirators somehow ruin the vibe and that's what mattera most, even though they didn't ruin the vibe earlier in the pandemic.

Most confusing of all are the ones who post about updated vaccines and free rapid tests being sent out -- they act like they don't know covid is worth caring about but then occasionally they say shit that demonstrates they know it's still around, and go right back to gathering without masking

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Covid has a peculiar connection to climate change for me: in both cases, the crisis didn't go anywhere, it's getting worse all the time, but "I fucking love science" bazingas in both cases want to look at hyped up "good news" then return to whatever they were already doing, trying to silence people for caring too much about either.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Yep. I should have realized covid wouldn't be solved because of how climate change denialism is hegemonic but silly me, I thought people might be able to learn

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

right there with you – I foolishly thought it might be a turning point that actually made us wake up about climate change 🤦

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

There were two good weeks or so where it looked like it was going to be possible. Major outlets were running articles with headlines like "It's weird how much of our lives was actually bullshit" and realizing that commuting to work is optional, etc. Then the reaction set in.

Are there any good books yet about the reactionary turn under Covid / after the George Floyd uprising?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

There were two good weeks or so where it looked like it was going to be possible. ... Then the reaction set in.

the whiplash from this wounded my heart and then my social circle. genuinely, truly, I had real hope again for a minute, and the way my own friends and family were so eager to just ignore the pandemic and get back to "Normal" shocked me and ruined my regard for those people.

I genuinely thought better of all of them, or I wouldn't have been their friend.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

This, this, one thousand times this. We learned that most jobs are inessential! And then we gave the "essential workers" a new honorific, but not sick days!

In my neighborhood someone had a sign that said "Instead of 'back to normal,' shouldn't we try for something better?" But then all the hogs brayed and insisted that things get worse. And so they did.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 hours ago

People call me doomer but I am just witnessing events as they unfold. I do not have hope that it will get better anymore. I don’t.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

Honesty I’ve learned to just shut the fuck up about politics when talking to PoC or LGBTQ friends. For some reason a straight white guy saying “ACTUALLY YOU WILL LIKELY NEVER BE TRULY SAFE IN OUR LIFETIME” is not received well.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 hours ago

Yeah I genuinely feel bad talking about politics with people I know in the community, there's nothing positive to say really.

Like, you could point out that the Dems were appealing to pro-immigrant sentiments 4 years ago as their humane line, and in the space of a toddler's lifetime have decided to throw them under the bus. But what does it actually accomplish to make it plain that they're just kinda screwed, I dunno.

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