this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2024
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[–] [email protected] 88 points 3 months ago (48 children)

Real leftists understand the principles of harm reduction. Voting for Harris, as voting for Biden would have done, has the outcome of reducing harm compared to trump winning. Sure, there will still be harm, but it'll be less, and that's incredibly important. It's basically the same foundation behind how we need to help drug addiction. Although Harris will likely cause even less harm than Biden.

Chances are that the "leftists" arguing for the purity test of Harris are people who aren't truly at risk in this election. They won't have their basic human rights torn apart if trump wins. They're leftists in name only.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It honestly feels that they are more like Foreign Agents seeking to cause harm to other countries than real "Leftists". I used to consider myself Far Left until I ran into rabid Marxist-Lenonist Leftists (see Lemmy.ML) and how 'left' I was was put into perspective.

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

Have you ever considered the fact that perhaps you are more left than they are? They will ban you from their communities for Horseshoe Theory should you mention this. But when it comes to authoritarian ideology as ml is. Though they'll swear up and down it's not despite every time it's ever been implemented it's always been authoritarian. Much the same as economic liberalism . But authoritarians are always authoritarian first. Anything resembling left or right is a passing thought at best.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Have you ever considered the fact that perhaps you are more left than they are?

Interesting concept actually. I haven't thought about that before.

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

Remember a lot of Rednecks volunteered in Catalonia back in the Spanish civil war, and came back fucking hating fascists and so called communists. I heard quite a few old bastards refer to the Soviets as "backstabbing pseudofascists" because the Soviets in Republican Spain were purging anyone who didnt adore the Soviets. Though not a Redneck George Orwell had a lot to say about that shit since he also saw it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I haven't just considered it, I know for a fact that I'm farther left than an edgelord who thinks being "left" involves assuming the moniker of an actual historical freedom fighter as if to appropriate their struggles from the comfort of an air conditioned computer chair.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

A person who is against the lies on .ml is indeed more leftist than most everyone on .ml.

They praise "socialist" countries that are actually state capitalist and producing hundreds of billionaires. It is very clear and overt that their priorities are nominally left authoritarianism over leftist economics.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Yes there does need to be a revolution and solidarity among the proletariat. But authority no matter how good intentioned left to stand. Always seeks to justify their existence even through destructive means.

It was one of the things that the founding fathers of the United States for all their flaws understood fairly well. That was quickly forgotten and ignored once they had passed.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

On, the, nose. There's a few I'm pretty sure aren't American. Not a Russian or bot accusation. And another decent contingent from States and areas so safely blue that they're just out of touch. And don't care about the possible damage they do. Choosing to virtue signal over trying to appeal to other people.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I'm accusing. A lot of them are fucking Russians.

Another large contingent is very very obviously just edgy teenagers.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (2 children)

This is an important point - it must be really nice to be in a position where neither you nor any of your loved ones would be at risk with another Trump presidency.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I mean, I mostly agree, but damn the ultra-left marginalized white non-binary anti-Harris idiots who don’t care that Trump would be worse for Gaza than literally any other person on the planet are real.

Oh and also the libertarians (always white, middle class ones) who think anyone who insists on strategically voting is a “brainwashed sheep”.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Children on college campuses who think mommy and daddy's money will shield them from negative consequences.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Not to mention the basic principle of democracy: political parties have a tendency to gravitate towards where the votes are.

The Democratic party isn't a static thing. They will move further left if it gets them more votes. They move right if that gets them more votes. If the Democrats go further right, it's not to spite leftists screaming on the internet. It's because leftists aren't voting and screaming on the internet is meaningless.

Leftists that aren't voting are leftist that don't actually want any leftist policies implemented. They just want to complain about policies not being implemented while doing nothing to make it happen. If they actually believe in the changes they say they want they'd be willing to vote in as many elections as necessary to see it happen. Over the course of decades id necessary. Voting in zero elections shows very dedication for what they claim to be important.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They will move further left if it gets them more votes. They move right if that gets them more votes.

Obama ran to Clinton's left and was insanely popular. What way did the party move after his presidency?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah, the purity ponies back in 2016 did a lot of damage to this country. Not sure if how many of them learned their lesson. I imagine some of the younger ones did. In any case, as it turns out, no revolution of the proletariat was accelerated by having the convicted felon in for a term. Things that actually happened instead: a rigged supreme court, more tax cuts for the elite and for corporations, and stealing of women's rights.

I'm seeing a bit of a redux this time around with the #bidensoold and "Genocide Joe" stuff. Again, people seeking a perfect candidate when no such thing exists.

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