hrefna ,
@hrefna@hachyderm.io avatar

If you think that Biden isn't harm reduction from Trump, I don't even know what to say.

I don't like the man, and I have more reasons to dislike him than most, he wasn't even in my top 5 in the last election.

But the difference between him and Trump is night and day

"It's just cryptofascism" no, no it isn't, but even to the degree it were, the amount of damage that Trump can do is orders of magnitude higher and claiming these are identical is accelerationist at best and genocidal at worst

Seg ,
@Seg@oldbytes.space avatar

@hrefna voting for the lesser evil only slows the inevitable slide towards evil

we're already supporting genocide

when does the harm reduction start?

hrefna OP ,
@hrefna@hachyderm.io avatar

@Seg

"yes, you are using heroin once a week with clean needles instead of speedball three times a week with shared needles, but you are still using heroin every week!"

Slowing the descent when the alternative is freefall is harm reduction. By definition. What do you think harm reduction means? Going clean cold turkey?

If the "slide towards evil" is "inevitable" then go find a way to fix it, which is easier when things aren't in freefall, and helping stop freefall is lunch on a Tuesday.

Seg ,
@Seg@oldbytes.space avatar

@hrefna that's okay my vote doesn't matter anyway

reminder that hillary won the popular vote

it seems my vote isn't the problem here 😕

hrefna OP ,
@hrefna@hachyderm.io avatar

@Seg That's shifting the goalposts. Also I voted in 2016, no need to "remind" me of anything.

If your vote "doesn't matter anyway" then go find something else to do to fix the problem. You now don't have to spend lunch on a Tuesday voting or work on get-out-the-vote drives in your state, which frees up your time to go do something else meaningful.

Like helping get out the vote in a state where it does matter, or unionizing your workplace, or running for office.

crmsnbleyd ,
@crmsnbleyd@emacs.ch avatar

@hrefna you can't reason with people who genuinely would be fine with trump winning over biden. It's a sort of nihilism.

hrefna OP ,
@hrefna@hachyderm.io avatar

"Harm reduction" is not just "this is less bad." Harm reduction is "this is still harmful but it is less so."

Even if you view Trump and Biden as morally equivalent, from a harm reduction standpoint, it is very clear that there is a massive gap between them.

Like I'm sure I would not like a lot of HRC's picks for SCOTUS, but compare and contrast with any of Trump's picks and the choice is obvious and dramatic

I've got my disputes with the NLRB, but compare Peter Rob with Abruzzo

hrefna OP ,
@hrefna@hachyderm.io avatar

The republicans are trying to gut the EPA left and right and the Democrats don't go far enough with environmental protection, absolutely.

But Trump's SCOTUS picks are busy trying to completely dismantle it's authority to do anything, and compare Andrew R. Wheeler with Michael S. Regan.

That difference. Factoring in NOTHING ELSE ABOUT THE TWO INDIVIDUALS. Not a SINGLE THING.

Is enough by itself. That's harm reduction in a nutshell.

Harm reduction is about reducing harm.

Why is this hard

hrefna OP ,
@hrefna@hachyderm.io avatar
hrefna OP ,
@hrefna@hachyderm.io avatar

Don't like Biden's handling of Israel and Palestine?

Great, neither do I.

But. If you honestly think that the situation will be improved by Trump I have shares of a bridge to sell you. Same with Ukraine.

Now, what this does mean is that voting is not sufficient. It isn't enough to vote. It isn't enough to just show up once every four years and check a few boxes and then go home.

So go unionize your workplace. Get involved with mutual aid organizations like Food Not Bombs.

Jackiemauro ,
@Jackiemauro@fosstodon.org avatar

@hrefna (adding on with more ideas, definitely not negating those ones!)

Volunteer for a candidate you really believe in!

Go to city council meetings!

Support local independent journalism!

Run for office!

hrefna OP ,
@hrefna@hachyderm.io avatar

None of me ranting here matters of course. As Politics is for Power makes clear: We're being political hobbyists.

But enthusiasm does in fact matter, and narratives move slowly before they move quickly. I don't hold any illusions that me ranting here will change anything for anyone

People don't work that way. It's all relational

But it lets me vent and maybe it will encourage more people to get involved at a less superficial level, and it is my timeline, so there :p

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Politics-Is-for-Power/Eitan-Hersh/9781982116798

LaNaehForaday ,
@LaNaehForaday@universeodon.com avatar

@hrefna

Hard agree with every single word

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