i think biden sucks shit, and that his backing of israel is morally reprehensible. i think that the wealthy ultimately have almost all of the power, and the system is corrupt and set up for us to fail. but i also know that we, as citizens, have one (1) way of making any amount of actual, tangible change, and that's voting. the people we vote in will almost definitely be pieces of shit, but again, this isn't about creating a utopia, this is about harm reduction
is my original post reductive? yeah, i'll concede to that. that's bc it came from a place of anger and fear, bc i truly fear for the livelihood/actual lives of myself and others like myself if trump were to serve a second term, and i am very tired of hearing people say that they won't vote for biden bc they can't support his actions
and part of the reason for that is bc i get it. it feels absolutely counterintuitive to vote for someone who actively supports the death of innocent people. it becomes especially difficult to vote for that person when there are so few other things we can do as individuals to stop the current atrocities from happening. we are inundated. every day we are inundated with horrors other people are going through that our country is supporting, and there is an overwhelming need to DO something, bc otherwise we're just staring at pictures of dead children and feeling guilty for not doing enough, and then feeling guilty for feeling guilty, bc our problems are not nearly as bad as what's happening to these people overseas, and how can we be so selfish, there must be something more we can do, right? but the truth is, we can boycott starbucks and click a daily button, but ultimately, we simply do not have enough power to bring a genocide to a stop on our own. and so it's very enticing to withhold a vote, bc that, at least, is something real, with real consequences. biden will feel the effects of that, and he will know it's bc of his actions in support of genocide, and that would feel like a win for us, which carries a lot of worth when we've been so powerless
here's the problem tho: it is more harmful, not just to us citizens, but internationally as well, to not vote for biden than to vote for him. trump is astronomically more dangerous of a person. he is targeting every vulnerable population you can think of, and he may very well get his way if given enough power. palestine will not be better off with trump as president. not only will they be be worse off, but now even more people's lives will be at stake as well
so if you really want to help palestine? if you want to DO something actionable that will make a difference? you have to give up your pride and vote for biden. you are NOT endorsing genocide. i think people really need to hear that. you are NOT endorsing genocide if you vote for biden. what you are doing is an act of harm reduction. people are going to get hurt one way or another, and that truth is disgusting, and some days feels fucking dystopian, but we can reduce the number of people getting hurt if we prevent trump from taking office
i don't appreciate the assumption that me making a post on tumblr when i'm upset is indicative of all i do in my personal life to advocate for change, but i also understand that it's the only image of me that you have, just as your response to my post is the only image of you that i have. for what it's worth, my assumptions about you are that, quite likely, you are a very kind person who cares about the well-being of others. why would you be upset about any of this if you weren't? i think we are, at a fundamental level, on the same side, and in that way, i can understand your point about alienation. i am just scared, friend, that's the gist of it. my country is a terrifying place to live in right now, and i'm scared about it pretty much all of the time. i am afraid for myself, sure, but i'm also afraid for every person that is at risk right now, and that is a lot of responsibility to hold in your heart at once, which i'm sure you know, because i think you're probably doing it too
i really hate that "vote for biden bc he's less worse than trump" is the reason we should vote for him, but, well, it is. trump is bad enough that yes, absolutely, we should vote for whomever is "less worse" than him. if you can't cure the addiction, you can at least provide clean needles. if you can't overthrow a fascist dystopian government, you can at least protect a few lives
the whole situation is terrible, but while i may not mean it with quite the same flippancy i delivered it with in my op, i still maintain that a vote withheld is a vote for trump. that remains true, whether we want to believe it or not
i hope things go well for you, friend. i wish you no ill, even if you wish it on me
(oh, also, general reminder to vote for congress too!)
