this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2024
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[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There's a time and a place for criticism, a close race between bad and worse is not that time,

The only reason why the two overlapped at all was because the ones aiding and abetting genocide have been refusing to even acknowledge any wrongdoing for over a year!

A blindingly obvious example of this "not listening to their base" problem I mentioned.

online leftist spaces are not that place

Where else would you suggest?

Far right places like Truth social where everyone will agree for the wrong reasons, wrongly thinking that it's about making sure that Trump wins?

"Centrist" places where everyone will automatically disagree, wrongly thinking that it's about making sure that Trump wins?

Just admit that there's no time and no place where you would actually take constructive criticism from the left seriously and pretending that there is is a pretense for making people sit down and shut up.

Every leftist voter who chooses to abstain contributes to the fascists' margin.

Again with the classics bootlicker role reversal.

It's the job of politicians to earn the confidence and thus the votes of the people.

It's NOT the job of the people to meekly go along with politicians with ethically and morally compromised politicians with bad ideas unquestioningly, even IF they're still the least bad option.

The politicians failed the people, not the other way around.

The difference is that you don't control the DNC's strategy, you do control your actions.

The irony of telling the that I'm only allowed to voice dissent at specific times and places where it would be ignored and then saying I'm in control 🤦

Newsflash: the people is SUPPOSED to control the DNC's strategy! They're public servants paid through public means to enact the will of the people FFS! That's literally what they're there for!

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works -3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What's supposed to happen and what happens are two extremely different things. Only fools make plans based on what's supposed to happen. The rest of us plan our actions based on the flawed reality we live in.

You're "allowed" to do whatever you want. I'm just telling you it's counterproductive. You are allowed to be counterproductive, it's just a stupid thing to do.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You are allowed to be counterproductive, it's just a stupid thing to do.

Such as insisting on doing a bunch of reprehensible things that your base hates while you're running for public office?

It's amazing how you keep holding the meaningful actions of the most powerful people in the most powerful country in the world to a much lower standard of responsibility than me, a regular poor person, expressing a reasonable opinion.

Do you REALLY not see how ass-backwards that is??

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You are allowed to be counterproductive, it's just a stupid thing to do.

Such as insisting on doing a bunch of reprehensible things that your base hates while you're running for public office?

Yes, exactly! That is a counterproductive action. And I levy my criticisms regarding that action to the actors themselves, in my direct communication to them.

Two things can be true: it is in the best interest of the DNC to more effectively court their base, and it is in the best interest of leftists for the lesser evil of the duopoly to win until we can break the duopoly.

That's why my correspondence with my representatives is focused entirely on their failings, and my correspondence with other voters is focused entirely on their virtues.

It's amazing how you keep holding the meaningful actions of the most powerful people in the most powerful country in the world to a much lower standard of responsibility than me, a regular poor person, expressing a reasonable opinion.

I hold them responsible for their actions, and I hold you responsible for yours. It's not that my standard for them is lower, my standard for them is irrelevant to the actions of others.

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Such as insisting on doing a bunch of reprehensible things that your base hates while you're running for public office?

Yes, exactly! That is a counterproductive action. And I levy my criticisms regarding that action to the actors themselves, in my direct communication to them.

You have a direct line of communication with the president and vice president of the United States? That's impressive, but I don't. Hence the need to express my critiques to peers in stead.

Two things can be true: it is in the best interest of the DNC to more effectively court their base, and it is in the best interest of leftists for the lesser evil of the duopoly to win until we can break the duopoly.

Yes, but I have at no point argued that the lesser evil shouldn't win.

That's what you keep refusing to understand: I want them to change their actions both because the actions are themselves atrocious AND because I wanted them to win and those actions were causing them to lose.

That's why my correspondence with my representatives is focused entirely on their failings

First of all, I still don't have a direct line of communications to the white house. Second of all, I guarantee that, if I had, my complaints and warnings would not be heeded. Like those you pretend to have made were.

and my correspondence with other voters is focused entirely on their virtues.

Well that's just obsequious serf bullshit. Pretending in public that "your team" is always perfect and can do no wrong doesn't convince anyone. It just makes you a bootlicker whose perspective only fellow bootlickers will relate to.

It's amazing how you keep holding the meaningful actions of the most powerful people in the most powerful country in the world to a much lower standard of responsibility than me, a regular poor person, expressing a reasonable opinion.

I hold them responsible for their actions,

No you fucking don't! You claim that you have a private line where you get to discuss all your concerns with the White House, but we both know that that's bullshit.

You may leave a message for your congressperson and/or senator to ignore, but that's it. That's the extent of your options for expressing dissent ay we both know that won't stop the support for genocide any more than me voicing my displeasure in a public forum. If anything, it's LESS effective, as public dissent is much harder to ignore.

and I hold you responsible for yours

My actions of checks notes making my opinion on committing the most heinous crimes against humanity and (correctly, it unfortunately turned out) warning that continuing to ignore the people could cost the election and lead to the fascists taking over

Ooh, such transgression! Ever heard of the first amendment to the US constitution? It has a few sentences specifically about this kind of thing.

It's not that my standard for them is lower, my standard for them is irrelevant to the actions of others.

That would normally make sense, but in the specific case of arguing that it's wrong to ever criticize the Biden administration in public, that's absolute counterfactual nonsense.

Be better and demand better from the people supposed to represent you, please.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 0 points 6 days ago (1 children)

You have a direct line of communication with the president and vice president of the United States? That's impressive, but I don't.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Hence the need to express my critiques to peers in stead.

That doesn't make any sense. "I didn't have a wrench so I used a hammer instead". Those aren't interchangeable, they don't do the same thing. You can't accomplish the task you're attempting with the tool you're using.

Yes, but I have at no point argued that the lesser evil shouldn't win

You can't scream genocide and begrudgingly whisper lesser evil and expect that outcome.

First of all, I still don't have a direct line of communications to the white house. Second of all, I guarantee that, if I had, my complaints and warnings would not be heeded. Like those you pretend to have made were.

Again, yes you do. And if you don't think expressing your grievances directly to them will help, how exactly does telling everyone else your grievances do anything? If those voters aren't directly expressing their grievances en masse, how do the people you're trying to convince hear your message?

That's the extent of your options for expressing dissent ay we both know that won't stop the support for genocide any more than me voicing my displeasure in a public forum. If anything, it's LESS effective, as public dissent is much harder to ignore.

When I contact my representative directly, they are informed of my complaints, and what to do to improve. Voicing your displeasure in a public forum gives them no information, unless the users of that public forum contact their representatives directly. If you don't actually organize your dissent, it is extremely easy to ignore.

Ooh, such transgression! Ever heard of the first amendment to the US constitution? It has a few sentences specifically about this kind of thing.

Again, you have the freedom to be counterproductive. It's not forbidden, it's just stupid.

Be better and demand better from the people supposed to represent you, please.

I do that. Be better at directing your actions to accomplish your goal. Stop banging on bolts with a hammer.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Communicating your displeasure on, say, Israeli policy, does nothing unless you can also replace the millions and millions of AIPAC campaign contributions.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

A fair assessment, nonetheless it is still more effective than communicating displeasure to the wrong audience. Not much more effective, but definitively so.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This is true. I used it as an answer to fundraising calls and texts. :) "No, as long as you're taking AIPAC dollars, you don't need mine."

Direct communication to people associated with DNC strategy, a noble and effective action.