I’m not banned yet because the admin’s at least a bit sympathetic, but I sure as hell don’t think 90% of the group’s gonna want to speak to me after this. I told them I’m voting and campaigning for a 3rd party candidate who is anti-Israel and pro-trans and explained that I could not in good conscience vote for Biden after his blatant and willing complicity in genocide. Here are some of the arguments I encountered in response to that:

  • “Not voting for Biden makes it easier for Trump to win, and Trump will genocide trans people in addition to Palestinians. Therefore anything you do supports genocide, so you might as well support less genocide.”
  • “Your trans friends will all know that you’re functionally anti-trans.” (I’m sure this would be a shock to my trans friends in my org, all of whom have made it clear they will also not vote for Biden)
  • “Trump would genocide Palestinians even harder.”
  • “Biden wants to stop the genocide, but the Republicans won’t let him.”

Some choice quotes:

Have pride in your self centeredness, I guess.

Choosing someone who you know cannot win, especially as they’re not the chosen candidate, is only symbolically different than choosing apathy.

It’s just objectively how it works in this system. There is no non vote.

And it is most depressing your friends here at home are not important enough to check one box for.

And this:

[The Palestinian] genocide is going to happen regardless of the two. But the one that’s happening here, that one can be stopped. And you refuse to do anything about it because you think you’re so much better.

You’re right about one thing, though. I do think I’m better than people who give their endorsement to running over Palestinian children with tanks.

And I’m better than people that choose two genocides at once, I guess. If we’re ranking each other. I’d laugh if it wasn’t stupid.

  • GalaxyBrain [they/them]@hexbear.net
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    2 days ago

    I’ve been baiting people into posting paragraphs of the good things they think Joe Biden did and then replying I don’t read the rhetoric of genocide collaborators. Do It at home. It fucking rules.

  • sharedburdens [she/her, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    “Your trans friends will all know that you’re functionally anti-trans.” (I’m sure this would be a shock to my trans friends in my org, all of whom have made it clear they will also not vote for Biden)

    Dog shit argument I’ll fight them IRL miku-gun

  • Kiagz [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    Liberals alway seem to conveniently forget that trans Palestinians exist, and that the biggest danger to trans people living in Gaza currently is not Hamas, but the fascist, genocidal settler state that “lesser evil” Biden is doing everything possible to support

    • ExtimateCookie [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      They always like to think of Palestinians and maybe all Arabs as this monolithic mass, instead of a culture that also contains a lot of diversity. I live in a Muslim country and there’s a lot of diversity. There are trans people, and openly gay people, progressives, atheists, feminists, etc. Even between Muslims with traditional values there’s a lot of disagreement.

      • Kiagz [she/her]@hexbear.net
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        Yeah, and western mainstream media only ever acknowledge that these groups exist in Arab countries when they can use them to pinkwash imperialist actions such as sanctions, coups and invasions

  • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    “Your trans friends will all know that you’re functionally anti-trans.”

    Hi. Please tell this person specifically that your trans friends say fuck-this-guy-in-particular for weaponising us, he doesn’t give fuck about trans people. Screenshot if you like.

    Also anyone that votes for someone performing a genocide is complicit in that genocide and legitimising their mandate. The only correct choice is to not give them a mandate. Every single murder that the US performs in conjunction with this war these liberals have knowingly endorsed with their votes, every single death should be thrown in their faces, they now own this blood and have no ability to say “I didn’t know he would do that”. I feel like saying “you voted for this” to their faces every single fucking time I see a dead child.

  • SnowySkyes [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    “Your trans friends will all know that you’re functionally anti-trans.” (I’m sure this would be a shock to my trans friends in my org, all of whom have made it clear they will also not vote for Biden)

    Boy I sure do LOVE being used as a non-consensual pawn in a game of petty internet arguing.

  • SnAgCu [he/him, any]@hexbear.net
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    [The Palestinian] genocide is going to happen regardless of the two.

    damn, citizens in western democracies don’t really have a say in what the state does? at least we’re not in AUTHORITARIAN communist china though am i right

    • FunkyStuff [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      The most important issue is not up for voters to decide. But it’s still of critical importance that you vote for Joe Biden, or we might lose democracy forever!

  • AssortedBiscuits [they/them]@hexbear.net
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    1. Unless you live in a swing state, it doesn’t matter who you vote for. And unless everyone in the discord lives in a swing state, it doesn’t matter who they vote for either.

    2. If your org has Palestinians, tell the people in that discord you’re not voting for someone who ordered the deaths of your comrades’ extended families. As far as Palestinians are concerned, Biden murdering their extended family is fucking personal. Nobody’s fucking voting for some dude who killed their family and friends.

    Don’t argue with principles because liberals have none.

  • GenderIsOpSec [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    “Evil is evil, Stregobor,” said the witcher seriously as he got up. “Lesser, greater, middling, it’s all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I’m not a pious hermit. I haven’t done only good in my life. But if I’m to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”

    Sapkowski has some good takes, for a pole poland-cool

    fucking horrifying lack of empathy from people going “Well they can have a little genocide, as a treat so we wont have any.” which isnt even fucking true. Biden was in power when Roe v Wade was taken down. Trans rights are being demolished all around and the democrats do nothing.

    Fuck these people.

    • CyborgMarx [any, any]@hexbear.net
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      It’s always how liberals fall into fascism

      “We have to support the nazis to stop the commies”

      “We have to support this dictator to stop the Soviets”

      “We have to back the neolibs to stop Reagan”

      “We have go support the war on terror to stop Bush”

      On, and on, and on

      • Commiejones [comrade/them, he/him]@hexbear.net
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        Liberals don’t exist. They are all just crypto fascists. Liberal ideology is self contradictory and always shifting because it is not real. It is just a disguise for people who want to say they are not fascists while doing fascist things.

    • Roonerino [comrade/them, doe/deer]@hexbear.net
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      That’s the neat thing, you can lesser evil over anything. When your whole understanding of the world is grounded in idealism and fantasy instead of materialism, you can always conjure up an imaginary phantom of a worse world to justify the horrible world you’re actually making. That’s how liberals will try to slow walk the entirety of life on Earth into the grave.

  • sub_ubi@lemmy.ml
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    The best way to push a candidate left is to promise you’ll vote for them no matter what

  • Egon [they/them]@hexbear.net
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    First off, amazing title. Tagline pls.

    That argument about trans people sucks ass, and not in a sexual way.
    “Genocide only matters when it happens to meeeeee”
    It’s also stupid because we didn’t used to have genocide as something that was just given (we did, but not something libs acknowledged) now we do. Do they think it just stops here? If you accept genocide there’s not going to be less of it. Next election it’ll be “well sure trans people are being killed, but our candidate doesn’t want to murder homosexuals! If you vote for their guy you’ll get killed. It’s about stopping the genocide that’s yet to happen!”

    Also Biden is enabling persecution if trans people, so it doesn’t even make sense. “Well he’s just allowing you to be gathered into camps, he’s not ordering it himself and youre not getting murdered by the state, yet. If you dont vote for us, you will be. Also we’re not going to do anything to change conditions.” Its just a straight up threat to keep trans people in line.

    Point out that you do not support genocide, so therefore you won’t vote for Biden. You don’t support trans genocide either, which is why you won’t vote for Trump.
    Reassure them by saying that you’ll be not voting for Trump more than you’ll be not voting for Biden. Since not voting for Biden is a vote Trump and vice versa, then you have functionally voted for Biden, so there’s nothing to be mad about.
    Call them spineless for accepting genocide, and make some suggestion of direct action they can do. If they’re truly supportive of Palestine, then they’ll want to help, right? So they’ll donate to help some people out over there, right?

  • AlicePraxis [any]@hexbear.net
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    unless you live in a swing state your vote is symbolic either way. I guess these people would prefer you symbolically vote for a genocidal piece of shit

    even if you do live in a swing state good on you for voting based on your principles. the whole “voting for third party candidates is useless because they can’t win” is such horseshit. motherfucker, you’re the reason why they can’t win. they’re electable if you vote for them…

    • qaopjlll [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      Your vote is symbolic regardless, swing state or not your vote is not going to decide the election. Which makes voting for someone solely to prevent the other candidate from winning utterly pointless.