The New Society
Month
“Woke” isn’t enough. Being conscious of oppression is only a stepping stone towards dismantling it. Without action, being “woke” is nothing more than indifference. You must be actively working towards destroying the structures of oppression, be it through engaging in revolutionary acts, spreading information, or arming the marginalized.
Democracy is the illusion that the marginalized have power over the privileged. Change cannot be made from within a system. Those who are in power fear to lose that position, and therefore will never allow the system to strip them of it. Oppressive structures cannot be reformed. You cannot improve oppression; the only way to remove its influence is by destroying it outright. And, as history has proven, the only way to dismantle oppressive structures of power is through open revolution, not democracy
Good morning, America. We have another white supremacist in the White House. Steve Bannon, head of Breitbart Media, a known alt-right organization, has been appointed as Trump’s top advisor. He is a known anti-semite, sexist, and racist.
So we’re going to call our elected officials until they speak out against him. If you can’t call, use the phone script and send an email instead. But I really urge you to call. Calls are much harder to ignore than emails.
Spread. This. Now.
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVES:
http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
http://www.house.gov/representatives/PETITIONS:
Petition number 1!
Petition number 2! Sign both!
PHONE SCRIPT:
“Hello, my name is (NAME), and I’m calling from (CITY) to urge Senator/Representative (NAME) to speak out against the appointment of Steve Bannon as President Elect Trump’s top advisor.
Steve Bannon is a known white supremacist, whose organization, Breitbart Media, promotes openly racist and sexist ideologies. He is proud of his connection to the alt-right movement, which openly campaigns for an “Aryan Homeland” and white ethno-nationalism.
He promotes Anti-Semitic and Anti-Muslim ideologies and harrassment of women. His appointment has told white supremacists throughout the country that their hatred and actions are justified.
This is not normal. We the people will not stand for this. It’s time to take a stand against racism. Speak out against the appointment of Steve Bannon and show America we will not allow the white supremacy movement to have the ear of our president.
I hope you will address this glaring issue. Thousands have already pledged their distrust of this man. I hope you will do the same.
Thank you for sharing my message.“
Don’t forget that Breitbart was instrumental in perpetuating Gamergate, a harassment campaign that targeted women, people of color, and LBQT+ folk in the gaming industry. Milo Yiannopoulos, arguably the public face of the alt-right, was instrumental in this, and is a contributor at Breitbart.
If you need to reference specific events or details in your phone call, this is the one to make note of. Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) introduced anti-harassment legislation in response to Gamergate, and this connects Steve Bannon to Congress in a tangible way. Steve Bannon and Breitbart Media encourage the harassment and online violence so much so that it led to legislation being introduced to Congress to put an end to it. Mentioning this is more effective than simply calling him a misogynist—you now have evidence of his misogyny in a way that relates to your Senators’ and Representatives’ area of expertise.
Go get him.
Back to fucking Gamergate lol you fuckers really cannot let go of that can you
Gamergate was a test-run of how effective the alt-right was going to be. The same alt-right that praised Trump, and contributed to his election.
No, we’re not going to let that go. When we are still feeling the effects of it, whether it be through pending legislation or the rise of a tyrannical demagogue, we will most certainly not let it go.
Good morning, America. We have another white supremacist in the White House. Steve Bannon, head of Breitbart Media, a known alt-right organization, has been appointed as Trump’s top advisor. He is a known anti-semite, sexist, and racist.
So we’re going to call our elected officials until they speak out against him. If you can’t call, use the phone script and send an email instead. But I really urge you to call. Calls are much harder to ignore than emails.
Spread. This. Now.
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVES:
http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
http://www.house.gov/representatives/PETITIONS:
Petition number 1!
Petition number 2! Sign both!
PHONE SCRIPT:
“Hello, my name is (NAME), and I’m calling from (CITY) to urge Senator/Representative (NAME) to speak out against the appointment of Steve Bannon as President Elect Trump’s top advisor.
Steve Bannon is a known white supremacist, whose organization, Breitbart Media, promotes openly racist and sexist ideologies. He is proud of his connection to the alt-right movement, which openly campaigns for an “Aryan Homeland” and white ethno-nationalism.
He promotes Anti-Semitic and Anti-Muslim ideologies and harrassment of women. His appointment has told white supremacists throughout the country that their hatred and actions are justified.
This is not normal. We the people will not stand for this. It’s time to take a stand against racism. Speak out against the appointment of Steve Bannon and show America we will not allow the white supremacy movement to have the ear of our president.
I hope you will address this glaring issue. Thousands have already pledged their distrust of this man. I hope you will do the same.
Thank you for sharing my message.“
Don’t forget that Breitbart was instrumental in perpetuating Gamergate, a harassment campaign that targeted women, people of color, and LBQT+ folk in the gaming industry. Milo Yiannopoulos, arguably the public face of the alt-right, was instrumental in this, and is a contributor at Breitbart.
If you need to reference specific events or details in your phone call, this is the one to make note of. Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) introduced anti-harassment legislation in response to Gamergate, and this connects Steve Bannon to Congress in a tangible way. Steve Bannon and Breitbart Media encourage the harassment and online violence so much so that it led to legislation being introduced to Congress to put an end to it. Mentioning this is more effective than simply calling him a misogynist—you now have evidence of his misogyny in a way that relates to your Senators’ and Representatives’ area of expertise.
I have to ask, at this point, if you still refuse to vote for Hillary Clinton, what the fuck is wrong with you?
Seriously, do you not understand what’s at stake in this election?
A man who is ignorant in the ways of science, economics, social progress, and basic human decency, could very well become the next president. The most powerful individual in the world.
This man presents a clear and present danger to marginalized people across the nation. And you are going to use your vote to tell your friends of color, your LBQT+ friends, your differently-abled friends, that their livelihoods mean nothing to you?
And you aren’t going to vote for the one person who can stop this evil because of some bullshit argument that you’ve whipped up so you can continue to pout because your ideal candidate isn’t going to win?
Fuck you.
And if you are even considering voting third-party, that goes double for you. A third-party vote is not only wasted, it’s a way of saying that your moral grandstanding is more important than the lives of people who have the most to lose in this election. It is the ultimate act of selfishness.
This election is not about “the lesser of two evils.” There is a clear divide between the two candidates. This is objectively a battle of good vs. evil.
It is not enough to just vote for Hillary. We must ensure that her administration is allowed to be as impactful and progressive as possible. Without the cooperation of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Clinton administration cannot pass meaningful legislation. So it’s time to take back the House and achieve a supermajority in the Senate. Vote straight-ticket Democrat. Vote in Democratic senators and representatives for the U.S. Congress.
Vote in Democrats at the local level, too. Vote in Democratic state governors, lieutenant governors, attorneys general, and secretaries of state. Vote in Democratic judges. Vote in Democratic senators and representatives for your states. Vote in Democratic county commissioners, registers of deeds, school board members, city council members, and mayors.
Give the Republicans absolute hell this election.
If you vote for a Republican candidate, you are voting for someone affiliated with a party that:
Unless you are willing to say that none of these policies are morally wrong, there is a clear binary of good vs. evil in this election, and the elections to come. The Republican Party is absolutely, inexcusably, unarguably, immoral. Voting for any candidate that represents this organization of bigotry is an act of evil.
Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein tried to capitalize on Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson flubbing a question on world leaders by listing three figures she liked.
But none of the ones she listed are leaders of their respective countries.
A day after Johnson was unable to name a world leader he admired when asked at an MSNBC town, Stein tweeted out a list of her own.
Read more here
Just a reminder that if you vote for Stein or Johnson, you’re voting for candidates that have similar qualifications as Donald Trump. As in, no meaningful political experience.
Hillary Clinton is literally your only sensible choice in this election. Make sure you vote sensibly.
Don’t forget that in the past you had fucked up views and had soaked up oppressive ideology, including self directed and that you’ve said things or possibly even did things based on those views.
Don’t forget that it’s a constant lifelong process to defeat that in yourself and that you aren’t done yet, any more than anyone else.
Don’t lose sight of your issues, past or present or future because you think you’ve become ideologically pure. Avoid the trap of self righteousness and hypocrisy
Please don’t lose perspective. It’s important.
You must continue to decolonize your mind. It is a lifelong process.
Sometimes, we don’t know who is oppressed in our society until someone with privilege finally speaks out against that oppression. Because of that, we need to understand that there are things that we may say or that we may believe that were contributing to oppression, without us realizing it. Most of us have gone through this process already in learning about our own privileges. But you will never be fully freed from oppressive thinking.
We may strive to create a just and equitable world, but until the end of such a revolution, we must understand that there will be someone who is oppressed. There will be someone whose identity is invalidated, who is looked down upon for their physical appearance, who is treated unfairly because of their mental state, who is seen as “disgusting” because of who they love. We may not always see it, and that’s why there is value in paying attention, at noticing oppressive attitudes and structures, and working to tear them down.
You cannot champion equity when you do not look for inequities to correct.
White dudes: I don’t know who’s worse: Hillary or Trump.
LGBTQ people: Trump is.
Black people: Trump is.
Undocumented immigrants: Trump.
Muslims: It’s Trump.
Women: Trump duh.
White dudes: *shoves head deeper into ass* I just… don’t… know…
WHITE DUDES, if you’re complaining about being lumped into the category of “White dudes” in this post, consider how privileged you are that you can say “I don’t know who’s worse” and get away with it.
im not a misogynist, *but*… its about ethics in game journalism
It’s too real.
Actually, it’s about ethics in driving women out of the games industry.
Lately I’ve noticed people taking the quiz from iSideWith to give them an idea of who they should vote for. Having taken the quiz myself, I found that I align more with Jill Stein than with Hillary Clinton, who I will be voting for in November.
While it is absolutely necessary that voters make informed decisions, I believe sites like iSideWith are doing more harm to the voter base by including third-party candidates, especially in this election cycle. In 2012, the site featured five third-party candidates for users to “side with”. This year, there are two: Jill Stein and Gary Johnson.
Featuring these two candidates, when they will not achieve the necessary poll numbers to reach the CPD’s debate stage, and when they have no mathematical chance of winning the presidency, endangers this election, and
encourages people to “vote their conscience”.
Lots of disgruntled voters have talked about this idea. Bernie-or-Busters, frustrated independents, even Ted Cruz told the RNC to vote their conscience, before throwing his support behind Donald Trump. It’s a way to protest the two-party system, they claim, the candidates both pose a threat to the nation’s future.
Consider the following scenario:
Neither Clinton nor Trump can capture 270 electoral votes. New Mexico, by a miracle, goes to Gary Johnson. What happens now?
In this event, the House of Representatives would immediately elect the next President, with each state delegation receiving one vote. 33 states currently have a majority of Republican representatives to Democratic representatives, therefore, it is reasonable to assume that those 33 states will vote for, and elect, Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States.
And this is why “voting your conscience” is destructive and dangerous. It’s willingly giving your vote to a failed Congress that has had the lowest approval ratings in history. It’s risking the next four years of the country so you can feel pride that you “protested the system.” It’s essentially saying that you do not care who is elected president, and you don’t give a damn about the people whose livelihoods could be jeopardized as a result.
Voting your conscience is saying that your sense of satisfaction matter more than the future of the United States.
Make the right decision, and ensure that Donald Trump stays out of the White House.
Let me clarify something, because it seems that people either refuse to read my initial essay about free speech, or they are choosing to remain ignorant.
“Free speech” is nothing but a shield used to protect ideas that actively harm the oppressed.
This is in reference to people calling themselves “champions” of free speech. The sorts of people like those in the alt-right, who actively and intentionally use “free speech” as an excuse to defend their harassment and violent rhetoric.
Now read it once again, thinking of these people. Why are they so adamant about defending “free speech”? Because if people finally stand up and say that speech deserves restrictions for the protection of social progress, the are no longer able to defend the open exhibition their bigoted, harmful ideas.
To make it absolutely clear: I am not against free speech. I am against the concept of the marketplace of ideas, as well as an absolutist approach to free speech. I believe that certain forms of speech should be restricted and/or censored for the general welfare of society. That’s what my essay was all about, the necessity of placing certain limits on free speech, and not holding it as a gold standard of civilization that should never be questioned.
You don’t end hate speech with more speech. The Internet has made the marketplace of ideas irrelevant, and “bad ideas” are no longer being pushed out, they’re just moving into certain corners of society, where they are allowed to fester, and as long as they exist, we cannot progress.
Sorry, but I still have work to do.
Korryn Gaines
Renisha McBride
Aiyana Mo'Nay Stanley-Jones
Miriam Carey
Messy Mya
Sandra Bland
Shelly Frey
Shelley Amos
Cheryl Blount-Burton
Dawn Cameron
Sandra Bee Wilson
Juliette Alexander
Alberta Spruill
Latanya Haggerty
Annette Green
Lenties White
Tameka Evette Anthony
Octavia Suydan
Andrena Kitt
Marcella Byrd
Emma Mae Horton
Angel Chiwengo
Guanda Denise Turner
Andrea Nicole Reedy
U’Kendra Johnson
Annie Holiday
Shonda Mikelson
LaVeta Jackson
Mary Williams
Tesha Reena Collins
Darneisha Harris
Nuwnah Laroche
Clanesha Rayuna Shaqwanda Hickmon
Ciara Lee
Dijon Senay Jackson
Denise Michelle Washinton
Keara Crowder
Tyra Hunter
Clara Fay Morris
Stacey Blount
Tanisha Anderson
Gabriella Monique Nevarez
Keisha Redding
Kendra Diggs
Laquisha Turner
Keoshia L. Hill
Kindra Chapman
Audwyn Fitzgerald Ball
Rosette Samuel
Makiah Jackson
Demetria Dorsey
Jameela Yasmeen Arshad
Joyce Quaweay
Mariah Woods
Jameela Cecila Barnette
Raynetta Turner
Bianca Davis
Patricia Hartley
Martha Regina Donald
Eulia Love
Sophia King
Joyce Curnell
Redel Jones
Tessa “Teesee” Hardeman
Tamara Seidle
Alicia Griffin
Shulena Weldon
Gina Rosario
Remedy Smith
Emily Marie Delafield
Jacqueline Culp
Delois Epps
Jacqueline Nichols
Queniya Tykia Shelton
Latoya Smith
Jacqueline Reynolds
Makayla Ross
LaTricka Sloan
Ralkina Jones
Elaine Coleman
Iretha Lilly
Gynnya McMillen
Malissa Williams
Janisha Fonville
Mya Hall
Patricia Thompson
Michelle Cusseaux
Janet Wilson
Latandra Ellington
Aubrey Zoe Brown
Terry Pittman
Carulus Hines
Lana Morris
Dominique Hurtt
Michelle “Vash” Payne
Tiffini Kuuipo Tobe
Yvette Henderson
Yuvette Henderson
Tameka Huston
Leronda Sweatt
Kisha Michael
Portia Southern
Kisha Arrone
Jessica Williams
Jessica Nelson-Williams
Vernicia Woodward
Alexia Christian
Tyisha Miller
Kourtney Hahn
Lamia Beard
Perlie Golden
Megan Holladay
Tarkia Wilson
Deshanda “Ta-Ta” Sanchez
Sharon Rebecca McDowell
Ricky Shawatza Hall
Glenda Moore
Danette Daniels
Shontel Edwards
Sharmel Edwards
Lashonda Ruth Belk
Zoraida Reyes
Islan Nettles
Avra Rosser
Natasha Renee Osby
Kathryn Johnson
Rekha Kalawattie Budhai
Natasha McKenna
Shontel Davis
Nizah Morris
Duanna Johnson
Asia Roundtree
Darnisha Harris
Shereese Francis
Alesia Thomas
Tracy A. Wade
Yvette Smith
Lnaaar Edwards
Gabrielle Lane
Varez Michelle Cusseaux
Taneisha Anderson
Aura Rosser
Raynette Turner
Tarika Wilson
Eleanor Bumpurs
Kendra James
Ahjah Dixon
Shantel Davis
Alberta Pruill
Marjorie Domingue
Bessie Louise Stovall
Margaret Mitchell
Darnesha Harris
Frankie Perkins
Monique Deckard
Kayla Moore
Queonna Zophia Edmonds
Sheneque Proctor
Kyam Livingston
Wanda Jean Allen
Kimberly McCarthy
Meagan Hockaday
Litvishma Millerr
Summer Marie Lane
Antoinette Griffin
Desseria Whitmore
Adebusola Tairu
Erica Stevenson
Halley Simone Lee
Erika Tyrone or Erica Rhena Tyrone
Lanaka Lucas
Breeonna Mobley
Antonia Martines Lagares
Delicia C. Myers
Tameika Carter
Dana Larkin
Kassandra Perkins
Rekia Boyd
Stacey Wright
Dorothy Smith Wright
BreeAnne Green
Adaisha Miller
Bettie Jones
Catrell Ford
India Kager
Deresha Armstrong
Chanda White (Pickney)
Sahlah Ridgeway
Marlene Rivera
Lashondria Rice
Brandy Martell
Marquesha McMillan
India Beaty
Chandra Weaver
Teikeia Dorsey
Deanna Cook Patrick
Ashley Sinclair
Zella Ziona
Tiara Thomas
Papi Edwards
India Clarke
Constance Graham
Shade Schurer
Erica Collins
Rosann Miller
Lonfon Chanel
Sonji Taylor
Malaika Brooks
Ashton O’Hara
Vida DeShondrell Byrd
Maria Tripp
Eveline Barros-Cepeda
Rosa Flores Lopez
Sarah Ann Riggins
Ty Underwood
Yazmin Vash Payne
Kandis Capri
Elisha Walker
Keonna Redmond
Rikessa La’Shae Lee
Charquissa Johnson
Fatou-Mata Ntiamoah
MOVE bombing victims
Kristina Grant Infiniti
Ariel Levy
Yolanda Thomas
Marquita Bosley
Barbara Lassere
Taja Gabrielle DeJesus
Tamara Dominguez
Vionique Valnord
Linda Yancey
Penny Proud
Amber Monroe
Brianna Elaine Carmina Ford
Kendrinka T. Williams
Arabella Bradford
Loretta Gerard
Hanna Abukar
Talana Salissa Cain
Diane Kemp
Amber Nashay Carter
Pearlie Golden
Brenda Williams
Catawaba Tequila Howard
Beverly Kirk
Tamu Malika Bouldin
Denise Gay
Anita Gay
Laura Felder
Alice Faye DeFlanders Clausell
Uteva Monique Woods Wilson
Mrnell Robertson Villarreal
K.C. Haggard
Derrinesha Clay
Milinda Clark
Angela Beatrice Randolph
Denise Nicole Glasco
Mercedes Williamson
Dominique Battle
Demetra Boyd
Francine Sonnier
Angelique Styles
Linda Joyce Friday
Shari Bethel Cartmell
Ashaunti Butler
Laniya Miller
I was scrolling and expected the names to stop….but they just kept going…and going…
When this is a list of men, I usually recognize more than half. This list, I’m ashamed to say, is mostly unfamiliar to me. That needs to change.
Stop the misconception that Black Men are the only ones killed. Saying protect our Sons leaves our Daughter vulnerable because their is no one to protect them. These deaths are barely mentioned. And most people can’t name at least five of these names.
My stomach just kept getting tighter and tighter the more I had to scroll, with most names unrecognizable, this has to end.
One name is one too many. Unacceptable.
I think I’ll continue living, but thank you for your concern.
I laughed at this.
Read my argument again, then come back and try.
I’m sorry that you want to silence the voice of a marginalized person speaking out against oppressive structures and social ideals.
I honestly don’t know how to respond to this.
I am not an authoritarian.
I am not a nationalist.
I am not right-wing.
If I am a fascist, your definition of “fascism” is incorrect.
Another comment from someone who didn’t pay attention to the argument.
Put me on the front page.
Embarrassing for whom?
You can choose not to engage with it.
Speech needs restrictions to ensure that it does not contribute to harming marginalized peoples. Yes, fully unrestricted speech poses a danger.
Are you contributing to the marginalization of people with intellectual disabilities?
Signs point to yes.
My speech has not contributed to harming you or any other marginalized person, assuming, of course, that you aren’t simply another cis, white, able-bodied, hetero male.
“Restricting certain forms of speech means no one is able to speak.”
I am, and I will not apologize.
Being able to speak freely without restriction or care for who is harmed by it is not the indicator of a just society.
Again, this is about limiting speech that normalizes oppression and violence, actions that reinforce inequality and injustice in modern society. This is not about restricting speech that combats oppressive structures.
“Restrict speech I don’t like.” Fantastic argument.
I don’t believe speech that combats oppression needs to be restricted. Speech that contributes to oppression should not be fundamentally “free.” It deserves limits, because with it, we become a society that silences the voices of the marginalized.
Apologies for what’s about to come, but I’d like to illustrate the amount of harassment I’ve received for my posts regarding the failures of free speech. Take a moment to read them. I will tag these posts with “Answered.”
You have no options. Voting for a third party candidate is effectively throwing your vote away. It’s a BINARY CHOICE.
You are going to get us all killed.
You are going to get us all killed.You might not remember what happened last time, but I do. Leftists swore up and down an Al Gore Presidency would be “just as bad” as a Bush Presidency. That was the EXACT phrase they used.
“Al Gore is a corpratist,” they said.
“I want to vote for something instead of against something,” they said.
Now, over a decade later, the entire GLOBE is still trying to correct what was done during the Bush administration–global financial collapse, SCOTUS nominees, TWO endless wars, drone strikes, the Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind, Isis, DICK CHEYNEY.
Open your eyes and see how the tide is turning. For the past 10 years, there’s been a steady rise of right-wing ideology and politics. There’s UKIP and the Brexit, France and their damn neo Nazi Marine Le Pen, whatever is happening in Brazil right now. Canada only just ousted a leader who muzzled scientists who spoke about climate change!
And now we have the possibility of Trump. Trump who, as of this moment, has a 38% chance of winning according to Five Thirty Eight. Not 38% of the vote. 38% chance of winning. Those aren’t terrible odds. They’re better odds than rolling a specific number on a die, 16.68%.
Do you understand that we have a chance to flip the Supreme Court for the first time since the 60’s?
Remember all that Civil Rights shit from the 60’s? Do you know what happened to it, why it didn’t usher in a new age of equality like MLK’s Dreamers hoped? The Burger Court happened to it. The Burger Court is the conservative-majority Supreme Court that came into power in the backlash following the 60′s. With that Court came a conservative jurisprudence that would last for generations. It was the Burger Court that stymied de-segregation efforts, and created ‘white flight’ by ruling that de-segregation orders couldn’t be extended past district lines. It was the Burger Court that laid the groundwork for Citizens United, when they ruled that corporations could spend money in politics. Everyone was so shocked when SCOTUS ruled corporations are people and money=speech. Well, thank the Burger Court!
Now, for the first time in SEVERAL DECADES there is an opportunity to flip the Supreme Court. We haven’t had a liberal jurisprudence since the 60′s. And look at what’s coming down the pipe–anti trans laws like HB2, Affirmative Action, housing rights, repealing Citizen United, immigration, abortion, gun control, police brutality, climate change, etc.
I am begging you to vote Hillary. And tell others to vote Hillary. I won’t quibble over whether her policies are better than Trump’s (they objectively are) or whether or not she is a better person than Trump (that’s…more subjective). The SCOTUS nominations should be reason enough. PLEASE don’t make me live through a Trump administration. Please don’t do this again.
Latina trans woman chiming in to add that I am doing my damnedest to get all of my documents updated before the election, because if that two-chambers russian roulette chance pops up I want to at least have everything in order.
But even then, if Trump wins there’s a very good chance that I will die. Three trans women have been murdered within twenty-five miles of my house in the past NINE MONTHS, and I live in a fairly liberal state. If Federal law turns against me, I lose what little protections I have, and my risk of death by murder skyrockets.
And that’s not even looking at healthcare! Currently I am only able to obtain HRT because in my state Medicaid is required to cover transgender health services. With a Republican Supreme Court and Congress, not only does that go out the window but so does Obamacare and the Medicaid expansion which is how I have health insurance in the first place.
If you care even the slightest bit about my safety as a human being, you willGO OUT AND VOTE CLINTON AND DEMOCRATIC ALL THE WAY DOWN THE BALLOT
This is absolutely about survival, and a Trump presidency will in no uncertain terms be anathema to my continued existence. Please, I beg of you: help me stay alive.
Fuck y’all and fuck this false dilemma bullshit.
The fact that so many people are apathetic about Trump and Clinton being the nominees for this election cycle means that third parties CAN ACTUALLY BE CONSIDERED MINOR PARTIES BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
Let me break it down for you:
The reason why third-parties are considered a “waste of a vote” is because they lack the resources to get on state ballots and run effective advertising campaigns. The fact that the Commission on Presidential Debates is specifically set up to keep third-party candidates from making it to the debate stage (thus gaining much-needed exposure) doesn’t help this at all. Hell, there are actually pending lawsuits against the CPD for potentially violating antitrust laws because of those shenanigans.
If a third-party receives just 5% of the popular vote, they become eligible for the Presidential Election Campaign Fund’s grant, by way of FEC rules. To put this into perspective: If the Libertarian party had gotten 5% of the vote in 2012, they would start the 2016 election with $10 million. That is literally four times the amount the party raised by donations in 2012.
“BUT ROSS PEROT MANAGED TO GET ON THE BALLOT IN EVERY STATE, AND HE GOT A HIGH POPULAR VOTE!” some of you might say. Yeah, well Ross Perot was also a fucking billionaire who could finance it himself.
People don’t realize that the system is rigged to ensure that the two-party system survives, and part of that is mental manipulation like this shit here. The two-party system fails when you get to points like these, where you have a madman and a warhawk running. This is why I’m voting third-party, because even though I know I’m not voting for a winning candidate, I’m voting to try and change the fucking system so we won’t have these sorts of shit elections again.
Also, y’all really need to start a movement for getting rid of the electoral college because literally, the only votes that matter as far as the EC is concerned are the ones in battleground states.
First, how dare you try to override marginalized voices to tell them that they are somehow ignorant for putting their personal safety ahead of your selfish third-party pipe dreams. How fucking dare you.
Second, what happens if your precious Gary Johnson wins a couple of states? The election is then decided by the House of Representatives, which is currently controlled by the Republican Party. Which means, President Donald Trump.
Third, there is a moral imperative for voting for Clinton. Trump absolutely must be stopped for the security of not only the United States, but for the world. His radical ideas of “bombing the hell out of [ISIL]” can, in all likelihood, spark World War III. Knowing how much of a loose cannon he is, he can get angry at a country not kissing his feet at the UN and seek military action against them. That puts literally every person in the world at risk. I know, because you’re a cishet white man, you won’t be able to properly empathize with the marginalized people’s pleas for their personal safety. But maybe if you understand that a Trump presidency has the potential to start a nuclear war, you’ll make the correct choice and vote for the immediate future over the hypothetical one.
“Don’t fight hate with hate” is an example of subtle gaslighting, where our legitimate hurt & anger at the injustices we suffer is being equated to the bigotry & abuse of our oppressors.
Being angry doesn’t mean you are being hateful, it means you love yourself enough to get upset at your own mistreatment.
Hatred is passionate, and can be used for good.
Hatred of evil is what destroys evil.
All these “anti-sjw” assholes prattling on about “oh ho ho! A MUSLIM shot a bunch of gay people! What will all those tumblr LGBT special snowflakes do NOW?!”
Mourn, you insufferable trash baskets. We’re mourning. We’re scared and angry and grieving.
What the fuck are YALL doing?
They’re acting like we’re going to somehow defend this murderer simply because he was reported to be a Muslim, at the expense of the LGBT+ victims.
Fuck them. If they’re more concerned with scoring points for their own demented ideologies, they’re dancing on the bodies of the dead.
I’m angry. I won’t be as cordial as I usually am in my posts.
Mass shootings have become something of a norm in the US. Turn on the news, see a breaking story, and think, “Another one?” That is not fucking normal.
Gun violence is an issue. Hate crimes are an issue. Guns enable hate crimes. They are responsible for the murder of women, POC, LGBT+ folks, among others.
But there are still people who think the “freedom” to keep and bear arms is somehow more important than protecting human lives. That an outdated portion of the Constitution is more important than protecting the innocent.
FUCK ANYONE WHO BELIEVES THE SECOND AMENDMENT IS WORTH MORE THAN THE LIVES OF MARGINALIZES PEOPLE.
Unfortunately, gun control isn’t the answer, either. It’s not enough when states with strict laws still enable men to buy a gun and shoot up a school, or a church, or a gay nightclub. It’s not enough.
The only solution we have left is disarmament. Confiscate firearms. Similar regulations have worked for the UK, France, Spain, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
It’s time the US cared more about human lives than its fetishization with firearms.
Joe Biden, in a powerful open letter to the Stanford sexual assault survivor, praised her courage and condemned the culture that forced her to defend her worth. (via guardian)
That’s nice, but what will the Obama Administration do to combat rape culture? Sympathy is not equivalent to action.
This is how every election should be. Completely forgo the risk of allowing a two party system to remain The System.
The top-two primary system destroys the concept of “voting against” candidates, and forces the winners to actually debate issues instead of the usual mudslinging that comes with partisan politics. It should be used everywhere.