this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2025
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Lefty Memes

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Pretending not to pick a side IS picking a side (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 1 year ago by ShareMySims@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/leftymemes@lemmy.dbzer0.com
42 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

ID: photo of Martin Luther King Jr. waving at the crowd during the March on Washington, on it is his quote: "He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."

all 43 comments
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[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"Always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented"

  • Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize 1986

Quoted from his acceptance speech -
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1986/wiesel/acceptance-speech/

Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in the town of Sighet, now part of Romania. During World War II, he, with his family and other Jews from the area, were deported to the German concentration and extermination camps, where his parents and little sister perished. Wiesel and his two older sisters survived. Liberated from Buchenwald in 1945 by advancing Allied troops, he was taken to Paris where he studied at the Sorbonne and worked as a journalist.

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

They took a side, its just not a side you'll admit exists.

When everyone loses faith in the current and future DNC to the point that accelerationism toward complete disolution of the US government seems like the only viable choice, this is what it looks like.

The DNC being in favor of genocide steered muslim voters to want to burn this whole place down. Can you blame them? And its similar for the working poor who are one toothache or splean surgery from living under a bridge. I dont blame them either. But you seem to.

The very visible nationwide rage at the United Health care CEO and the dems being out to lunch on working class struggles-- coupled with the losses across every single demographic shows that this is a universal truth that exists whether you like it to or not. And this isnt about healthcare, its about the entire system of government.

[–] in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The DNC being in favor of genocide steered muslim voters to want to burn this whole place down.

The muslim vote and Gaza protest votes combined isn't what caused democrats to lose and they didn't want to "burn this whole place down" as you put it, Democrats lost because of their shitty campaign, saying nothing about progressive politics or what people wanted to hear, ontop of all the Gaza stuff, and has the likes of Bill Clinton campaigning for them. Don't blame muslims for the Democrats shitty-ass campaign.

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

I wasnt looking to attribute blame, especially to muslims. I was aiming to show that dem leadership had abandoned every demographic except the rich.

[–] Plastic_Ramses@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Does this include not voting because one is a single issue voter?

Edit: lmao, yall will really say whatever to justify your decision to make things worse.

[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

lmao, y'all will really say whatever to justify your decision to bitch about people who didn't vote

Tell ya what: whine about the people who actually did something to vote the guy in or those of us who actually have functioning brains will call you out as the stupid and pathetic authoritarian you are

[–] Plastic_Ramses@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Just tell me you dont understand the trolley problem.

[–] ShareMySims@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Voting (and in any other way participating) in an oppressive system (E: and for an oppressive party, either way) is literally the opposite of protesting it.

Welcome to the point lmao

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

MLK: Moderates might be literally worse than the KKK

Libs: Yeah but have you considered that you're racist if you don't vote for someone actively trying to make your life worse

[–] ShareMySims@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Without fucking fail.

And all with an overinflated and unearned sense of self righteousness to replace the deep sense of irony, and shame, they should be feeling.

[–] GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

with an overinflated and unearned sense of self righteousness

This describes every single one of the non-voters and protest voters I've interacted with perfectly.

ETA: triggered a few

[–] meowMix2525@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Cry harder lib. "I know you are but what am I" 💀 my kindergarten age brother wants his insult back.

[–] GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Who the fuck are you? And how many repeated blows with mining equipment did your skull receive in order for that to be your takeaway?

[–] meowMix2525@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Oh wow, so out comes the ableism. I'm not a miner but the vitriol shown in this comment against a class of laborer that is routinely disabled by their work is additionally nice.

Scratch a liberal, a fascist bleeds. You're really not beating the allegations with this one dog.

[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh wow, so out comes the ableism

Dude as a turd but stretch before you reach or you'll pull something

[–] meowMix2525@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They literally called me disabled as an insult because they didn't like what I said. That is ableism.

[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, they asked how many blows to the head it took for you to have an opinion

That's called hyperbole

But seriously, how many was it? Because it seems like a lot after reading both of these comments

[–] meowMix2525@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Holy shit dude this is a pointless conversation and you're clearly projecting cause you seem to just not understand that words have meaning...

What is the implication when you're accusing me of having brain damage as a way to put me down? You understand that an intellectual disability acquired via head trauma is still a disability, no?

[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago

this is a pointless conversation

Because you're fuckin thick, yeah

You understand that an intellectual disability acquired via head trauma is still a disability, no?

You understand what hyperbole.... No, wait, you've shown yourself to have sustained traumatic brain injury and can't do basic logic so I don't think you do, actually

[–] GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize! Your diagnosis must've come as a real shock.

Enjoy your wooden blocks and training wheels! There's a whole big world out there for ya kiddo!

[–] in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ahh so much unity and cooperation with your approach, no wonder America is fucked.

[–] GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago

I'm supposed to feel unity with idiots that can't read and hurl insults? Fuck off with that "high road" shit.

[–] in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago

Maybe if they didn't run such a shitty campaign, ignore the genocide, have Bill Clinton campaign them, and ignore the concerns of the majority, then more non-voters would've voted for them? If you think protests voters did more to make them lose than their shitty campaign, you need to get that blue boot out of your mouth.

[–] nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Absolutely. Non-voters and "protest" voters chose not to oppose a known fascist. Their refusal to strategically use their voice has led to increased suffering of minorities, LGBTQ+, and likely an end to any semblance of US democracy.

[–] sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, well, they've done it, 95 million Americans didn't vote. Now what?

Are we gonna point the finger at them, lay the blame at their feet, and feel superior because WE VOTED, while the oligarchs and fascists loot our treasury and put our minority and LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters you seem to care so much about in camps? Or are we gonna go and fight the good fight like the people out in LA yesterday?

[–] Lupus@feddit.org 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Are we gonna point the finger at them, lay the blame at their feet,

Absolutely.

If those 95 million would've voted together for Mike the local crackhead, Mike would've won the popular vote with about 20 million votes to spare... I don't know, seems stupid to me to just go on the Internet to complain and then not use one of the only tools you have in a democracy?

I understand that going out voting is "accepting the system" but that is the only legal way to bring about change. If you don't want to support the system that's fine, work to dismantle it, take the fight to them. But just staying at home, doing nothing and then saying "I told you so" is just dumb.

[–] nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 1 year ago

Not only this but, if those non-voters organized and taken action in the last half-century, they would have been able to move the Overton to the Left, instead of the unending Right-ward crawl that we've been seeing. That could have prevented the likes of Clinton and Thatcher and erosion of workers' rights.

[–] nonentity@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago (4 children)

In a similar vein, anyone eligible to vote and chooses not to implicitly supports whoever wins.

[–] ShareMySims@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

No, you bootlickers can repeat the same bullshit party lines and shove your heads up your ass as far as you please to maintain your personal comfort and shield yourself from reality (and from those actually responsible for and who benefit from fascism, which you miraculously never confront or even hold accountable, and are freely willing to ~~compromise with~~ give in to), but that doesn't change it - participating in an oppressive system, and voting for one of either oppressive parties designated to you by those benefiting from that system to placate you with an illusion of choice is literally the opposite of protesting said system (E: never even mind that the idea that you can vote fascism away is beyond ignorant and laughable in its own right, it's demonstrably wrong)

TL;DR: your vote didn't protest shit, it was manufactured consent for the status quo, get off your fucking high horse

[–] drthunder@midwest.social 0 points 1 year ago

The problem with having these arguments online is that you don't actually know what nonentity did besides vote. What did you do? I've gone to rallies, I've written my representatives, I helped out at my college's Gaza camp, I wrote and called my college's chancellor about the Gaza camp, I've distributed literature about Palestine. And I fucking voted, uncommitted and then Harris, because as public enemy #1b (trans) I don't have the privilege to let whoever wins win. Because people couldn't be bothered to do the bare minimum and take an hour or two to go vote for the lesser evil, the government is erasing me from existence.

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

And anyone who votes for genocide without even bothering to vote uncomitted in the primary is a genocider themselves.

[–] damnedfurry@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Not necessarily, not in the US's system for President, at least. If you don't live in a swing state, your vote is literally a waste of time. Doesn't matter who you support or don't.

[–] dreadbeef@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

lol no, I'm not going to get mad at my neighbors, I'm going to get mad at people who are actively trying to hurt them, not the ones accidentally doing it

The problem isn't that fascists were voted into the White House. The problem is that there are fascists in the White House. Anything that doesn't address that problem is equally implicit in supporting fascism. Arguing with your neighbors doesn't get fascists out of the White House. If history is anything to go by it has obviously done the opposite

[–] rascalnikov@literature.cafe 0 points 1 year ago

I think they are linked. Democracy can only work and thrive with an educated and/or informed population who is willing and able to have public and civil discourse. The fact that the political climate is the way it is now, so divided and only engaging to act on petty revenges, allows for fascism to take root. We saw this in Germany prior to the second World War. When NSDAP began beating people up in the street who opposed their ideology, with little repercussions for such behavior, led to the beer hall putsch, and eventually the rise of Herr Hitler. I can see parallels with the modern day political climate of America. The issue is that we voted them into the white house; I think that might even be more jarring than them being in there itself. Democratically voting a fascist in power is a tell tale sign that our democracy is not working.

[–] Chakravanti@monero.town -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Fuck that. Protesting today ain't what it was in his day. There ain't much sanity left anymore and don't matter how you try to stand let alone move.

[–] ShareMySims@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

So... Don't protest* evil. Got it. 🙄

(*on a more serious note, you having a narrow and wilfully ignorant view of what protesting actually means doesn't change the fact that not protesting evil makes you complicit with it)

[–] Chakravanti@monero.town -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

No. Don't is right. Fucking kill it. Telling someone who is evil will never stop it. Removing his means of being evil will be your only successful method. Don't misunderstand my first expression murder doesn't remove the means and anyone else will simply take their place.

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They had dogs let loose on them.

They were beaten.

They were sprayed with water cannons capable of taking you off your feet and throwing your body into whatever hard object stops it.

They were arrested.

They were lynched.

It was not easy then and it won’t be easy now.

[–] Chakravanti@monero.town -1 points 1 year ago

That's not what I'm talking about at all. Back in that day, we fought and it fucking counted against the man's capability. Then in the 70's, everyone was all pathetic to no acceptance by the man who suffered nothing for the "protests" and about jack fucking shit has happened since to any effect.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There are more than two sides.

[–] PlantDadManGuy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Great, dodecahedrons have 12 sides. What is your point? Pick any side you want that ISN'T FASCISM, and spread the word to your friends.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

Looks like you got the point despite the poor comparison.