#Strong Democracy

[davidpotash]

Thick Democracy: In and Out of the Light

We would be well served by reading, or re-reading, Benjamin Barber’s Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age. Yes, it is not a recent publication. That said, it’s as relevant as ever, perhaps even more so today than it was when first published nearly four decades ago. Barber, who passed away in 2017, was a political scientist, a political theorist, and a scholar. He wrote…

[corpish]

Make your plan to vote by going to iwillvote.com!

[bedlamsbard]

me trying to be optimistic and encouraging: you think WE have problems let's talk about the time Athens fucked up so badly they panicked and dismantled their own democracy and realized five minutes later it had been a horrible mistake and dismantled the new system in order to slink back to their democracy

(I actually do find ancient history very soothing, but I do understand that sometimes the connections aren't obvious or. you know. soothing. also I cannot emphasize this enough, classical Athens had so many other problems.)

[lostbrazilian]

I can't help but find it kinda funny, on a morbid sort of way, how apparently the average American, when faced with choosing between a Mentally Unstable Fascist and a Woman, will still elect the Wannabe Dictator TWICE

[the-irreverend]

Regardless of what happens in the next four years, always remember:

[ihavenomoralsss]

Look, I’m terrified. I woke up crying. I woke up scared. But I do not believe this is an ending. We as queer, trans, disabled, POC, whatever have survived fascism, dictatorships - circumstances that would have been the end of others. This is not our ending. We will not let this be an ending. This is an opportunity for resilience, for love, and for kindness. This is an opportunity to check on your neighbors, your friends, your family.

I have taken my step back. I have mourned. And now I am choosing to go out and be with my community. I am choosing to be brave, because despair is not my ally. I am alive. We are alive. And as long as we continue to be, we are resisting.

Hug your friends. Hug your parents and your dog and your lovers. Then go out there and take care of each other. We will find a way to make this work. We will keep trying, and we will succeed.

[antidrumpfs]

TRUMP vs. HARRIS RECORD ON LABOR ISSUES: NO CONTEST

[epicallyepiceponym]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/06/us/politics/trump-speeches-age-cognitive-decline.html

[a-typical]

— On Palestine, Noam Chomsky, Ilan Pappé (2015)

[psycohousecat]

The dismantling of the Trump hate machine begins... ♥️

[ewingstan]

All Women Are Bisexual in Wildbow Novels.

[ahsoka-in-a-hood]

There's definitely something about the how the colonialism vibes of both Naboo and Tatooine, and Padme and Anakin when they discuss The Massacre, do all sort of fit together to paint a picture of some sort. (I mean Naboo was quite extraordinary really, they weren't even in contact with the indigenous people.)

and the way that fits with the whole picture of the republic and Padme's role

And it does have me sitting there squinting about how much was intentional commentary occasionally

[wolveria]

I know the election results are really disappointing for you, and it’s tough when things don’t go the way we hoped. But I just wanted to remind you to keep your head held high and your heart clear of negativity. Kamala may not have won, but there’s still so much to be hopeful for. Staying positive and spreading kindness will always make a difference, even when it feels small. Let’s hold on to that hope for a better future,one step at a time.

Sending you lots of love and positivity.We’ll get through this together💙

I appreciate the sentiment and the thoughts behind it, but it's not just about the election. It's about what led to the results, it's about what's deeply and fundamentally wrong with the current system, and the decades of policies and choices that led to where we are now. While shocking, many people warned this might happen, and they were continually ignored by the Democratic Party.

Kindness and believing in a better future is important, but we can and should do more than hope. Because staying positive and waiting for others to fix this for us isn't enough.

[roxyandtheroxies]

To all those living in the USA dictatorship, i recommend you participate in a proletarian vanguard ASAP!

And by that i mean, an organization at the edge lf the law, formed by and for the working class, representing their collective struggle against the capitalist class and its opression; your task will be to build up the consciousness of the proletariat, to educate and inform those who need it, your fight will be harsh, the forces of capital have made it so the majority of the working class is "working poor" meaning they actively work, probably two jobs, yet do not have any money for enjoyment and hardly any time to educate themselves on anything, that's why proletarian vanguards should also be mutual aid and welfare organizations to provide help and make their message stick, paramilitary organizations to defend the rights of the working class and political minorities actively, and should seek support by any means necessary, be it donations from the upper working class or collaboration with other vanguards or similar organizations, and active economic support from anyone who volunteers of course.

Be careful out there, workers of the world unite.

[mariemariemaria]

don't think I'll ever be over how the media completely lambasted jeremy corbyn and misrepresented him in every possible way. the man was saying that the nhs needed to be properly funded and the media was acting like he was sacrificing children. he appealed to young people and this support got treated like a cult or like a hysterical ignorant movement. bc how dare young people not want to be in insane student debt and unable to afford a home. remember when they photoshopped him to look more russian and soviet? absolutely crazy shit but with all that he still won a higher percentage of the vote than starmer