#sorry but you Do have to vote for genocide Joe

[gargalesisandchins]

no offense but i will kill anyone who votes third party in this election with my bare hands!!!

[corvidcall]

counterpoint: have you considered maybe saving the scolding until its not. yknow. a year away from the election?

i understand the logic here, and honestly i can't disagree with the idea that you have a moral obligation to vote for the less evil candidate.

but like... the election is 11 months away. OP made this post almost exactly a year before the election. isn't now, during an active genocide, the best possible time to announce that Bidens actions are making you not want to vote for him? If not now, when should I tell Biden that his support of genocide will result in him losing public support? 2025??

the way the system is supposed to work, in theory, is that we vote for a politician to represent our interests, and they are motivated to continue representing our interests instead of just their own because if they do things their constituents don't like, they risk losing their job. Why would they care what you want, if there's never going to be any consequences for ignoring what you want? Especially if, every time they do something you don't support, you loudly announce that you're not going to bring the only real consequence that's built into the system?

I would argue that, sure, maybe you have an obligation to vote for whever is least bad, even if all options are awful. Maybe we should always vote Democrat no matter what because the other option is even worse.

But I would also argue that you have an equally strong moral obligation to never tell them that. What good comes from telling them that they can ignore your wishes because you'll vote for them no matter what? You should be letting your candidates think your vote is entirely dependent on their behavior until the exact fucking second your ballot is in your hand.

Doing anything else is just telling them they can do whatever they want forever. And to announce that now, when the election is months away but a genocide is happening now, is kinda gross. You should keep that to yourself.

sorry but i want to hit every american talking about not wanting to vote democrat anymore with hammers. lol

[dickgirlsdaily]

Fundamentally, if the democrats lose the presidency in 2024, it will not be because of "voter apathy" or "the idealistic left" or Cornell West or whatever third party candidate the liberals end up blaming. It will be because the democrats have failed to meet the lowest standards of many Americans.

You can talk about strategic voting until you're blue in the face, but fundamentally, people need reasons to vote for a candidate. There are people in this country watching as their family members get slaughtered by American arms, sent to Israel by Joe Biden. The people watching their families get murdered in Palestine have no reason to support Joe Biden. How can you ask them to?

"Sorry your family got bombed, but I need you to vote for the man who is directly responsible, or *real* people are going to suffer too."

It was at this point While I was drafting this post that I heard he just started bombing Yemen. It's like he's doing everything in his power to sink his own fucking campaign, are you shitting me? This isn't a matter of "stupid commies not being realistic enough", he's not just working for the status quo; just about every action he has taken since October 7th has been an escalation of conflict in the Middle East and made it worse for everyone living there. This is exactly what I'm talking about.

You can scold people for voting wrong as much as you want, but fundamentally the way that democrats can win elections is by pursuing good policy. If the only argument you can come up with in favor of Joe Biden is that he won't do 1 or 2 of the terrible things that Trump wants to do, then that will simply not appeal to the people who are most intensely affected by Biden's failures (not to mention people who have moral objections to genocide, even when it doesn't affect them). You can scream and cry all you want, people are not going to just overlook his role in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza just because he is the Less Bad Genocider.

If a republican wins the presidency in November, you can blame the hundreds of thousands of voters/nonvoters who should've agreed with you and put aside every moral concern they ever had about the Biden administration... or you can blame the one fucking guy whose massive foreign policy failures are going to tank his re-election campaign.

[spaghettioverdose]

Also I'm sorry but do you genuinely think Trump is a fascist or that uniquely bad compared to other US presidents? Literally none of his policies are that particularly fucked up in the grand scheme of US politics. Not even in recent years. He is more blatant about being racist, and his target audience is fascists, but as far as his actions, he is very much a liberal. Also deeply annoying that many of you have an understanding of "liberal" as meaning vaguely civil and progressive, and therefore call liberal or even feudal systems fascist when they do genocide or slavery.

I get hating Trump, I get not wanting that guy to be your president, but the way people talk about Trump is like if he's about to set up a military junta and somehow voting will stop it.

A lot of people also bring up the "coup attempt" as proof that he will end democracy in the US or whatever and like two things:

1. Very notably, that happened after Trump DIDN'T win. Like he was not in power. There was no requirement for him to win to do that. Kinda how the whole thing started is some people were mad that he lost. He wasn't the president when it happened.

2. Do you think a bunch of idiots storming a building is how coups happen? Are you dumb? Do you think it's like capture the flag or control points or something? If shit was that easy, there would be a coup every other day.

The whole thing even only went as far as it did because the local police had sympathy for the those guys. If there's a point where there is popular support for a fascist coup within the military, you're fucked either way. If there isn't, and a bunch of disorganised idiots with only small arms try it, they're probably just gonna get killed by the national guard.

Like ok whatever you wanna vote for genocide Joe but at least stop having just a purely vibes based understanding of politics. 💀💀💀

[pudding-parade]

Sorry, but I have to get political on all your asses, at least those of you who live in the US. It will be a one-time thing on this subject, the only thing that I will say here about the election before it happens. And yeah, I'm going to say this on a blog devoted to a stupid video game. Why? Because I know that I have younger American people who follow me here, and if y'all are like some of the younger people I've talked to in real life and online in other venues, I have concerns. So I'm going to say all this as an old-ass, progressive American. Because if I can wake up one apathetic mind out there, it will be worth it. And if you're pissed at me for making a single political post at this important juncture, then fuck off and unfollow me or send me nasty messages or whatever you want to do. I don't care. And I'm not cutting this, either.

My dear followers: Donald Trump cannot -- CANNOT -- become president again.

Late last night, Trump posted on his Truth Social account a video containing language and images reminiscent of the World War era. It was about his fantasies of what America would be like, should he win the general election in about five months. It contained suspicious imagery and phrases like "creating a unified Reich." Does that sort of language sound familiar? Especially when combined with his rhetoric about immigrants being "vermin" that "poison the blood of our country?" Ring any bells? I'm sure it does for any German folks who might read this.

Trump's post was only taken down about 12 hours later, after backlash over it, and then Trump claimed that a "low level staffer" posted it, not him. Which is either a lie OR he was lying when he said previously that only he and his campaign's communications director have or will ever have access to that account. If you want more info about this, here's a short video from Jesse Dollemore, an independent commentator:

This election isn't about liberal/progressive vs. conservative. It truly doesn't matter what your personal ideology is because this election is about saving democracy. This is about preserving your freedoms, because we won't be able to do anything about any other issue, whatever our individual ideologies and pet issues are, if our basic freedoms upon which this country was founded -- freedom of speech and to protest, freedom of (and from) religion, freedom of the press -- are chipped away until they are gone. Because that's what autocrats do. They want freedom only for themselves, and Donald Trump and his cronies and hangers-on are all autocrat wannabes.

And if you -- Yes, you, even if you're sitting in the middle of blood-red state -- don't vote for Joe Biden, you will be doing your part to hand the autocrats what they want, because a non-vote or a vote for anyone other than Biden is in fact a vote for Trump and autocracy. Similarly, you must also vote for Democrats for all other positions, local, state, and federal so that America's overt flirtation with autocracy that's been going on since at least the 1990s might finally end once and for all.

Yes, yes, I know: "But Genocide Joe!" Think about it: Do you seriously think that Trump, who licks Netanyahu's asshole because he sees him as the kind of "strong man" that Trump wants to be, is going to help Gaza? Or that he'll go against Putin and continue aid to Ukraine? Because if you think that he will do either of those things, I have several bridges I'd like to sell you. No, Trump is going to "put America first." He says it all the time, and what he means by that is that he will do nothing except whatever it takes to keep himself and his cronies in power while also isolating America by severing ties to our allies. Gaza will be given to Netanyahu just as Ukraine will be given to Putin, should Trump win, and he won't give a shit. In the end, Biden (and Harris, should she have to take over) will listen and help Gaza, maybe not as much as we'd like because the Middle East situation is complicated and there are no simple solutions, but a Biden-led government will certainly help more than another Trumpian government would. And Biden will definitely continue to aid Ukraine, because that situation isn't complicated at all.

And in the end, it's not really about Ukraine and Gaza, though they are of course important. It's about us. Should Trump get into the White House again, he will surround himself with people who want America to be a plutocratic and authoritarian autocracy, very similar to Putin's Russia. This is not hyperbole. This is fact. A vote for Trump -- either actual or de facto by fucking around with not voting or voting for a third party because you think it's a "protest" -- is a vote to end democracy, plain and simple, which might very well mean that you'll never be able to protest again another day.

How bad could Trump be, you ask? Who cares who is president? Well, have a look at Project 2025. It's a 900-page "playbook" for the next "conservative" administration. (In quotes because there is nothing "conservative" about these people, including Trump and his cronies; they are radicals.) It is nothing less than a plan to destroy the federal government, the Constitution, and the freedoms that it enshrines and protects, which means the end of democracy. They published a similar tome before Reagan was elected, and once he was in, Reagan followed through with a lot of it. I have no doubt that Trump would, too, given that his "Agenda 47" platform is basically the same. Here is an article that summarizes Project 2025 and details some of its directives. And here is an article from Time Magazine, of all things, where the writer of it interviewed Trump about his vision for America, should he win. The first line of the article is, "Donald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice." You can read the transcripts of the interviews, too, so you can rest assured that the interviewer isn't being hyperbolic.

It ain't good, folks. Part of this extreme-right agenda is ridiculously expanding the power of the executive branch so that it would no longer be checked and balanced by Congress and the Supreme Court, which effectively turns the presidency into a dictatorship. And if Biden does not win, at least some of this bullshit will come to pass, especially because Trump already has the Supreme Court in his pocket. And he'll be able to appoint more young, far-right lunatics to that, too, should he win.

I'll repeat that Trump CANNOT win. I'll be the first to say that, as a pretty extreme (but also pragmatic) progressive, I'm not Biden's biggest fan, for various reasons. He is way farther right than I am, though he has been far more progressive-friendly than I expected and he has gotten some very good things done. But even if he wasn't and hadn't, he will preserve democracy and because of that, I will be voting for him without hesitation. I won't even have to hold my nose. Trump and his cronies in Congress and the Supreme Court will destroy democracy if you -- Yes, YOU! -- let them. And if you let them by deciding not to vote or doing some sort of lame "protest" vote, especially if you live in that handful of states where every presidential vote matters, you will have no one to blame but yourself and others like you. People being apathetic or doing "protest" votes is what got us Trump the first time around.

For fuck's sake, do the right thing.

[spock-smokes-weed]

Sorry I’m not done chirping. I have bad insomnia right now.

I’m honestly so sick of the pearl clutching from liberals right now about people not voting. It comes across as so fucking tone deaf.

Listen, I am pro voting and of the mind it’s much smarter in the long run to vote instead of sitting out. Low voter turn out is how the Republicans can stay in power.

However, I feel like turning up your nose at those who don’t vote doesn’t do anything to actually understand WHY people don’t vote. And it’s usually because the Dems never fucking bring anything to the table and try to coast on being the lesser of two evils. That is honestly such an insulting way to run a campaign.

Especially when it comes to minority voters. A lot of them have spoken to how they feel like their material conditions never improve under either party. Yes they get worse under republicans, but “not making things worse” should never be the standard we set. But that’s the message Dems have been running on since Ronald Regan.

And in regards to the moment we’re in now, I think it’s heartless to be looking down on Muslim and Palestinian Americans for not wanting to vote for Kamala Harris. Sure, Palestine might not be a deal breaker for YOU, but spare a fucking thought to the people who’ve lost whole branches of their family in this genocide. This comes back to what I said before: things would be worse in Gaza under Trump, but you’re delusional to think the Biden administration has handled this well. On the issue of Israel/Palestine, Biden and Trump are the same.

As Genocide Joe’s VP, Kamala Harris absolutely has to answer to the abysmal way the administration has handled this genocide. It’s cowardly for her to stay silent and hope she can toe the line up until Election Day. And the time to call her out isn’t when she gets in the White House, it’s right now while she’s still courting the American people.

There are plenty of people who want to vote for the Harris/Walz ticket and their progressive policies, but the silence on Palestine is an absolute deal breaker. My GOAT Hasan Piker said he would literally door knock for Kamala if she changes her position on Americans unwavering support to Israel. Continuing to stick by Israel is LOSER behavior. It’s another example of Dems scurrying to the right on unpopular issues because they’re spineless cowards who are afraid of making brave political decision. The Dems have nothing to gain from their current position. Literally nothing. 

For the people are going to vote no matter what (like myself) now isn’t the moment to spit and hiss at people for not wanting to vote, now is the moment to stand with the people who feel left behind by democratic policy and DEMAND the democrats do better. And we do that by disrupting the good press Harris is getting right now. Go out and protest and call your representatives!!! Make it clear “I’d love to vote for Harris but I can’t in good conscience until her position on Israel changes” THAT’S IT!!!! Even if that’s a lie!!! It’s okay to lie to politicians!!!! Tell them you won’t vote even if you are!!!! Enough noise will make it impossible for them to ignore it!!! 

The biggest problem with the Democratic Party is that they’ve tried time and time again to chase the success the republicans had, instead of engaging with their own base. We are seeing right now the progressive policies are popular and it’s smart politics to build a base on that. And it’s actually incredibly dumb to adopt right wing positions on issues like immigration and Palestine. Drawing the line in the sand now while the Dems are on a winning streak could do a lot to drag American politics away from the nightmare we’ve been living under since Regan. 

[bootleg-nessie]

Nessie, what are your thoughts on Joe Biden VS Donald Trump, as well as the 2024 election as a whole?

I’ve said this a thousand times before, but choosing between Biden and Trump is like choosing whether to microwave a baby or bake it in the oven. I voted for Biden the first time but only because the alternative was Donald fucking Trump. I was told he was “the lesser of two evils” and I’m sure he probably still is, but I can’t excuse his involvement in the Palestinian genocide so I won’t be voting for him a second time. The two party system has failed us yet again, which is why I’m voting socialist in this election instead. I know Claudia and Karina won’t win but I simply refuse to vote for either major candidate, and this way we can hopefully help to normalize voting 3rd party so that one day a 3rd party candidate might have a legitimate chance of winning a major election.

We’ve been alternating between microwaving babies and baking them in the oven for hundreds of years. Everyone thinks that “oh, maybe the microwave won’t kill the baby this time,” and to be fair, sometimes it doesn’t, but they all still seem to think that we need to pick one or the other because that’s the way we’ve always done it. Nobody’s listening to the few people standing in the corner who are suggesting maybe we SHOULDN’T still be cooking the baby or even have been cooking it in the first place, as was intended by the baby’s creators. Literally all it takes is enough people realizing this, and eventually we can stop cooking babies altogether (yes, I know that in reality some of them are basically advocating for deep frying the baby but ignore them, I’m talking about the ones who don’t want to cook it at all).

Allow me to frame it another way: when you get shot, putting pressure on the wound is the best thing to do in that moment, but you can only put pressure on it for so long. You’ll live longer by packing the wound with gauze than if you did nothing, but it’s a very stressful and strained existence. However, if you don’t do anything about it you’ll still bleed out, just more slowly.

On the other hand, you can try to remove the bullet so that you can stitch up the wound. You’ll bleed a lot more in that moment and it’s way harder to stitch up a wound than it is keep changing the bandage, but ultimately you’ll heal. You’re going to have to do it eventually, so you might as well do it before you lose even more blood and before things get even worse. It’s not the quicker or easier option by any means, but it’s the one that leads to the best possible outcome.

Edit: I’ve heard it all before, I promise there’s nothing some stranger on the internet can say that will change my mind. I’m sorry if that upsets you but it’s my constitutional right to vote for who I want

[redjennies]

i'm going to start taking screenshots of "Things Liberals (yes, liberals. if you don't want to be called a duck, don't quack like one.) Say On Those Vote Blue No Matter What Posts" so y'all understand that I'm not just angry at the posts themselves. this not me telling you "rah rah, i'm your preconceived notion of an anarchist. no, don't vote blue! i hate democracy and sunshine and rainbows and love bombs and chaos!" I mean all of that is true, obviously, (/joke) but that's not why I'm saying it. I'm saying it because I'm exhausted because every single one of them inevitably features some borderline American propaganda nonsense like this in the replies that y'all are reblogging entirely uncritically:

truly! how fucking naive do you have to be to sincerely believe that Joe Biden is actually a secret ally in this? "advocating for justice and peace behind the scenes." I'm sorry but what? perhaps he will bring peace, though i suspect in the same way Henry Kissinger was called a "peacemaker," but justice? when has the United States ever been an instrument of justice? this is at best, a child's delusion that there are, in fact, good men in the government or at worst, the most cynical propaganda, and I must laugh to keep from screaming. tell of the United State's desire for justice to the people of near any other country, and they will laugh and scream at you, too. I will say this: in the matter of genocide, there is no difference between a man who calls for it in public and a man who decries it in public but still sends financial and military aid to those who commit genocide. there is no "just a dash of" genocide, and there are no bonus points for loyalty when the dead are still dead.

vote for Biden. I probably will tick the box, too, even though it really makes no difference in the state of Tennessee, but do not lie to yourselves. what you are saying is that you do not want to suffer under Trump and the Republican's policies and that Trump will make things even worse both in the US and through foreign policy, and that is not an inaccurate statement. you are saying that it will be easier to protest Biden than protest Trump, and that's not an inaccurate statement either. I'm not going to tell you it's all okay because you don't have a choice, that you're still a good person and the dead understand, absolving you of everything, but I am saying not to lie to yourself and others just so you can placate your need to feel good about yourself. I'm saying that when you vote for Biden, you should feel it. you should grapple with this double consciousness you exist under and feel repulsed by it. you should hate Joe Biden and the empire of this the United States, that has already committed and aided in many genocides and needless wars before this. you should do it, but not for a second should it feel like you're doing the right thing, proud of your contribution to American "democracy," as you stick your head in the sand.

[mariacallous]

You actually need to be informed. 1982, Biden stood out as the only senator defending the Lebanese War: “The senator — Biden — said he would go even further than Israel, adding that he’d forcefully fend off anyone who sought to invade his country, even if that meant killing women or children,” writes the Times of Israel.

Israeli PM Begin reportedly said he “disassociated” himself from Biden’s comments.

“I said to him: No, sir; attention must be paid. According to our values, it is forbidden to hurt women and children, even in war. … Sometimes there are casualties among the civilian population as well. But it is forbidden to aspire to this. This is a yardstick of human civilization, not to hurt civilians,”

Biden has been more genocidal Zionist than anyone else, for longer than anyone else. More than anyone in the US govt. More than many in the Israeli govt!

This is BIDEN'S GENOCIDE. Genocide Joe will not be known for anything else.

He is breaking multiple US laws to further this genocide. Many presidents before him have held Israel back from this kind of destruction. He absolutely had every ability to stop it, and still easily does.

He will lose this election dramatically for the one and only reason that he thought doing genocide was more important than "protecting America from trump"

Democrats and Republicans do whatever the corporations need to take your freedoms away. Biden said he'd sign the fucking tiktok ban!! But even if democrats were marginally better on a couple issues and it wasn't just aesthetics. You still couldn't get me to vote for someone who is singlehandledly able to stop a genocide and won't.

And frankly, if you are willing to vote for someone who is currently *giving the weapons being used to commit genocide* then you have no fucking moral standards. And for that very reason, *guilting people into voting for someone committing genocide will not work.* sorry that is just not how guilt works lmao. You have to have some moral standards in order to feel it.

If you gave a shit about humanity, instead of pressuring voters into voting biden again, you would be using the massive political momentum behind #FreePalestine to fucking pressure biden into being a less-genocidal candidate, if hes so reasonable. Or pressure the DNC to pick someone else! They could so easily do that! Why didn't they do that?!?

The Democrats obviously do not care that much about winning. If they don't think protecting your rights are important enough to stop giving weapons to do a genocide, do you really think they give a shit about them at all?

The Democrats could have made Roe v Wade a law. Why didn't they? Why did they just wait? Oh, I know! It's so they can say "vote for me or you'll lose your abortions!!" Its fucking blackmail. "Trump" is just the democrats saying "we will do nothing for you. We will commit genocide. Vote for us anyway, cucks." Trump is their blank fucking check. And you are content to hand over that cash in perpetuity.

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

your take on biden is correct and valid and I am in no way going to try and tell you he's not a piece of shit. however. I don't believe the solution to "they're both shitheads I don't want either of them in office" is to refuse to vote or to vote for a third party that doesn't have a chance of winning.

I hate having to choose too but there is no way this situation will improve with trump in office. I choose to believe we have a chance of making a difference if we put enough pressure on the biden administration and the only way we get there is by keeping him in office. however much I hate that concept.

”if we just put enough pressure on genocide joe maybe he’ll just stop committing genocide and stop encouraging police brutality on protestors. Maybe he’ll just stop lying about hamas and be nice :(“ do you hear yourself?

It’s an ELECTION YEAR, the time we have THE MOST leverage against him and he still doesn’t care. He made a few empty threats to stop funding the genocide and then just quietly approved more funds to be sent to help the IDF.

Picking the lesser of two evils really doesn’t work when you have two wannabe Hitlers running. You can’t say “well MAYBE Biden will sign in some environmental protections to distract from him committing genocide” as though that’s any reason to vote for him.

There is no lesser of two evils when both options staunchly support the same genocide.

“No you can’t vote third party what if trump wins :(“ then congrats, it’ll be exactly the same as what we’re dealing with now. “Every vote counts” brother in Christ there is quite literally no way in gods green earth Biden is winning this election. Sorry, but he’s not. ~60% of Americans want an end to the genocide, and neither candidate wants to even humor that idea. Biden is too much of a lunatic to even pick a centrist take, he wants Palestine gone because it is more profitable for Israel to control that region. He’s not changing his mind if he hasn’t been smart enough to pull his head out of the sand already. At least with trump we’re probably going to see more of him wasting his term arguing and throwing a fit that he isn’t allowed to be a dictator and get impeached AGAIN. There’s at least the threat of trump getting some consequence, Biden is never going to.

[solarpunkcast]

I'm sorry if this comes across as ignorant, but I'm very genuinely asking. I see a lot of (justified) criticism of the idea that voting Democrat in the upcoming USAmerican elections will help anything, but as a very inexperienced leftist, I'm somewhat at a loss for what to do otherwise.

I certainly don't want to vote for pro-genocide Joe Biden, but what's the better option? Vote third party? Not vote at all? I know that elections aren't going to fix anything on their own, but they still happen regardless, and you have to make a choice of what to do about them.

the only voting that won't feel like dipping my hands in blood is local, and those elections are something to legitimately pay attention to since they include school board elections (on top of being, you know, where you fuckin live).

but local elections aren't what the VoteBlue crowd try to guilt you into! and outside of telling other people to pay attention to their own local voting, you getting involved in local voting is mostly going to be offline and/or geofenced to your district.

if I do vote federally again, it would have to be for someone who doesn't support genocide. period. "Voting" as an institution might be A Right, but GIVING your vote is a PRIVILEGE that a candidate has to work for in order to receive.

you do not owe anyone your vote period. withholding your vote is a legitimate option and choice. anyone who wants to believe in electoralism must accept this reality.

and one more time: a party who supports genocide overseas is not actually interested in saving you.

[badgraph1csghost]

Other people with more followers than I've got have said this more eloquently, but I just saw a post from February encouraging Americans to throw the system by not voting in November.

The fact is, 18-45 year old voters are going to hand republicans the biggest wins in history by not showing up on election day because of "genocide Joe".

Fine. And while you're making your asinine and wholly futile political statements, the Heritage Foundation is going to install Donald Trump as dictator, kneecap the right to privacy, and kill anyone on the LGBT spectrum.

I'm sorry that "guy who's going to kill palestinians and other people he doesn't like" and "guy who's only going to kill palestinians" are our only two choices here. But, they ARE our only two choices. This is a deeply corrupt system, but withholding your vote is not the answer.

"Well, I'M better because I'm going to vote for a third party, so fuck you." Third parties are decoys that republicans use to split liberal voters from the democrats. In 2000, people said "Oh, I can't vote for Al Gore in good concience," voted for Nader, and Bush won. In 2016, people said, "Oh, I can't vote for Hilary Clinton in good concience", voted for Jill Stein, and Trump won. 2024, people are going to say, "Oh, I can't vote for Joe Biden in good concience", vote for whoever the fuck is the third party candidate, and hand Trump a second presidency.

I cannot stress this enough: if Trump wins again, there will NEVER be another free election held in this country again.

We don't have the luxury of staying home on election day and hoping Joe and Donald both die of COVID-19. Vote for Biden, then hit yourself or whatever it is you do. Because there is quite literally no other way.

[directactionforhope]

Go Here for Instructions on How to Submit Posts!

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Submissions limit of 5 posts per person each week, please!

Otherwise, unfortunately, I'll get too overwhelmed by the submissions volume to post anything. Thank you for your understanding!

Me and the Basics

Call me Cactus! They/them, late twenties.

I'm the person who runs the Reasons for Hope tumblr.

This is a sideblog-to-a-sideblog for Reasons for Hope, because I want to promote actions and spread awareness for things that don't always fit on a good news blog specifically

For context: Queer, trans, disabled, white, USian, for context.

Let me know if I post something offensive, I promise I have practice fixing things when I mess up instead of lashing out at the person who told me. I don't want to post hurtful things, so I genuinely want to always learn more about how to not do that, even when it's uncomfortable.

This is all very long because I'm still incapable of being concise.

About This Blog

Made this blog because I keep wanting to reblog or post about actions people can take, but didn't want to put them on Reasons for Hope unless they were actually mostly good news.

As a person who's Been There with spiraling, I really get the need to have access to a space that you know will contain good news and ONLY good news, in this day and age.

Also made it because I have Opinions and want to talk about Issues and activism and I'm committed to not doing that on my good news blog unless it involves, again, actual good news.

So, follow if you want! I definitely invite people to send in actions (links to campaigns/petitions/major protests/letter writing campaigns/etc.) specifically as submissions. I'll put up a how-to and link it here at some point, bc I've learned from Reasons for Hope that if they're in ask format I won't usually have the time/energy to reformat that/make it into a post.

(Sorry to people who've sent asks in on there, you're great. I'll switch to a submissions-based attempted system there too once I get the chance. May be a minute, I'm about to start a new job(!!).

My Editorial Standards

My usual editorial standards from Reasons for Hope apply, modified for this sort of blog:

Any donation-related posts/submissions need to be from some kind of established organization. It can be super grassroots etc. but I need to be able to verify that it's not a scam.

For that reason, no personal fundraisers/gofundmes. I'm genuinely sorry about this because I know a lot of people need the help but like I say on Reasons for Hope, there's no way to truly vet the vast majority of those posts, and I really don't have the time to try.

I'll come up with some sort of tag to put on all the particularly upsetting/fucked content so people can filter it and just see the action posts. Preferably something unique so it doesn't screen out other people's posts if you want to filter

More below:

I'll also have a tag for any particularly upsetting/fucked informational/educational things I post, because I do want to help spread awareness about a number of things, some of which will be pretty upsetting.

That said, I'll try to keep those informational posts only to things that are solutions-focused and/or have an element of good news or hopeful updates, where possible.

I'll also keep most of those posts behind a read-more where possible.

For more info about why I'm including that stuff, see the bottom of this post.

I will not post any campaigns or actions for reelecting Joe Biden until either the genocide in Gaza ends, or until September 1, 2024 (the month early voting starts).

Why do I have that policy? Because Joe Biden is absolutely committing war crimes, but Donald Trump would still, in fact be worse, for the US in general, for BIPOC in the US in particular, and for Palestinians/Gaza. I made a post about this with more details that I'll link here at some point.

Everything is going to be labeled with the link's source, the organization running it, the date posted (if identifiable), and the dates of the campaign/campaign deadline.

Re: Posting bad news here

I've been thinking about starting this sideblog-to-a-sideblog for a while now, because there are a lot of actions/campaigns/etc. that I really wanted to help promote, but did not want to put on Reasons for Hope, because I'm trying really hard to keep that limited to actual, you know, reasons for hope.

That said, I will be including upsetting stuff here. It will have its own tag for people to filter if they only want to see the links to actions. But I am committed to including it.

More below the read more, because this got longwinded and a bit personal:

That's partly because there are a lot of issues that very people know about, and I believe a lot in the power of spreading knowledge/awareness.

It's also because of the reason I finally stopped pondering and decided to start this blog: I just found out tonight that my grandfather died young because of toxic radiation from a nuclear meltdown at a super dangerous and experimental nuclear reactor, which the US government covered up completely and continued operating for decades. Right next to Los Angeles. btw.

If you live in or near Simi Valley, Chatsworth, or the West San Fernando Valley, or your parents did, get high-risk-level-appropriate cancer screenings. And if you're in Simi or within like 5 miles of it...probably don't drink the tap water. Also maybe try to move. (Consulting with a public health scientist/activist friend about this, will report back.)

I was already anti-nuclear, including anti-nuclear power, because of the absolute devastation it's done, especially to Indigenous communities and Japanese civilians. I didn't want to get into it on Reasons for Hope because of the whole "urgency of climate change" thing. But suffice to say that being anti-nuclear just shot very far up my "activism priorities" list.

None of this, or any other horrific things I may post about, conflict with or ruin my faith in humanity. I've definitely been incredibly pessimistic and misanthropic in my life.

But I believe that, for all the bad and evil things humans do, there is equal or greater potential for good. I believe it's like they say: "Hurt people hurt people." That's not the case always, but it is very often. Now, for the first time in history, we have the physical ability to end starvation and scarcity and a lot of death and suffering. We're still getting there, though we still have a long way to go.

I believe in a future where we can all hurt each other (and the other life around us) far less. I believe in a future where we have beaten and reserved at climate change.

I want to live to see that future, and I want all of you to get the chance to see it with me.

[faithfromanewperspective]

was just thinking about how easy it is to compare the current president of Israel (whose name I don’t even remember) to hitler. it fits the way we think, doesn’t it, foreign people do bad things, what we see as familiar is good. but then the more I think about it, about how this whole thing has been set up and the extent (which I have to learn more about exactly still) to which usamerica is driving a literal genocide then the person I’ve gotta do that comparing to is actually… joe biden??? like that’s such a curveball in our brains we never expected but if you trace the power structures, yes there’s a fair deal of being a puppet going on but only because he never stands up against it. because he doesn’t actually care to stop it. and actually how fucked up is it that we’re literally talking about how the best thing is to continue voting for him for president because the other guy is worse like ??? none of us expected it of usamerica. we respected that country. we still respect its people and hang out with them every day

but like. let that sink in for a second. the guy encouraging and allowing a genocide is the better of two options?? if that’s the case I’m sorry but the civilians really don’t have any power. I’m sorry but if that’s the standards we have we have to start imagining better. this is like when your parent asks you if you want to wear a red shirt or a blue shirt but you never got the option to wear a dress instead or simply no shirt at all. it’s the illusion of choice. and as a world how do we turn a blind eye to this?? how do we not call out our dear cousin usamerica who is clearly in a bad state right now? whose leadership desperately needs to do better especially if they’re going to be in a position of leadership in the world as the power structures would have that they are?

because people live and breathe economy I was thinking, what if the rest of us simply boycott usamerica like we boycott Israel?? that would send the global economy to shambles. and I know it’s not gonna happen all of a sudden (so no need to hurriedly account for all the people that would get hurt) but what if we did? simply stop buying and consuming things that come out of America?

now I’m probably one of the biggest and most long-standing swifties you’ll meet (tumblr doesn’t count it’s an echo chamber) but could I? could I simply hold off listening to the tortured poets department when it comes out and stick to her older stuff I already own on cd’s and the like? Taylor doesn’t need my money or my numbers next to her songs and I’m going to be missing a lot if I do this but when this is over, her music will still be there. My favourite author is American. that one might be harder since I really want to read the second sword catcher book (I’m not worried about twp since it’s not coming out til 2026). I know a bunch of technology comes out of usamerica but I don’t need to update any of my devices and if I do there’s probably other brands I can buy from. I think because my iTunes is Australian I might be okay with it?? but I’m trying to transition away from it and buy more cds anyway. And I don’t watch tv, I rarely watch movies now so I could probably forgo that too.

I was actually just thinking about how there are so many songs out there I probably won’t get to listen to. what if, in boycotting some this is my chance to broaden my horizons? and I will preface with the fact that I know many non American artists do live and record in LA: im not gonna boycott them for that. In fact I’ll support their music because I want them to come home. and I might make an exception for green day and good charlotte for generally protesting much about usamerica?? but tell me guys, what do you think?? is this feasible? I might actually do it. I’ll make an exception for tumblr probably and use meta social media to the minimum (maybe I should for tumblr too and google). but also. is this racist?? is it going to do any harm?? because damn it I want to support the people. I want to support marginalised groups and native americans but I also want to be part of a boycott that’s meaningful rather than a token gesture. and I know the usamericans of us can’t do this, but please if I do it see it as me supporting your rights to having your opinions heard on a political level because I come from a country that isn’t great colonialism wise but at least we have that and I can’t imagine not having it

[sandgraab]

look I don’t really think you people whining about third party voters is going to help anything. even if you unrealistically gave kamala every third party vote she still loses handily. like sure maybe it’s a factor. maybe Gaza protest votes had an affect. maybe her being a woman. maybe her being black. but when you get into the meat of it I think two things are the biggest factors: the first is that dems have completely abandoned the base that bernie helped cultivate, and they have expectedly fled, some (latinos) for the other side and some just didn’t seem to vote.

the second, and what I think is the main thing, is that the economy sucks and Americans are selfish. sorry. you can pull out your little graph and condescendingly explain to joey bob on the street that WELL AXSHUALLY IF U LOOK HERE… but if you ask the average person they will tell you that everything is too expensive. and kamala, if nothing else, assured voters that she would continue whatever it is joe biden has been doing. to the informed that could mean genocide, or trying to cancel student loans. but to the average American that means “mah groceries are still gonna be 400 bux a week.” so idk. maybe an actual leftwing platform instead Joe Biden 2 would have gotten us somewhere. maybe not. i really don’t know. but I do know a large portion of the electorate are selfish and all THEY know is that 4 years ago everything was cheaper.

[finelinens1994]

sorry i just saw the most liberal post ever followed by the most liberal tweets ever and almost clawed my eyes out of my skull in anger like i just don't know... if joe biden funding and personally supplying a genocide isn't enough to make you say "i cannot vote for that guy" what is? what could possibly be the thing that pushes you over the line? i didn't like hillary and i didn't like joe but i voted for them because i thought they were the lesser of two evils when compared to trump. what trump would've done were he in biden's shoes is irrelevant, because this is what biden is doing with his power. months of worldwide protests against actions that he is funding and just... nothing. he does not give a shit about us or what we think. none of them do. both options are dogshit. i don't want to vote for dogshit. i refuse to vote for dogshit because my vote is my stamp of fucking approval. i can't abide by that man i just can't. fuck this place for real. i'd love to wash my hands of it and walk away but i can't do that either. i'm at a loss because there is just no winning. refugees have been pushed to rafah where they are now being killed by israeli drone strikes, and joe biden is upset because he doesn't think there is a clear enough action plan militarily. fuck this