• hark@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    An actual genocide is happening right now. If biden doesn’t feel pressured to stop the genocide at the risk of losing votes in an election year, what makes you think he’ll stop it when he’s not at any risk of losing the election?

    • mycodesucks@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I don’t think he’ll stop. But from a practical standpoint you’re voting between the status quo level of genocide, and an even GREATER level of genocide. Voting for MORE genocide is objectively worse.

        • mycodesucks@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Perhaps. But Trump will ALSO interpret victory as a mandate, as he’s ALREADY interpreted LOSS as a mandate, and so we’re clear on his stance…

          "In statements since the war began, Trump has promised, if elected, to cut off all US aid to Palestinians and urged other nations to follow suit if he returns to the Oval Office.

          The former president also pledged to bar refugees from Gaza under an expansion of his first-term travel ban on Muslim-majority countries; expel immigrants who sympathize with Hamas; revoke the visas of foreign students deemed “anti-American” or “antisemitic”; and impose “strong ideological screening” to keep out foreign nationals who “want to abolish Israel”."

          • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            Perhaps. But Trump will ALSO interpret victory as a mandate,

            I’m not worried that my vote will be interpreted by Trump as a mandate to support genocide, because I’m not voting for Trump.

            • mycodesucks@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              Completely understood. Not implying you would. Just trying to impress as a matter of general statement how important it is that he NOT win. He will interpret victory as a mandate. I know everyone is sick of hearing it, but it is so important that it bears repeating as much as the discourse can support, because the voices claiming a noble ideological victory from abstention have no such qualms about flooding the conversation wherever they can.

    • MolochAlter@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Several genocides are going on right now, and have been for decades, almost like it’s got nothing to do with who’s in charge in the US or something.

      • chemicalprophet@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        What kind of sociopathic hand waving is this? This is like if a strawman had a child with whataboutism and all it ate was apathy.

        • MolochAlter@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          No, it’s a European telling you to stop believing your own hype.

          The US is not the center of the universe, your support matters but you alone are not the factor that is going to save or doom Palestine.

          Vote based on what’s best for your own country and realise that we neither expect you nor want you to solve everything you deem to be an issue.

          • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.socialOP
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            6 months ago

            Vote based on what’s best for your own country

            I mean this emphatically: if you’re not an american, you do not want americans to vote for what is best for their country.

            Literally nothing good (or maybe almost nothing good, depending on who’s asking) has come from America pursuing its interests abroad.

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        We send billions to israel every year and have only greatly ramped up the support as israel has ramped up the genocide. If the US simply stopped that support, it would go a long way. Following your logic, people get murdered all the time, so we shouldn’t do anything about murder, even if we’re the ones directly enabling the murderers.

        • MolochAlter@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Not really, the two things are not connected the way you think they are.

          If anything, Israel cares about western approval enough to at least put up the appearance of propriety, if that approval were to be lost either way I have no doubt they’d just drop all pretense and purge the contested areas at once.

          It’s abundantly clear that we the west are the last people involved in this who care about Palestinian survival (other than Palestinians obviously), their neighbours care only insofar as it keeps Israel busy and weakened internally, but they do nothing to help them (and with reason, since the attempted coup in Jordan), I don’t want to find out what happens when we step aside, do you?

          • hark@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            I’m sure israel wants to completely ethnically cleanse Palestine regardless of funding, that has been the mission since Palestine was selected as the target for the zionist movement. However, it’s our funding and investments that enables them. Do you honestly think israel is self-sufficient? If they were, then why do we send them billions of dollars every year? That’s just the tip of the support iceberg, by the way. We also incentivize companies to invest in israel, like Intel and other tech companies.

            We also spend a lot of resources destroying and pacifying countries in the region to ensure israel’s continued existence. It’s no coincidence that countries like Iraq, Syria, Libya, etc have been invaded and/or regime changed. The top recipient of US foreign aid is israel by far, but Egypt is near the top of the list and it’s to keep them pacified since they’re a major power in the region and had opposed israel in the past.

            The US doesn’t care about Palestine’s existence at all and is only keeping up appearances as well. Just look at the two-state solution that is always proposed but never followed through. Look at all the negotiations that have taken place where the US obviously sides with israel on unreasonable demands and then blames Palestine for not accepting “deals” that no one would accept.

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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      6 months ago

      what makes you think he’ll stop it

      Odds are better for Biden. Slim is better than none.

      Get it clear: this isn’t a vote about Biden. It’s a vote about America and it’s a clean binary choice between two bad options; one worse than the other. If you don’t choose the far-less-worse imperfect option, you need to be okay with the worse imperfect option if it should emerge victorious.

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        The odds aren’t slim for biden stopping this, it’s simply zero. Democrats rely on republicans being worse so that they have an excuse to do nothing. If you have two parties, one that preserves the status quo and the other that makes things worse, then things are only going to get worse because republicans are eventually going to win in our intentionally broken system.

      • trafficnab@lemmy.ca
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        6 months ago

        The city is on fire and people are arguing whether we should vote for the shitty fire fighter in the fire chief election when the only other candidate is literally an arsonist

        • suction@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          It’s no secret that the majority of all these “But Biden Bad” posts are written by right-wingers trying to sway voter opinions and shift attention away from Trump’s evilness. It’s the same playbook as in the run-up to the 2020 election.

          • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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            6 months ago

            Lol. Yeah, and my barber is a secret CIA agent and the checkout clerk at the grocery was secretly a lizard person, of course I don’t have a shred of evidence and there’s no evidence that could falsify these beliefs, but it’s consistent with my previous encounters with lizardfolk and CIA agents.

            What a truly fascinating worldview you have.

            • stanleytweedle@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              Because right wingers never misrepresent themselves online but the lizard thing is totally plausible ;)

              • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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                6 months ago

                Obviously they do, but it’s immediately transparent when they do (as it is in that tweet). Conservatives are too stupid to formulate a leftist criticism of Biden, they are incapable of entertaining an idea they don’t agree with and their brains have been melted by a never-ending stream of culture war bullshit, and are just as incapable of comprehending politics outside of Democrats vs Republicans as y’all are. Even in the example you used, it’s not impersonating a leftist, and it’s not saying to stay home or vote third party, it’s just doing digital blackface while voicing their own opinions.

                Conservatives also frequently pretend that leftist criticism of Biden doesn’t exist and will assume anyone on the left is automatically a Biden supporter. I have no idea how you square that with what you’re saying.

                Tbh I can only assume you’ve never met or interacted with a conservative, at least an American one. I can assure you they’re completely politically illiterate and that you’re vastly overestimating them.

                I do appreciate the mental image of a couple of “good ol’ boys” getting together for a book club and reading like Simone de Beauvoir in order to better infiltrate the left.

                • stanleytweedle@lemmy.world
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                  6 months ago

                  A minute ago it was absurd as the lizard thing, now it’s obvious they do but only if it’s painfully obvious… that goalpost is on wheels ;)

                  Tbh I can only assume you’ve never met or interacted with a conservative

                  Thanks for that laugh!

          • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.socialOP
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            6 months ago

            COUNTER-THEORY: all of the ‘but trump worse’ posts are written by fascist dickheads trying to guarantee the palestinian genocide keeps happening

            See how unfalsifiable that is? Almost not even worth saying, if you ask me

      • Vivendi@lemmy.zip
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        6 months ago

        Israel is practically an American vassal state (or the other way lmfao all things considered) so the USA has a very material power in stopping it

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Israel is the west’s vehicle for imperialism in the middle east. It was created by the British through imperialist action and the US has been one of the biggest supporters since. So yes, the US has a huge say in what Israel can do because Israel owes its entire existence to the US and the west at large. If Israel feels so mighty and independent, then they’re free to return the hundreds of billions in aid that we’ve given them and to stop receiving the billions we send them every single year and to not have us fight wars for them.

        • suction@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          “Awww mummy Bidin make me de ow-ow! Pwease can you kiss de spot make de pain go bye bye??”

    • Cornelius_Wangenheim@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      You’re vastly overestimating the power the US has. We can’t even get our allies to stop funding Russia and selling them advanced technology.

      The only people capable of stopping what is happening in Gaza are Netanyahu and the Israeli people.

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        The US is directly sending billions in support to israel. In fact, many of our allies in Europe are doing so much more for the Palestinians than the US. You’d have a point if the US weren’t the #1 direct supporter of israel. Do you think the US is sending billions of dollars directly to Russia?

    • Leate_Wonceslace@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 months ago

      An actual genocide is happening right now.

      Yeah, but Biden’s not the one committing it. Biden is an incidental element of a much larger apparatus and if that apparatus is primarily meant to commit this particular genocide, he’s not a particularly effective one.

      what makes you think he’ll stop it when he’s not at any risk of losing the election?

      Literally nothing. No one is arguing that borderline unconditional support will make Biden change his mind. Why would you even ask? On the other hand, if making Biden think he’s gonna lose won’t sufficiently motivate him, then threatening to not vote is just an ineffective strategy. Your premise undermines the conclusion you seem to be hinting at.

    • DogWater@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      This is about preserving a system that’s at least recoverable in it’s current state. If you don’t vote for Biden your voting for an authoritarian regime and it’s not even an exaggeration. Trump just had a promo video referencing a new Reich in America.

      This is the easiest decision American voters have ever had. Go look up what happened when Trump was in power for 4 years and what has happened with Biden for 4 years. We have data on how they both acted in power. That’s incredibly rare. Compare them objectively.

      Moral high ground about Israel, while correct, is a hill compared to the mountain of evidence that shows what has happened and will continue to happen under trump if he returns to power. State secrets for sale, supreme Court seats, threats to never relinquish power, codified laws hunting down women who seek abortions, laws against trans and gays, j6 insurrection…you’re actively supporting that by not standing against trump.

      Abstaining from voting for Biden this fall is a vote for Trump in a first past the post system. You will be complicit. You will literally be responsible for violence against minorities having played an active part in helping trump return to power. It’s hypocritical to allow that while condemning Biden on Israel.

      I get it, I promise. I didn’t vote for Hillary or Trump in 2016 and I see now what that ended up doing to our country. I regret it. I won’t do it again.

      It’s impossible to reconcile your disgust for Israeli support from America with the violence you will permit to minorities in America if you don’t vote for Biden. You’re not wrong for hating it, but you must realize what you’re going to do to people with a no vote or a throwaway vote.

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Democrats preserve the status quo while republicans push things further to the right. Since our system guarantees that both parties will win at different times, the trajectory is always to the right. I’m voting for democrats down the entire ballot like I do every single election, but it will ultimately not make a meaningful difference. Democrats are using minorities as a shield for their own failings and inaction. If you don’t vote for democrats then they claim it’s your fault for whatever situation minorities find themselves in, but democrats do the bare minimum they can for minorities when they do get voted in. You’re providing a prime example when you use minorities in the US as an excuse to change the subject from genocide in Palestine.

        “Identity politics” is a loaded term, but democrats will absolutely play different disadvantaged groups against one another to stop progress. They did it in 2016 when Bernie was talking about the need to help poor people and democrats came out with “but what about poor black people?!” even though democrats don’t do shit for poor black people either and as if poor black people aren’t included in the group of poor people.

        • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.socialOP
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          6 months ago

          I’m voting for democrats down the entire ballot like I do every single election, but it will ultimately not make a meaningful difference.

          The older I get the more I realize that the only way to change anything is to be a massive, endlessly annoying prick. Sure, vote or whatever, but if you don’t like the options provided I think the least (literally the least) one can do is to - and this will sound silly - relentlessly meme on centrists to agitate them to do something.

          even the ancient romans understood that a solid anonymous dunk posted on a statue can sometimes be the most agitative kind of messaging.

          • hark@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            The squeaky wheel gets the grease, as the saying goes. My only hope as far as voting goes is that democrats get a majority so large that they can’t just conveniently flip two senators to continue to do nothing. I feel like democrats purposefully eek out the smallest victories they can so they can pretend to be powerless. It’s either that or they’re ridiculously incompetent, neither inspire confidence. They’re just too good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Regardless, their excuses and lack of results will be even more flagrant if they’re given a huge majority.

            • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.socialOP
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              6 months ago

              I suspect that there’s a lobbying pool, and as the majority grows the reward for flipping sides gets bigger.

              I think it would be bad but a little funny if democrats split their tickets, and they get a supermajority in congress but lose the presidency or vice-versa. They’d get nothing done and shit would get worse, but it’d probably mitigate the worst of the damage and they’d be trying to analyze what went wrong for a decade.

        • DogWater@lemmy.world
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          I’m literally pointing out your hypocrisy. I’d rather noone one be suffering from a fanatical authoritarian figure be that netenyahu or Trump, but it isn’t a super secret centrist agenda to point out that you will be furthering the suffering of people domestically to make yourself feel good about protesting something that will happen under trump or Biden regardless.

          Soapboxing about Democrats doing nothing is demonstrably false, the population has moved farther left quicker than the government, obviously. government is slow. But politics has always trended more progressive than it was in the past. The populace has to drag it kicking and screaming, but it does happen.

          I’m probably further left than you, I’m further left than most people. Socialism, Karl Marx, anti capitalism, and French razor blades type stuff.

          It doesn’t make me centrist to protect lgbtq folks and women at home with my vote. The fact that you’re salty that I’m pointing that fact out and you feel for some reason that that isn’t a meaningful difference is a you problem. I’m not here making excuses for the status quo to continue, it’s just the facts that we need to do that for now during this election to help the most people possible and your ignoring that.

          I can vote for Biden and still criticize him and socially be part of a collective voice that is screaming for change. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive. Your saying minorities have been a pawn for centrists to use, but your ideology is suggesting that it would be better to ignore them and allow violence against them to continue and ramp up under trump. All because other people are suffering, who, tragically, will continue to suffer regardless of the president. That’s insane and morally dispicable.

          At least your still voting for Biden even if you don’t believe anything I’m explaining so thank fuck for that

    • blackbelt352@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Because the ballot box is not the only means of civic duty. Contine protests, ramp up activisim, engage in our society more than just voting once every 4 years.

      • YeetPics@mander.xyz
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        6 months ago

        I think you misunderstand; bad faith fuckwits only get one of every four years to spread the disinformation. And this is an election year, I’m loving all the sino/rusky/Iranian players trying so hard to sway the vote.

        (We’re all laughing at you, you’re only seeing upvotes in your echochamber that has hidden down votes. This is the reality of the world and you’re hiding from it).

        • C0unterfactual@sh.itjust.works
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          6 months ago

          I don’t remember ever reading about the jews in Germany slaughtering innocent teenagers at a peace rave using assault rifles, or blowing children up with hand grenades, or raping women, cutting off their breasts, and parading their bodies in the street. Somehow I missed the part about the jews in Nazi Germany continually showering the German populace with rockets.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      6 months ago

      Again, irrelevant.

      Biden isn’t doing much (not enough anyway) to stop this but AGAIN… There is bad and there is MUCH MUCH FORKING WORSE.

      What part of trump do you not understand? Do you want Palestinians eradicated from the world or what? I don’t get you people. You want things better for Palestinians, awesome! Me too. Now, how do we get there? “Let’s make sure trump gets in office!!!” WTF?

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        What part of biden can do something about this do you not understand? I’m already doing my part by voting for biden. Now what is biden going to do about genocide? Remember genocide, the thing that’s supposed to be unthinkable? Yet here you are defending biden fully supporting it.

        • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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          6 months ago

          If you vote biden, great. Anything better than Trump, at this point.

          Having said that… I think biden would like to do more but can’t. Why? Politics. Large Jewish population that may not vote for him if he pushes back against Israel and if he loses the vote, again, Trump will be in power and believe you me, Palestinians will wish you voted Biden. There may be a swath of other reasons, but from what I’ve seen from the guy, I think he’d like to do more but right now can’t.

          That is my personal feelings on him, he may just as well like what’s going on, we don’t know for sure.

          What I do know for sure is that Palestinians will be wiped out of Trump gets into power, he’ll give the Israeli government a carte blanch to go full murder rape genocide on the Palestinians.