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this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2025
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Replace with who? Everyone on my ballot was for the ban
(edit: also I never said Biden could have vetoed it, I just said that he did the ban, because he signed it and has been publicly in favor of it)
Everyone on your ballot was for the ban and they were people trying to represent you. Either that means you have an opinion differing from the majority of the population in your area, or the people in your area need to find new candidates. I know in my area I am vastly different than what the majority wants. Shit, every person at my work wanted the ban. Coworker was yelling about how much he hates anyone against Trump and that he's glad they are banning Tik Tok. He listens to far right propaganda on the radio daily that's anti trans, anti immigrants, and I hear them claiming that all of the positions he is filling are their by merit, and that none of the positions Democrats fill are their by merit, just sponsorship. It's a broken 2 party system. (Yes, The broken part was redundant)
That's how democracy works though, either you agree with the majority, tolerate the majority opinion, or you have to work to change the majority opinion, or leave.
I think what many of us are overlooking is that the representatives on average are almost 60, over 60 in the Senate. 60 years olds in average don't care what 20 year olds want, they think they know what's best for the 20 year olds future, applying information that may have been valid 30 years ago. Their kids are older than 20, and they already disagree with their opinions.
We need to get the average Congress member age down to 40, senators 45 and force all members older than 65 to retire and take on advisory roles only. A 65 year old does not remember working paycheck to paycheck and what the struggles of everyday Americans are. They only care about how to grow their investments. If their car breaks down, they have enough money to get another, rent a car until its fixed, or simply schedule rides without fear of true disaster. The percentage of Americans that if their car breaks down will lose their jobs, apartments, not be able to afford food, and become homeless which is becoming illegal as well is increasing day after day.
The majority of Americans can not simply take a bus to work, nor walk there. A new car is outrageously out of reach for many people, and used car prices aren't cheap either.
I wanted to join a rugby team to get more exercise and get in better shape. The sole reason I decided not to was because if I get injured, say break an arm... I would lose my job. And that's before I say I couldn't afford the medical bills to go to the doctor anyways.
A 60+ year old Congress member will just call the youth overweight and lazy.. but shit. At 35 I know ive worked harder than many I know, but the risk aversion I take to avoid ruin is real. There is no community pool around here, I could never afford one of my own. No sidewalks, and there will be ice everywhere for another month or so.. so I'm not going to try bike riding and go over ice on 2 wheels. I should be trying to find more hiking trails.. that's about all I might be able to find that is risk adverse exercise around here.
I get what you mean about the candidates for Congress, it seems they aren't any great ones. We need to figure out a way to change that.
Brother, Americans have been trying to change that since the beginning of America itself. At a point you have to accept that the system is not willing to change and needs to go altogether. It is explicitly designed to give all the power to the wealthy and to make the masses forget how much they achieve when they work outside of it.
Hot take that so many post here. What are you doing to change it? Hitting a downvote button? Wow, that'll change the country.
This take has, is, and never will, change anything. Absolutely useless anchors. You're not starting a revolution. Either fucking do something or live with it.
I'm doing exactly what I told you to do.
I am getting organized with a revolutionary party, doing outreach and education in my community, forming coalitions, marching in protests and chanting at rallies. I'm doing what exactly was done to win civil rights reform, women's suffrage, the new deal, etc. etc. etc, and I'm doing so with a party that is prepared to lead the country should they ever get the chance to do so.
Lmao. "anchor" is a funny term to use when you're the one too busy wallowing in your own sorrow to get out on the streets and fight for a better tomorrow.
Yes, yes, you've chosen the latter, I've chosen the former and I'm giving you a kick in the ass to do the same. That is the premise of this conversation.
I don't know what tomorrow will look like, but I do know one thing; a revolution sure as hell isn't going to happen with such a defeatist attitude. If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting to the bitter end. I am not content to sit around and watch the world burn as I twist myself in knots trying to absolve my own personal guilt for being part of the problem.
Edit: I thought this was a different thread but I'm leaving it as is cause it fucking goes for you too.
What party?
PSL
Also exactly what you told me to do... You told me to do nothing in your comment. So you just have been remembering another comment. All you did was complain that America has always been bad.
Where can I find information on PSL by the way?
Edit: found it here https://pslweb.org/
And yes sorry I got mixed up and thought you were replying to this comment. But in a way I did tell you to work outside of the system.
No worries, shit happens, I hope your day only gets better.
Thanks comrade ✌️ same to you
Here is the party website
Here is the party newspaper
And here is a media network that has deep ties with the party and frequently features party activists.
Thanks, I found the first site and was looking through it. Some of it looks interesting, other parts are clear propoganda though. Things like this sow doubt in everything else:
Turning deaths from a virus into a game like comparison, and only cherry picking the information that makes one country look good. When in the end death rates were high.
Example:
Atlanta Falcons 28
New England Patriots 3
Looks great... But the Patriots won the "game." Honestly it feels gross to even compare deaths to games... But that's what they are implying.
I like a lot of the other things they have to say though.
agitprop gonna agitprop ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ being propaganda doesn't inherently make something bad, it's what the propaganda is in service of. This propaganda is in service of leading America away from its fascistic, ecologically and socially destructive, global hegemony. I tend to think that's pretty good but opinions may differ.
Lmao. You do realize you spent 7 paragraphs outlining how the US is an oligarchic dictatorship only to conclude that it is a bastion of democracy because of it?
Oligarchy, yes, dictatorship.. not quite yet. Getting there
As for 7 paragraphs, yes I come to Lemmy comments to discuss topics.
It isn't so black and white. Something can not be a free democracy, and also not be a dictatorship. Mostly because the power is shared between checks and balances that are slowly folding. But they still exist. A good example was that neither Biden nor Trump could perform said ban on their own, nor could they block said ban on their own.
It’s funny to lament the erosion of checks and balances: they’re one of the reasons the US is not and has never been a democracy. Why the US Government Can't Get Anything Done
Ita a democratic republic, which the term Republic right from the start tells you it is run by representatives. Oligarchy refers to a government run by the few. The line between representatives and few leaders isn't a thick one. It was fickle to start with.