Blåhaj Lemmy is a Lemmy instance attached to blahaj.zone. This is a group for questions or discussions relevant to either instance.
I've been in that community pushing to reluctantly vote for Biden and I haven't been banned! In fact, I don't see a ton of "don't vote for Biden" stuff, mostly just "Biden sucks" stuff. Perhaps you're dividing things into sides to aggressively.
I agree they're a little trolly and definitely inflame, which I don't like, but calling it transphobic requires quite the leap of logic.
Here's a post where that mod actually advocates voting for Biden. He also hates Biden and levies plenty of valid criticisms. These are not mutually exclusive.
Not voting is only dangerous if you assume the non-voters would otherwise side with your favored candidate.
Favored is a strong word here imho. Very few people want Biden, it seems to me. Also, in a leftist community, I'd hope the choice between a neoliberal and a fascist would be obvious. I hate neoliberalism as much as the next socialist, but I shudder at the thought of the impact Trump with project 2025 in hand would have on the world.
Have you tried blocking the community instead of interacting with it? There’s plenty of communities I block because I think they’re dumb and annoying, or because the moderation team is a train wreck.
“It’s transphobic to think Joe Biden is a genocide enabling asshole because that means you support not voting for him which means you support Trump getting elected which means you support transphobic policies and this should be banned from Blahaj” is a series of assumptions built on assumptions, most of which are bad faith and work backwards from wanting the community banned. Demanding a trans admin ban them for transphobia when what you want them banned for is bad politics is tasteless at best, and comes off as manipulative.
Before anyone gets a bug up their ass about if I vote blue enough, I live in a large city in California. We are more likely to see the sun explode than for my elector to vote for anyone other than a Democrat, which I think is ultimately the least bad option that is likely to happen between now and November (but is still a bad system because we need ranked choice).
Oh yeah, that community is horrible. I saw a ton of their posts popping up on my feed and made a comment on there before blocking it (some question about the heavy advocacy for voter apathy) and was immediately banned.
I appreciate the recommendation, that sounds like a fun community!
Tbh I think the guy drank the flavor aid. I saw how that dude started out and iirc he started with more reasonable political stances; but he's gone way off the rails. If he's who I think he is, then I feel kinda feel bad for him. He wasn't always like this.
Just wanted to comment and say thank you for correctly using the phrase Drank the FlavorAid
I was originally gonna say "Kool aid" since that's the normal expression, but I decided to be historically accurate instead.
I'd had a few conversations with them before they came to blahaj, and I agree that I feel bad seeing how it's gone since then. I miss their attitude from earlier, in that sort of "I hope my friend is okay but I'm worried we no longer have a relationship where I can help" kind of vibe
Yeah, I've personally had them tagged as "leftist trump bot" since interacting with that sub once and getting banned immediately. I've since seen them post sane stuff elsewhere on the fediverse and was surprised as within that sub they seem completely unhinged.
I'm not going to remove a community for pushing back against a system that forces them to vote for genocide.
I don't think that not voting is the answer, but I also don't think that me telling people they're not allowed to feel differently is the answer. The majority of the people in that community will be forced to live with the consequences of their votes. They will be directly targeted by Trump. And if they still feel that pushing back against genocide in Palestine is more important than the consequences of Trump on their very own personal safety, I'm not going to stand in the way of that.
This isn't outside trolls and agitators. This is a community of folk, directly in the line of fire, choosing to stand there for a cause they see as important. As long as their intentions are genuine (which I believe they are), It's not my place to tell them that they're not allowed to take that stand.
That being said, I am going to reach out to the staff there, and address the insults and the like being thrown at other users. It's against both the community rules, and against the Blahaj Zone Community Guidelines.
I fail to see how that community is pushing back against any system by repeating the same tired talking points that dissuade people from voting.
There's a difference between taking a stand that will harm themselves, and taking a stand that will harm everyone else as well while preventing others from taking a stand against them.
Assume people make rational choices. When a president is elected, especially for a 2nd term, then they have little to no incentive to actually listen to the voters. It fucking sucks, but that is how the system works. Election time is literally the only time we can push meaningful change.
When election day comes, I think people we rationally understand that Trump is a greater danger both to Palastine and to the trans community and vote accordingly.
If I agree that there is no value in not voting, then I feel you should be able to recognize that there is value in SAYING you are not voting. To me, it's far more likely that the people in that community know this fact instead of somehow not recognizing the danger of Trump.
Assume people make rational choices.
Why? I don't think people have earned that much faith. People elected Trump in 2016 and I think they might well do it again.
People elected Trump in 2016 and I think they might well do it again.
And do you think those are the same people are on blahaj? That support palastine enough to protest? Do you really think its more likely those people will just stand by and let the situation get worse under Trump?
The ones who are more on the left are exactly the ones who are less inclined to vote, so yes.
The number of far leftist that didn't vote in some form of protest, is absolutely miniscule compared to the number of Republicans that did vote for Trump.
You're mad at the wrong group. These people are not any legitimate threat to Biden electability. I understand the fear, nihilism and anger at the possibility of another Trump term, I'm feeling all that too, but this topic just doesn't seem like a productive place to put energy. Between the electoral college and gerrymandering, where voting blue quite literally will do nothing. Like myself, I live in a deep blue state. I'm going to vote for Biden, but my girlfriend is not. In partiality, neither of these choices matter because we know for a fact the state is going blue just like it has for decades.
So a couple hundred people saying they won't vote, and a percentage of them actually will vote, shouldn't be something to be worked up about or a community that needs to be banned.
Idk. You do you. But this just seems like an unhealthy outlet for healthy frustration.
Pledging to vote for someone despite the genocide means they have no incentive to stop the genocide. That is the more dangerous stance.
Ballots are secret. There is no way to prove how you voted once the ballot is sumbmitted. The optimal play is to make a lot of noise saying that your vote is contingent on an end to the genocide, even if that isn't how you actually vote on election day.
Pledging to vote for biden at this point is encouragement. Why would he do anything about palestine if he knows you're going to vote for him anyway?
They have no incentive either way. Either Biden wins and stays the course, or Trump wins and... well...
You might be clever enough to walk that fine line, but the average voter is not. They hear "don't vote for Biden" and they believe you. Expecting to trick the president and not trick the millions of other people who need to vote against fascism for fascism not to happen, is impossible.
You're playing chicken with fascism. You're spreading fascist propaganda to voters while the DNC threatens the same and hoping the other one blinks first. But you and I have a lot more to lose from fascism than those rich white people do, and they're not going to blink. Your threats of fascism are going to come true.
There is no harm free choice here.
No lmao
After going on over for a look around I agree with you.
Not voting is horrendously dangerous for the most vulnerable groups especially in this upcoming election.