• alvvayson@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 months ago

    At least she condemned it.

    I have to confess, some of us are a little bit slow to learn. When Aron Bushnell immolated himself in protest, I thought it was an overreaction.

    But now I know, and I am happy Elizabeth Warren is speaking out, because we need more people with power to see the reality and make it stop.

    • shreddingitlater [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      She only said anything for optics/cover her own ass.

      There’s two possibilities here: either she really is this stupid and doesn’t realize voting to send weapons to a country like Israel means killing people, in which case she’s unfit to lead, or she knows and this is pure cynical optics, in which case she’s unfit to lead.

      Stop caping for these people, at the very least they don’t deserve your fucking brownie points for clearing a bar that’s in hell at this point.

      • alvvayson@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        When have politicians ever done something that wasn’t for optics?

        To get change requires positive reinforcement. Next time, she might go a step further. Every time she says something, some in her audience get the chance to realize that it’s not anti-semitic to condemn the killing of children.

        This is why AIPAC didn’t want any Palestinian speaking at the DNC and why they spent millions against Bowman and Bush. Because they don’t want to normalize criticism of Israel.

        That’s the current door that needs to be opened wide in the mainstream.

        To get change, critical mass is needed.

        I even applaud Candace Owens and Dan Bilzerian for speaking out, even though I don’t agree with them on anything else.

        • AcidSmiley [she/her]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          When have politicians ever done something that wasn’t for optics?

          Do you have any idea how much realpolitik is done with total disregard for optics, public opinion and the common good? Politics is driven by the interests of the ruling class, which in our society is the class that owns capital. Optics are the PR you tack on it afterwards when it’s convenient.

        • vovchik_ilich [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          When have politicians ever done something that wasn’t for optics?

          I’m Spanish. A party called “Podemos” (relatively leftist) didn’t ever condemn Maduro and didn’t support the state police intervening in Catalonia during the referendum, knowing full well it was bad optics when it concerns the majority of Spanish population. Not everything is optics, there are principles.

        • kittin [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          If I continue being a doormat and giving them all of my body and soul despite their constant abuse, eventually they’ll realize that they love me.

        • shreddingitlater [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          “Positive reinforcement”??? Motherfucker, who gives a fuck if you have everyonr congratulating you for the right take or not if you have the “positive reinforcement” of bookoo bucks in campaign funds? Being anti Israel IS ALREADY MAINSTREAM. That’s the whole reason for the optics, they know its popular, but their financial interests or ideological beliefs prevent them from actually enacting any change. They will dangle these keys in front of your face until every last Palestinian is dead for all they care.

          You strike me as one of those people we’d call “deeply unserious”.

          • the_post_of_tom_joad [any, any]@hexbear.net
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            2 months ago

            It’s been so long since ops politicians did anything other than wring their hands and tweet positioning statements, so long since the news covering them has reported anything other than politicians/citizen feefeez/their own opinions, i wouldn’t be surprised if op thought that was all politics actually fucking were.

            The absolute cynicism of this pennymatinee we sit thru like clockwork Orange breaks one’s goddamn mind

    • Cowbee [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      Hey, everyone else is already clowning on you. Deservedly, I might add, but I won’t add to the pile. Instead, I’ll add some theory that might help if you ever want to learn.

      This section right here gives away your primary logical confusion:

      But now I know, and I am happy Elizabeth Warren is speaking out, because we need more people with power to see the reality and make it stop.

      Politicians do not do what is “right” systemically. It isn’t about simply “convincing” them. The Marketplace of Ideas is a sham. Politicians are guided by their donors. Pro-Israel rhetoric is still popular among donors, because it’s profitable for them. Warren is trying to predict the optical shift and play for reelection, but as we’ve shown she already sent the bombs and fulfilled her donor’s request.

      I recommend reading Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Engels. He goes over the failures of Utopian Socialists who thought Socialism could be achieved by “convincing” Capitalists and the politicians who serve them.

    • BelieveRevolt [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      But now I know, and I am happy Elizabeth Warren is speaking out, because we need more people with power to see the reality and make it stop.

      Is this a bit?

      If not: she still voted in favor of giving Israel billions of dollars. It’s not like it’s ever been a secret that Israel kills civilians and doesn’t care about committing war crimes.

    • propter_hog [any, any]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      I agree with you about some of us being slow on the uptake. I was only thrust to the left when I saw moderates voting for Trump in 2016. At the time I considered myself a lib. A couple presidents before that, I was a “Reagan conservative”, which, blegh, makes me want to vomit to think about. We should be open to growth in ourselves, while also allowing space for growth in others.

      • alvvayson@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        I fully agree.

        The only way to get more people to support Palestine is if people who currently support Israel change.

        And that was and is true for every improvement in the world.

        Not saying Elizabeth Warren should be free of criticism, but at least give her the tiniest amount of credit when she does take a step in the right direction.

        • BelieveRevolt [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          I don’t know why I should give her any credit for ”speaking out” when she’s a US senator and didn’t even do the bare minimum of voting against giving Israel billions in military aid. Warren has been both alive and active in politics long enough that she didn’t suddenly realize in May 2024 that Israel kills civilians.

        • -6-6-6-
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          2 months ago

          None of them should be given any credit because all American politicians are ghouls.

          Their “optics” are just what is given to them by the interests of the ruling class; not the people. The ruling class is worried about losing money…so they’re cooling off the literal genocide rhetoric to recoup some stamina before dangling the keys in front of your face again to make you really believe that she or any other democratic senator is doing anything before their proposal, bill, etc gets nuked by the undemocratic Supreme Court and another 15 billion is sent to Israel or Ukraine.

          “Meet me in the middle,” says the unjust man. You take a step towards him, he takes a step back. “Meet me in the middle,” says the unjust man.

        • the_post_of_tom_joad [any, any]@hexbear.net
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          2 months ago

          It’s actually a struggle for me to remain objective on Warren as ive made my decision on her… But objectively wouldn’t it be better to withhold that credit until she proves she isn’t just doing what’s politically expedient for her future as a politician?

          Like objectively makes sense to withhold all credit after what she did to Bernie during his campaign and for Biden on super Tuesday?

          Thinking about that will inform her motives now. There is no “step in the right direction” when the only thing moving is their mouths

          • alvvayson@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            2 months ago

            The way you (and others in this sub) approach it is very all-or-nothing and very ineffective.

            We should say, “thanks Lizzy for speaking up, we appreciate you and we would ask you to support an arms embargo so that our tax money doesn’t go towards killing innocent children”.

            This is exactly what the more effective anti-genocide activists are doing.

            • the_post_of_tom_joad [any, any]@hexbear.net
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              2 months ago

              Me: brings verifiable information to the subject at hand

              You: pivots to personal attacks

              If you were an objective observer of this discussion, which of these two parties would you say failed to avoid logical fallacies/engage in effective activism of their cause?

            • Cowbee [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.net
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              2 months ago

              The way you’re approaching genocide is very “nothing is all.” Look at her voting record. Expressing vocally and actually voting are different subjects.

              We should say, “thanks Lizzy for speaking up, we appreciate you and we would ask you to support an arms embargo so that our tax money doesn’t go towards killing innocent children”.

              Why? It’s not bad to speak up, but if nothing is materially changing, it’s nothing but vibes.

              This is exactly what the more effective anti-genocide activists are doing.

              Wrong. The more effective anti-genocide activists are Palestine Action, and they are directly sabotaging the tools used to facilitate genocide, not standing and clapping for someone who has voted for genocide for decades.

            • Nocturne Dragonite
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              2 months ago

              Ngl I don’t think you live in reality, when has this approach ever caused change?

    • D61 [any]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      Scenario…

      A cop walks into somebody’s house and shoots them in the head.

      Cop doing a public apology tour: I’m very sorry that I shot that person in the head. I find it deeply troubling that I voluntarily walked into a person’s house, didn’t announce myself, and immediately shot the person who lives there in the head while they were sitting on their own couch watching their own TV eating a bowl of ice cream. I deeply regret my actions, those that it hurt, and will try do better in the future.

      Crowd: That cop is so brave! It must be very hard for them to live with that trauma. amerikkka-clap

      The problem with “giving them credit” in this way for this subject is that is forgets that nothing that is happening now is new. Israel has been genociding Palestinians for 70+ years now. There’s literally thousands of “yesterdays” to look back on to see what was being done, who it was being to and by whom, and how they were justifying their actions. And yet, all the people who actually get the power in the USA to do things just … keep doing the bad thing with that power while saying “Oh shucks, that sucks that this bad thing keeps happening, SOMEBODY should do something about it.” Warren isn’t some nobody who just has an opinion but no seat at the table of power. Warren is literally the “SOMEBODY” who is supposed to be doing something about the bad thing.

      At some point, the words need to stop mattering because what they say and what they do are completely opposite of each other.

    • alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
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      2 months ago

      To add onto cowbee: Write or email your federal reps and request a response in writing. They’re constitutionally required to respond, and you can complain to the Deputy Chief of Staff if they don’t.

      99% of the time you’ll be blown off with a boiler-plate non-answer, and 1% of the time you’ll be directed to a staffer who will listen to you, and then throw everything you said into the trash.

      Depending on the issue, there is a non-zero chance they’ll pull strings, a buddy got his medical debt waived months after he had like half a million dollars of surgery.

      But the point of this exercise is to show that you are entirely disconnected from the policy-making process.