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Remember, remember the fifth of November (self.chat)

submitted 2 days ago by Powderhorn to c/chat

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I was trying to think about why today has significance, and then it hit. History may not repeat, but it rhymes.

Today, U.S. voters determine the future direction of the entire world. We shouldn't have this power, but that is irrelevant. Do we explore the world of authoritarianism, with major powers all falling under despots, or do we stand alone?

There is no way to overstate the stakes here. This is not hyperbole; this is simply the truth.

There's only one thing you can do. This election is not about you (though you count); it is about what we leave to posterity. An unlivable world? Permanent oligarchy? For those with kids or those who want them, do you want them to grow up with clean air and water?

And do not do this third-party shit. We got Bush instead of Gore because of 700 votes for Nader in Florida. Harris isn't perfect, but don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. A vote for Stein is a vote for Trump unless you're in a ranked-choice locale.

Yes, we have a broken system, but now is not the time to lament it by further fucking things up. We can eventually have that conversation as a nation, but in the '90s, when I lived in Germany, it was still considered gauche to be proud to be German. Is that the 50 years you want going forward here?

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[–] SinAdjetivos 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

that allowing Trump into power is a legitimate threat to the entire system.

If only... That's literally what he is campaigning on and honestly I can not believe people are still unironically and uncritically repeating this after his administration in 2016.

Look at the time spans that nations in Asia or Europe have existed by comparison and the length of time it took to change their ways, often through drastic social upheaval. In comparison the gains in social equalities here have come at a rapid pace in the past century.

I would caution against such sweeping generalizations about world history. Yes, some nations have existed for looooong periods of time relatively coherently, but that isn't typical and "progress" isn't a one way street. Within the lifetime of the US, hell within the last century, there are countless examples of those "social equalities" moving significantly faster, and in both directions.

Also I can't quite tell what you are trying to get at with the historical side tangent. Could you clarify?

[–] ShellMonkey@lemmy.socdojo.com 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The historical bit is just looking at things in a longer term context. It's a challenge for people, particularly at a younger age, to consider things in a view that goes beyond a single lifetime. In the past roughly 100 years we have gone from 'man will never fly' to being able to have this conversation on servers across the globe. Women getting a vote. Schools and entire societies being segregated by race. From as recent as my youth when being gay was a punchline to the LGBT community largely being not only accepted but actively supported.

There are losses here and again of course, but in a grand scheme view society has made notable progress. Maybe just a bit of frustration over the recent weeks with the 'nothing ever changes' mantra that seems so popular.

[–] SinAdjetivos 1 points 1 day ago

Ironically my response was fueled by my frustration with that same mantra, lol.