this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2024
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Maybe the first step is to understand how other nations could have systems more democratic than the West by letting go of the exceptionalism and bigotry that blinds one from this.
I agree, there are much better systems of democracy. I’m not blind to that and I don’t think America is exceptional, far from it.
How does “not voting” bring about this better system? What’s the plan? Do I just not vote and keep not voting and then someone comes by and says “hey, we are the people with all the power, we noticed you guys stopped voting so now we’ve decided that we should have a more fair proportional allotment of representatives and we will draw districts with the shortest split line algorithm to prevent gerrymandering”
Is that what happens? Does my awareness that better systems exist somehow make them appear here? Does it somehow wrestle control from those with power who made this system to perpetuate this power and will defend it with violence? Do they just give up because enough of us don’t vote?
Given your follow up queries - at this stage anyway - I am not sure you do know. For example, could you answer the following: why is China significantly more democratic than the US?
All liberal democracies are dictatorships of the bourgoisie no matter the technical processes of how they elect their political leaders and once you understand why and how then you will have at least the theoretical grounding to proceed further.
"Does my awareness that better systems exist somehow make them appear here? Does it somehow wrestle control from those with power who made this system to perpetuate this power and will defend it with violence?"
“Three keys to success: read, read, read.” - Lenin
"Whoever wants to know a thing has no way of doing so except by coming into contact with it, that is, by living (practicing) in its environment. ... If you want knowledge, you must take part in the practice of changing reality. If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself..." ~ Mao, On Practice
Yes, it does, actually. The whole point we are making is that organizing and actually working to make an actual effort at educating more and moving people leftwards than electoralism is the result of seeing that electoralism itself is unsuccessful in applying meaningful change for the WILL of the working class, or the mandate, if you will; the ability to actually change the material conditions of our governance to serve the working class only.
That will/mandate is instead held by the ruling class, whom decides either or not to concede changes or to apply austerity and to never give up power. That will/mandate is held by the means of production; to which you have been largely removed from if you are a younger as they have been mostly offshored to other countries for profit extraction but still live, enjoy (greatly more benefits at the cost of the third world) and suffer under the relations of that production...which you'd know exactly why if you read Marx AND Lenin.
Every country has it's own path to socialism.
"Champions of reforms and improvements will always be fooled by the defenders of the old order until they realise that every old institution, how ever barbarous and rotten it may appear to be, is kept going by the forces of certain ruling classes. And there is only one way of smashing the resistance of those classes, and that is to find, in the very society which surrounds us, the forces which can—and, owing to their social position, must—constitute the power capable of sweeping away the old and creating the new" ~ Lenin, Three Sources, Three Components of Socialism
I’ve found the core mistake you are all making.
I can do two things at once
I can both vote and do those things.
If someone thinks their only input is voting, fine go after them. I’ve unionized workplaces (both successfully and unsuccessfully), I’ve read the theory, and I’ve worked with my neighbors in building mutual aid and education about leftist ideas.
I’m still going to vote strategically for the party least likely to use the state sanctioned violence against my organizing efforts.
And if the reception I’ve received here as someone who would be sympathetic to your cause and who is actually working towards trying to achieve better results is any indication, this will never happen. I have been downvoted, belittled, and insulted.
Good fucking job on the solidarity everyone.
"for the party least likely to use the state sanctioned violence against my organizing efforts."
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/74-arrested-at-democratic-national-convention-in-chicago/3311531
That's just one recent example. Do you want me to show you more of "that party's" sanctioned violence? We have members of our community here that saw first-hand repression of their communities under Walz' governance during the Floyd riots. People who have already had state-sanctioned violence by that party.
I think right there is the core mistake you are making.