this post was submitted on 04 May 2025
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United States | News & Politics

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Thousands of employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) accepted the Trump administration’s voluntary resignation offer, leading to a significant reduction in force.

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[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Complying is not the same as collaborating. The Jews that complied and were placed on trains to concentration caps were not collaborators.

If you return a book to the library as the government asked you, you're not collaborating.

Collaborators actively help to do harmful things. Many people work for the government and do so for employment, not for patriotism. They don't do it because they love their country, but they may.

They are making rational decisions on an individual basis. In aggregate, it's bad.for everyone and it would be better if they didn't. That doesn't mean they are collaborators. Calling them that reduces the effectiveness of calling out actual collaborators.

[–] grue@lemmy.world -3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Complying is not the same as collaborating.

Complying in advance is absolutely facilitating fascism, which is what collaborators do. People who comply in advance are collaborators.

Collaborators actively help to do harmful things.

Voluntarily stepping aside is actively helping the regime accomplish its goal of gutting the federal workforce so that it can install regime loyalists.


Besides, even if they weren't technically "collaborators" in your pedantic 'gotcha' sense, they're still fucking failing to resist and that makes them worthy of ridicule for their cowardice. That's the bottom line here: you either resist or you're a worthless piece of shit. There is no in-between.

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

There absolutely is. There are grades of terrible and grades of good. You're currently arguing with someone online instead of resisting.

Part of defeating fascism is recognising people as individuals with their own needs and wants. Your proposal that the only way to act or think is your way is just as harmful. People can resist and comply in the way they choose.

Some of these people may have had a recent cancer diagnosis, for example, so it made sense. Are they still collaborators? Some may take the money and choose to work elsewhere without reporting it, or choosing not to work and instead protest. Are they still collaborators? Some just made a financial decision, which is fine too.

[–] grue@lemmy.world -2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

People can resist and comply in the way they choose.

Sure, in the "I don't know, can you?" grammatical pedant sense. But in the patriot vs. traitor sense, no, you don't get to choose to comply without becoming deserving of ridicule and ostracism! And even that, frankly, is getting off easy.

[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 1 points 17 hours ago

Gotta be real easy to talk like this if you're not old enough to pay taxes.