Have you guys felt the pressure recently to join a side in the raging culture war?
Perhaps not if you're lucky enough to not live in the west, then you will probably be onlooking in aghast. But for someone like me who lives in the UK and spends more time online than he does not then the pressure is real.
I've never really been interested in Politics. Granted, there was a time in 2016 when I got hooked in the anti-trump drama, but that all faded away when I realised the media was unabashedly lying to me. I'm not endorsing Trump here, I'm just recognising that out of all presidents I've been lucky enough to know in my life, trump was by far, the most lied about.
There was a strange cultural shift around 2016 when people went from absolutely not giving a flying fuck about who was in power, and who did what, to caring until their life depended on it. People you wouldn't expect, and also people you just knew that would be part of the tide-pod movement had they have been younger morally grandstanding above others -- and this is from both sides of the Spectrum, not just one.
Both Political aisles telling their opponents that in fact THEY are the sheep, and that they should wake up to what's happening in the real world. Both sides intrinsically aware of their opponents flaws, yet blissfully unaware of their own (or, just not wanting to acknowledge them, I am unsure which).
I've often referred to myself as a centrist, whereas I believe in parts of what each are saying. Like I think some of which the candidate on the left is talking about, and alas, some of what is being spoken about on the right. But today, nuance is a long gone thing, and we either need to ascribe to everything a person says or nothing -- that goes with sharing on Facebook too.
Centrists get a bad rap. People often misinterpret them as not wanting to rock the boat, or not wanting to have an opinion. But that's actually far from the truth, it's mostly about no one candidate ascribing to a full set of things we can get behind, and in the end we have to vote for the less shittier candidate. This is the state of Politics in 2021. Voting for the lesser evil.
And that's why I've moved away from the Political landscape completely. I refuse to ascribe to a system that is motivated by money and greed. People get into the sphere with good intentions but with enough bank handers to vote in a certain way they become complicit in the system they were determined to change. This is why even although invited into it, I refused to get involved. I know my weaknesses, and one of them would definitely be refusing big wads of cash to vote in certain ways.
I had an argument with my mother the other month. She found out that I had taken a stand and refused to vote. I was given the whole -- "well if you don't vote then you cant complain," speech by her. I see where she is coming from, but in my mind if you vote then you are signing your participation in a system that is flawed, and doesn't serve the working mans interests whatsoever. I refuse to participate in a broken system.
Ultimately we have seen, for the first time, when hoards of lobbying and petitioning money gets pissed up against the wall -- they go against you with the full force of everything at their disposal. Trump is a prime example of this. Every move of his was minutely criticised to the finest of details. Trump was Hitler the media would scream, then a couple of months later Trump was worse than Hitler, abandoning all reason and nuance in favour of knee-jerk reaction pieces that had no real basis in reality.
‘Poor Kids’ Are Just as Bright as ‘White Kids’
~ Joe Biden
The quote above -- imagine the onslaught that would ensure if that was Trump? But, we just brush it under the rug as if nothing had happened. The smelling shite of hypocrisy is really, really rank right now.
But it's just as bad here over in the UK.
That was it for me. 2016 convinced me to start voting for the first time in my life, when I saw a leader, that could possibly take us into a better age. It'll be tough for the first few years he said, we'd have to build infrastructure and concentrate on our own country if we want to have an economy, but we shunned him for more privatisation and outsourcing, and all we are left with are call centres and charity shops. In my town at least. A once bustling fish market where people came (and sailed) from miles around reduced to call centres and charity shops.
I'd call myself a Social Anarchist these days. I don't believe in government at all. Not the system that we have anyway.
Social anarchism is the branch of anarchism that sees individual freedom as interrelated with mutual aid. Social anarchist thought emphasizes community and social equality as complementary to autonomy and personal freedom.
If we had to have a system of government in, then I'd rather see competing factions of government that you could choose between. Like how telecommunication companies are forced to fight over the deals they give to customers, I would see our Political class do the same. If it doesn't work for us then we could just swap Politics.
No competition has made our Political class fat and lazy and psychopathic. I'd rather see and end to that and a bit of competition in the works.
But for now, this is but a pipe dream, sadly.
A Centrist... get him! Prepare the stake fire!
I like Social Anarchism much more than Centrism. You could also for Social Nationalistic Anarchism or Nazbol Anarchy if you want to bring in the right-wing spectrum into it. Just make sure that everything is somewhat extreme. Avoid the Overton window at all costs!
Not into the extremities, oh no lol. Leave that for the crazies.
Dont say that. I would have let Social Anarchy pass as an extreme ideology...
I'm interested, who did you vote for in the UK elections?
Also, where did you stand with Ed?
Ed was weak. Granted he wasn't scared to come down and talk to us working class folks but he just didn't have the strength of character to take it forward.
I voted for Corbyn and I'd do it again. He was pegged as a Communist and an anti-semite by the media but that was just a paid campaign by the Tories. If you ever went to hear him talk, or watch the actual full interviews then he was all about building in Britain -- infrastructure, jobs, and economy.
I am the result of a labour economy. Free healthcare and recuperation programs as long as my arm. If it wasn't for that then I would have been pushed over the edge. I'd happily pay in 40/50% back if I earned enough.
A fellow Labour man! We sent over some of our campaigners to help both Ed and Corbyn. I liked Ed alot and thought he was good but like you said didn't have the strong will to carry it across. I think a missed opportunity with him. Although I believe Ed came from a right faction.
Corbyn is good and yes they did paint him as a communist, Torries are scared of losing their footing to local jobs. Yes shits more expensive making it locally but sovereignty is important. Look at the shit the world is in with everything made in China. Lockdown has caused barriers across all sectors.
Unfortunately Boomers fell in love with Brexit and a bygone era. They hated Corbyn because he wanted to make things locally but followed a Torrie to Brexit to make things locally, but Torries aren't about making things locally.
Current politics is broken, campaign trails are tough because everyone says the same thing but their vote goes elsewhere. Plus I think you fellas have a first past the post and the past elections were done on a working day so people got in late.
To be honest, everyone was fixated on Trump a lil too much and Boris flew totally under the radar. A bloke with a lack of skills and pure luck to get into downing Street. Also, no one wanted to lead Brexit because it is fucked and they'll be remembered as the leader that fucked the UK.
Hard times a head, also you don't need to pay 40/50% tax. Corporations and church's need to pay their share and there would he plenty of cash to build infrastructure and projects and support health care.
Boris didn't even have a working manifesto until a couple of days before the Election. This goes to show the sheer ignorance of the people that were voting him in. I honestly give up. I'm trying hard not to judge lol
Likewise in Australia, the Torries literally had no platform, no mandate and no agenda yet got in. Betting agencies had them as the loosers. Everyone thought they were going to lose.
It just goes to show no one puts thought into voting spin campaigns and scare campaigns work best. We've had the worst pandemic, fire seasons natural disasters on record under the tarries and no support and everything has failed..
Labor states have had to pick it up, but no one knows where the money is going to come from to get us through it all. It's sad