From outside the US, i think people need to log off. He's literally not "done" anything, there's no falling for anything (yet). But it certainly doesn't seem very useful to panic every time he shows that he's... a demsoc. I never saw anyone pretend he was anything more than that.

Your elections are pretty fucked, best you can expect is to educate and agitate, and find relatively better footholds locally by improving local laws and conditions, as best as you're able. All the political theater of election cycles and all the media stuff before someone is elected, that's all pretty dumb imo. It's theater, it's media strategy, it's fucking tiring and it's not very productive to obsess about.

[–] ratboy@hexbear.net 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I guess I speak for myself here, but I kinda feel like its important to address some of the shit that he is doing that looks like backpedaling, and people's pretty extreme defensiveness about it being pointed out.

To me what I see playing out is a broader issue about people's priorities and principles, and isn't pushing back against performative electoralism like.....generally agreed upon by the vast majority of this site? Is it all of a sudden a forbidden offense to criticize a public figure? So I guess everyone needs to shut the fuck up about any criticisms of any marginally progressive political figure anywhere in the world, I guess.

Just very strange to me that it appears that many people's politics have seemed to shift because of this guy, that's what I perceive is the root problem here. I'm not against folks voting, or having optimism and hope about it, not at all. But being vehemently opposed to any and all criticism about him and not being able to see why people feel that way without disparaging them is troubling behavior. And I think that breeds more obnoxious behavior from skeptics, and then it snowballs.

That said this shit is probably sooooo tiring for folks everywhere else in the world and I'm so sorry about that lol. This may be my last foray into the struggle sessions about this so I can touch grass and stop adding to the problem.

[–] grym@hexbear.net 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

No i'm not against the criticism and electoralism is extremely limited and mostly dumb, I'm just tired of seeing everyone frothing at the mouth on this topic every time. I really do not care THAT much about Mamdani, I'll see if he's elected and what he does/is pressured to do after that. All the media theater can be important but the defending AND the criticism seems kind of obsessive, like both people critiquing and defending are putting way too much energy and importance into those little things.

I don't have a stake in this tho so maybe it's very important, idk.

[–] ratboy@hexbear.net 3 points 1 day ago

Oh yeah I just went off in a tangent there my questions werent directed at you just rhetorical.

I think the importance of it varies greatly amongst us USians, which is why you're seeing it play out like this on hexbear