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you can't make the system better by voting. our rights were taken by force, not given to us willingly.
(anarchist.nexus)
this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2025
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You can do all those things and also vote. So vote. Sure, votes won't make the system better, but you can make it harder for the fascists to get away with shit while you organize. Vote.
Voting is fine as long as you are aware that it does nothing to materially prevent fascism. It can't hurt anything to write something on a piece of paper. But the problem isnt really people like you. Its liberals who believe that voting is the be all end all of their political responsibility.
Electoral democracy is ultimately a misdirection. Capitalists are the actual sources of political power in western democracies. They unfortunately have a vested interest in the state getting more fascist and actually have the power to effect that change. So long as everyone looks down at the ballot box and then goes home to do nothing of material difference for the next 4 years, fascists will only continue to gain ground until they can do away with the misdirection of electoralism entirely.
Voting cannot be the only thing you do. Or you are effectively doing nothing. Which you seem to understand, but liberals do not. They actually want all other forms of political action banned. Because liberals ultimately protect capitalists, who are the real sources of political power. Leftist political action is a threat to capitalists. Thusly, liberals condemn it and recommend voting instead.
There is no such thing as preventing fascism. It's a fight every generation has to win, no matter what government they live under. It's always about delay so we can fight it again tomorrow.
But delay can’t be all that it is, there also has to be something to fight for and some conceivable path to success. Especially, if your delay tactic demands also demands disowning any other tactics used by others.
I'll take a liberal who believes voting is the be all end all of their political responsibility over a "leftist" who believes not voting, and encouraging others not to vote, is the be all end all of their political responsibility.
Yes, but a large source of that power is influencing electoral democracy. It does work, but all it does is reflect the choice of the people¹. It's just that the people have been manipulated into counterproductive choices for so long. A defeatist approach to voting is one of those choices.
No, voting can't be the only thing you do. But it should be one of the things you do, and you should do it intelligently. Yes, we all want a more representative electoral mechanic, but until we get it we need to accept the properties of the field we're playing on and act accordingly.
¹ Gerrymandering, voter suppression, and all the other ways of skewing democracy away from the actual will of the people only proves the point further. They wouldn't be bothering with all that if elections didn't have power.
And when the choices are all false ones?
That's a strawman if I've ever seen one. Nobody saying that "electoralism is a sham" is saying that's the "be all end all of their political responsibility." They just generally have a broader definition of "political responsibility".
Yeah, that was exactly my point.
Yeah that hasn't been my experience. Especially in the last election cycle, I saw a lot of that supposed strawman. No community engagement, no actual political engagement, no workplace engagement, just "Kamala bad". People who insisted that not voting or voting third party would send a message. Don't pretend they don't exist, I've talked to dozens.
I stand by my statement. All else equal, a liberal who does nothing except vote Democrat is better by far than a "leftist" who does nothing except tell people not to vote Democrat.
I don't see it and that's why I asked. Could you clarify?
Ah, I misunderstood your classifications. I would definitely lump those people in with the "liberals who do nothing except vote" crowd, not the "electoralism is a scam" leftists.
The claim was that electoral democracy was a misdirection, my point is that all the effort to manipulate it demonstrates that it is the seat of power, and the oligarchs have merely occupied it.
Since they're defined by not voting, they aren't. They are, materially speaking, equivalent to anti-electoralists. The liberals are at least voting for plausible harm reduction.
What I'm saying is that not voting is foolish, not that voting is the only thing that should be done. In fact I'm saying that other things should be done. We clearly agree, I just think it is harmful to spread anti voting rhetoric because while it can't fix things it is still a meaningful thing that can be done with immediate consequences for many.
We do agree. I only said anything in the first place because I didn't really see this post as advocating an anti-voting position. I would see anti-voting agitation as more along the lines of "Do not vote. Voting itself is harmful." As opposed to "voting doesn't work" or "voting is ineffective" which I see as more along the lines of criticism of electoral democracy and agitation for collective action.
He did in an earlier post posted shortly before this one, and the title seems to reinforce this. The image itself doesn't.
title:" you can't make the system better by voting"
image: "you can't vote fascism away"
seems pretty consistent, voting is not going to make the US less fascist
One post implied voting blue was voting for fascism, implying you shouldn't for the dems in the US. My point is that this is shortsighted and harmful. People should vote for the dems unless a third party is a viable alternative, they should also build up third parties to make them viable options, and they should also join political orgs and unionize, and do direct action.
Ofc more than voting is needed, but the republicans are causing more harm than the dems would have by miles and contributing to more voter apathy is not the answer.
The Democrats and Republicans do differ on the timescales for the social murder they promote, as well as the out-groups they view as acceptable to target.
I can agree that Republicans are causing more harm in the moment. However rather than blaming commenters online for rising voter apathy I blame that on the Democrats for their warmongering, suppression of internal opposition, genocidal 'foreign policy', and their utter subservience to capital when it comes to improving things domestically.
Please. Yes ofc the dems are to blame. They suck. And ofc they will lead to fascism down the line. Let's just not make things worse than they have to in the moment.
So are we at the part where things need to be on-fire?
I do adore the flames, they speak to me.
That was in like 2004. Not sure what red line you think you’re waiting for.
Splendid! Let the flames cleanse all!
Wear your respirator, hon
"We can't just vote "
??
It says what you said already.
Have you seen crypts other posts and comments? He is not in favor of voting. Also see the title
This. That was a message directly to OP. One he will fail to hear.
Phrased like that it sounds super sinister 👀
or maybe just dramatic?
That may be true but this art has been posted before when 50501 was taking off. The original artist probably had more emphasis on the just, as in you have to do more than simply voting. This is probably what the other commentor was trying to convey.
Sorry, I haven't but believe you. ✌️
I was saying this years ago but at this point: no. Fuck that system, I will not legitimize it, or the assholes blaming me for their own electoral failures. Fuck you¹, no, never again. Not in this system.
¹and you're probably great! But still!
I get why you feel that way, but the reality is that if you abstain then there is no reason to even consider your opinion or desires. If your just going to say no because you're not getting everything then you'll just be excluded and everyone else will get something. Case in point the let's relevance today. They don't really support any part, nor do they work to make their own; as such you can ignore them. Protests? War? People that don't want to build a third party are unlikely to fight. Do you know who FARC is? They are a political party now. But they also were before.
Nobody in power has ever done this. You're showing so much privilege it has an event horizon.
So like always?
Oh like the federally free weed single payer healthcare and not funding the Zionists that upwards of 60% of Americans want? Get out of your god damn fantasy world.
Case in point
Exactly, you've abstained and you won't organize a third party. You've done everything to not be taken seriously. The left broadly doesn't want to, so it will keep being irrelevant
I didn't abstain. Most people I knew on the left didnt used to either. Fuck you. I'm more than a lefty; I fit into lots of demographics, and not one of them has ever won jack shit by voting.
Everything you're saying is from a dog shit Arron Sorkin fantasy. I find it deeply offensive for reasons you can't and do not want to understand.
Fuck you and fuck your nation-state. You are why we have fascism. This is your doing and you can't even understand why.
This take right here is why people turn against leftist politics… homie is telling you to participate in democracy as well as other forms of organization and resistance, and you’re all “fuck that I’m not gonna do nothin”
Like this is a dumb hill to die on, and you’re polarizing people that could be your allies
Saying "fuck no" to having your time, energy and resources wasted is the only way to not get wrung dry.
Or would you be convinced by me telling you to participate right now in violent revolution as well as other forms of organization and resistance? Knowing that when you say no I will interpret that as you saying “fuck that I’m not gonna do nothin”.
I do participate in democracy–I just don't vote and endorse the state anymore. Dems have poisoned that.
there is not voting, and there is having your vote be conditional. i may not vote democrat if a progressive candidate is not available, but third party is always an option instead.
Elections are one front in the class war. Leftist keep ignoring it and wonder why they get nothing.
When the enemy has complete control over the weapons and battlefield which overwhelmingly favors them; why would you pick that fight?
And if leftist hadn't just retreated they'd have more space to manoeuvre. This goes back multiple cycles