• @aesthelete
    link
    42 hours ago

    Yet as someone who lives in a more diverse democracy (although it has been getting dangerously more polarized in the recent decades), I’m always baffled by this presumption that a candidate deserves someone’s vote by default.

    If you live in a democracy where the spoiler effect isn’t an issue, then just be happy, whistle, and move on.

    If you live in a democracy with first past the poll elections with an electoral college, then you should understand how the system works and vote accordingly.

    The spoiler effect is where you vote for someone (Jill Stein in this case) who you think better aligns with your particular set of policy goals, but since they have no chance of actually winning you help the candidate most opposed to your policy goals (Trump in this case) by subtracting votes from the less aligned candidate (Harris in this case) that actually does stand a chance of winning.

    It’s an ironic outcome of voting in our system. By voting for the person most aligned with your preferences you actually help the person least aligned with your preferences.

    Trump is worse on genocide and climate and will be assisted greatly by idiots voting for Jill Stein in swing states.

    They’ve done research and provided these assholes aren’t on the ballot, people usually choose a ballot-present major party option instead.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      117 minutes ago

      I did say that I live in a democracy with more parties, not that it does not include elections where there is the “first past the post” principle, so I’m familiar with the spoiler effect.

      Trump is worse on genocide Although that might be true in some sense, please try to understand the people affected here. If your family is the one affected, it doesn’t get more dead, than dead. I’m not saying, I would vote the same way, but I can understand not wanting to actively vote for killing your family.