Reminder for the 2022 midterms on Tuesday, November 8th:
- Your involvement in the electoral process doesn’t have to take away from your other activist approaches. You can do both.
- Your absence from the political sphere is missed only by your allies, but certainly not by your enemies.
- Discouraging people from voting actually *does* cause harm and regression in won political territory (that is, lost territory once-claimed by progressive policies.)
- Not to overuse the cliche, but a lack of a vote for the lesser-evil provides strength for votes for the greater evil. Despite disputes raised against this claim, it has not, to date, been invalidated–our country is still partially democratic and thus we should wield what little power we *do* have while we can, instead of abandoning it.
- Even though systemic issues (often to the point of corruption) are very real, and the System is, itself, often the enemy, picking up an enemy musket on enemy land to use against its owner isn’t unwise. The current system currently has more force than those who oppose the system–we should use what little share of the power is allotted to us to hold it accountable.
- We must come to terms with the fact that very little will change within our lifetimes, and that these battles are nevertheless worth fighting.
- We must also come to terms with the fact that many (though not all) forms of the Drastic Overhaul, the Great Revolution, will not only create a power vacuum but leave many who previously relied on the system’s provisions (“won territory,” e.g., gay rights, positive healthcare policies, public transportation, etc.) all the more vulnerable.
- Spreading the misinformation that no good has been done in the political sector discounts the ground that *has* been claimed in the name of progress.
- Sometimes both activism and policy go hand-in-hand, and cannot work well on their own. The one often requires the strength of the other (e.g., having progressive politicians in office heightens the chance for protests, labor movements, etc. to be heard and take effect via policy change.)
The current system currently has more force than those who oppose the system–we should use what little share of the power is allotted to us to hold it accountable.
