I’m not on any side, merely stating the arguments used.

In general, I agree with you. If that region chooses to separate, they should be allowed to do so. Much like the Brexit.

But like Brexit has shown, separation also brings some complex issues. And we are talking about something that impacts at least the 8 million people living there, a lot of whom don’t WANT to separate.

There really should be an independent, internationally monitored referendum to settle this matter and let the people decide what they want, without interference from outside the region.

Catalonia is a Spanish region, but there’s a movement that really wants the region to be independent. To basically become its own country.

There have been numerous referendums, protests and all manner of political intrigue.

Now, some people will of course be very much against this region separating from Spain for any number of reasons. It would create economic uncertainty, and adds new barriers. Even within the region not everyone is a fan of independence.

So yeah, that poster might feel particularly strongly about wanting to keep that region, or just a particular dislike for them.

Honestly, that’s one of the dumbest sayings ever. It’s simply not true.

Money buys every item you need on your hierarchy of needs: food, shelter, safety, it increases your chances at a relationship, helps you realise your goals, etc. etc. And the more money you have, the better your needs will be met. Nicer house, better neighbourhood, healthier foods, more leisure time…

And that’s not even talking about the actual fun things it buys: LEGO sets, jet skis, a Ferrari, a gold Rolex. They might be material, but I’ve never seen someone depressed on a jet ski.

Having experienced math, I’d choose satanism for sure.

It was pretty obvious most Americans don’t care about Gaza, and didn’t let it influence their voting.

I’ve seen polling prior to the election that asked people about their most important issues when voting.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/651719/economy-important-issue-2024-presidential-vote.aspx

The Republican voter’s top issues were the economy, immigration, terrorism/nation security, crime and taxes.

Meanwhile, the Democrat top issues were US democracy, the supreme court, abortion, healthcare and education.

Basically, foreign policy was a non issue for voters. Gaza did not factor into most voter’s decisions at all. And of course it doesn’t. When you’re worried about putting food on the table, you can’t afford rent, your bodily autonomy is at stake and your country is going to shit… you’d be silly to vote based on Gaza. Because that’s directly voting against your own interests. Gaza should not have been a large talking point or even at all.

I think the reason a lot of Democrats stayed home was basically candidate fatigue. They just didn’t feel like voting for a candidate so boring and faceless. And she didn’t have nearly enough time to turn things around. Why bother voting when democratic leadership clearly isn’t taking voters and their actual issues seriously?

Look at history. The 2003 Iraq war and subsequent occupation resulted in at least 150.000 deaths, at the absolute lowest estimate. The biggest estimate is over a million.

Afghanistan? 176.000

Gulf War? 50.000

Yugoslav war? 130.000

Vietnam War? 970.000 to 3 million.

And those are conflicts that the US was directly involved in with boots on the ground. Few people lost sleep over any of those civilian casualties. Could you even point to Kosovo on a map?

What’s another 50.000 dead Palestinians you ask? A rounding error on a footnote of history. It’s a statistic. And that’s ignoring the fact that this is happening in another country with only indirect US support.

People SHOULD care about the Palestinians. But it’s just not relevant to the day to day lives of average Americans.

Decisions are made by those who show up. That’s what it boils down to. I always see it like this: even if I don’t get the result I want, I’ll at least have the satisfaction that my vote cancelled out someone else’s who’s voting against my interests.

So make sure you show up, or someone else who DOES gets to decide for you.

I get it; the entire system sucks. Even here in the Netherlands with a dozen political parties, you rarely get the government you want. But there’s still things you can do even if you really don’t want to vote in this particular election.

You can support groups that promote voting reform, like ranked choice voting. You can and should vote in all local elections. You can even RUN in many local elections, since candidates frequently run unopposed. You can help inform others about the voting process and get poorly represented groups to vote. If all else fails, there’s always the option of shooting your least favorite politician or doing an Oklahoma City. But try those other things first, OK?

Decisions are made by those who show up, it’s as simple as that.

You may hate it, but the Republicans are definitely better at getting people in line, both literally and figuratively. They turn up and vote even if they don’t like the candidate because… that’s their party. And it’s the only one that they feel represents them.

Meanwhile a lot of Democrats stay home because the candidate isn’t the one they wanted, doesn’t support everything they want, is too old/young, etc. There’s this attitude of ‘if I can’t have my perfect candidate, I’m staying home out of protest.’

I get it. Every voter wants a perfect candidate. But perfect is the enemy of good, as the saying goes.

I always look at it like this: if I vote, I might not always get the outcome that I want, but at the very least I’m nullifying the vote of a person on the other side.

If the other guy shows up and you don’t? That’s how you lose rights.

Be someone who shows the fuck up.

Heck, between the media, The Donald on Reddit and the whole pandemic, people were rightfully getting burned out on everything. I don’t really have any active memories between march 2020 and early 2023. That whole time period feels like a big blur. And that’s just me as a European. I can imagine it’s way worse for people in the US…

Decisions are made by those who show up. It’s as simple as that. It really is the very least you SHOULD do as a functional adult.

I get how not everyone wants to be active on campaigns, can donate, etc. But voting itself should definitely be a given. Same goes for small elections; if you don’t vote, someone else will decide for you. And you might not like what they decide.

Show the fuck up and vote.