Kamala Harris was asked her toughest questions on Gaza yet

jeffw@lemmy.world to World News@lemmy.world – 84 points –
Kamala Harris was asked her toughest questions on Gaza yet
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Right, but you must realise if I asked you to choose between getting your hand amputated or your arm amputated, for no reason, the correct answer isn’t your hand, it’s to refuse to allow unnecessary amputations to continue.

And how would you propose we do such a thing? Because if "just overthrow the government" was that easy, Donald Trump would be president right now.

Step one is admitting there’s a problem.

Lots of people admit there's a problem. That doesn't answer my question.

If you don’t admit that there’s a problem, then answering your question would be a waste of time, because you would, most likely, just be looking for something to argue with me about, rather than considering my points in good faith.

If you’re happy to start the conversation from a place where you admit that, yes, the US political system is so rigged that it is impossible to meaningfully reform, then I’m happy to answer your question.

Sure, there's a problem. Now please answer my question.

Easier said than done:

  1. Admit there's a problem
  2. Find a sustainable solution
  3. Fight for the solution
  4. Enjoy a better society

I think many people don’t realize they focus too much on short-term issues, which are actually symptoms of deeper systemic problems. For instance, the two-party system in the US stems from election campaigns not being publicly funded and also the "winner-takes-all" electoral system instead of proportional representation. I would bet you already know about these issues but still I don't see them being discussed in media and that's where every big change must begin. And that's also what I think should answer your question. Instead of spreading awareness of the current problems at hand, you should focus on the deep issues and instead spread awareness of them. That's my opinion at least.

Nothing I do will have any effect on what the corporate-run media reports on and it's naive to think any of us who aren't corporate executives or their political cronies have that power.

The next thing you have to do is get people talking about it and admitting that there is a problem, build connections with them, and help protect and inoculate people against far-right radicalisation. This is best done in your local community, it doesn’t really work very well online, unfortunately. Build a people-centred movement based on solidarity, mutual aid/support, and collaboration. Work on building alternative structures such as co-operatives, fully mutual groups/societies, and helping people to organise their workplaces and form or join unions.

It’s all about building solidarity, connections, helping people break free of the mind prison they were born into, and making sure that they don’t get radicalised by the far-right in the process, because their messaging is designed to appeal to people who realise how fucked our system is and promises easy “solutions”, rather than the hard work it takes to actually solve the problem.

Once enough people are actively aware of the problem and working to build that solidarity, we can start actually something about it. By that point, you should really be working together to solve the problems which affect your community directly.

Hope this helps, though I’m sure none of it really comes as a surprise!

That's a long-winded way of saying you don't actually have an answer for how to, as you put it, "refuse to allow unnecessary amputations to continue." You could have saved yourself a lot of time.

If you don’t admit that there’s a problem, then answering your question would be a waste of time, because you would, most likely, just be looking for something to argue with me about, rather than considering my points in good faith.

Wow, my prediction came true. Truly, I am a fortune teller.

Immediately after you told that so-called fortune:

So why are you now lying and claiming I didn't admit there's a problem? It's a pretty silly lie.

Truly, I’m sorry for letting you down, I really hope you come around eventually. Remember, solidarity is the key. Together we can change the world.

You didn't let me down, because I knew you didn't actually have an answer about how to actually achieve anything.

If "solidarity" and "awareness" were all it took to solve problems, climate change wouldn't be getting worse.

You know what awareness and solidarity already resulted in? January 6th. You know what was a failure? January 6th.

I let you down by failing to convince you, though I’m sure you don’t see it that way.

Solidarity, awareness and collaboration are the prerequisite conditions for building a working class movement capable of achieving widespread change. That isn’t where the process ends, obviously, action needs to be taken once that movement exists.

I’m not sure what your point is about January 6th.

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That's going to take years, if not decades. Your amputation is in less than two months.

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“no reason”? if the alternative to a hand or arm amputation is death, yeah, i’m gonna choose a hand amputation.

that’s what our alternative is in your analogy. remember the US is highly polarized right now, so one (sane) group taking over the US govt is likely impossible, and even if successful would end up in a massive civil war. that would not only destroy life in the US for the foreseeable future, but the entire global economy and geopolitical equilibrium.

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