6 ms·

If you are a-political you implicitly support what’s happening.

by chgs 2y ago

Jcampuzano2 2y ago
Ah so its just a "fuck you" if you just want to live a quiet life and care about your own life. Suddenly we have to be political and choose a side on every issue. Come on man... its tiring as hell why can't people just be themselves. Why do we all have to be 100% connected to everything all the time.
- chgs 2y ago
  Because when the people around you are suffering it is connected.
- patcon 2y ago
  As a Canadian, I feel quite exasperated and angry about how you frame this. Sounds very cowardly-American when your country is crumbling beneath you, taking the world down with it
  - Jcampuzano2 2y ago
    Then you misread my post. I'm not implying be completely apolitical, just that I don't understand the expectation now that everyone has to know and choose a side and be connected to every single tiny issue there is. Its completely astounding that we're now all expected to know and choose a side about every single thing, and if we don't know about it or for a given issue we either don't have enough information to choose a side or are unaware then we're complicit. Exactly how have I harmed someone through owning a Tesla since before Elon's political stunts. And do we really expect everyone who owns one, including people who financed and would almost guaranteed take a loss and screw up their financial wellbeing for potentially years to sell it at the cost of their families financial health?
    - patcon 2y ago
      No one else can solve the system of equation for you, but there are likely creative solutions that don't require any large action on your part. Maybe put a sticker on your car to reason with your fellow citizens who expect more of you than you can offer right now? [EDIT: But if you resent even having to think about it (bc it need not cost you money, but things always cost attention), then I don't know what to say to you in this moment.] I'm just glad it's now taboo to own a Tesla. Because in my world view, the poorer Elon Musk gets, the safer we all are in our home democracies.
    - boothby 2y ago
      Elon's a general in the culture war being waged by your country, and you're asking why bearing his standard is seen as a political choice. I'd say that your question should be directed at Elon. Likewise, Russian citizens are suffering the consequences of their leader's choices. They didn't vote to go to war, they were born there before the war broke out, but they're paying the price. I'm sure the people of Ukraine would love to live in peace and be left alone, but that choice was taken from them. And so they fight. And since you own a luxury car, you can afford to get rid of it. It might not be a comfortable choice, you might lose some money, but I am confident that your life does not depend on you holding and using that asset. Serviceable used cars go for a couple thousand bucks. Really cool and flashy ones can go for ten.
    - spacemadness 2y ago
      I hear you on feeling innocently targeted. Elon wasn’t always this crazy. He’s causing irreparable damage right now, however. You should be pissed at him as well. He’s supporting anti-EV measures directly or indirectly anyway. He’s pissing people off enough to take serious measures against him. He made a nazi salute at the inauguration for fucks sake. A lot of your ire should be toward him. His whole life is dedicated to making “everything political” right now whether you like it or not.
  - quickslowdown 2y ago
    As an American, I 100% agree. This is extremely frustrating. This community has way too many people who are far too comfortable, complaining about how an authoritarian government is making their comfortable lives more difficult. The current government is exhausting. That's the point. It's so frustrating hearing people complain instead of taking action. Things are harder for everyone, a lot of people here have lived too many decades without any real form of struggle and it shows in the things they complain about & how they frame the current reality.
  - tekknik 2y ago
    the country is not crumbling you just have different ideals
    - AlecSchueler 2y ago
      Diplomatic relations are definitely crumbling, whether that's your ideal or not.
      - tekknik 2y ago
        why do you think we care about relations with canada, who very much doesn’t stand for our ideals with Trudeau?
        AlecSchueler 2y ago
        I don't think that, I even said "whether that's your ideal or not." But whether you are worried or you think it's the best thing ever the relations are still crumbling, that's the point I was making. Also just to say you might want to read a newspaper because Trudeau is no longer the prime minister.
  - chgs 2y ago
    Americans have always been selfish. “I’ve got mine so fuck you”. It’s that “rugged individuality” they claim to like.
- outer_web 2y ago
  Apolitical or 100% connected. Zero middle ground.
  - quickslowdown 2y ago
    Pithy hand waving aside, yes, those are the stakes right now.
    - senordevnyc 2y ago
      I ignore anyone who pushes “you’re either for us, or against us”. It’s a cheap trick for bullies.
      - quickslowdown 2y ago
        Ok
      - anigbrowl 2y ago
        That's literally and explicitly government policy now; the administration is asserting a right to deport people based purely on opinions rather than follow legal process.
        senordevnyc 2y ago
        Yeah, I refuse to submit to their bullshit either
        anigbrowl 2y ago
        I'm not sure that this would make any practical difference if they were to show up at your door with the intention of vanning you.
- raisedbyninjas 2y ago
  Unless you were raised by a pack of wolves in the wilderness, you're benefiting from the society that's been built by generations of your fellow man. Leeching off of that when it's convenient and living a private life when it's not, is a violation of the social contract.
  - senordevnyc 2y ago
    Interesting how this “social contract” changes constantly depending on who you’re talking to.
- quickslowdown 2y ago
  Yes, it is. At this moment in time, none of us get the luxury of a quiet, simple life. Burying your head in the sand & refusing to engage with the world around you is a choice, a tacit support of what's keeping you from that ideal life you want. It's a very tone deaf & privileged stand to complain about how an authoritarian government is making your life harder. If you're not being mistakenly imprisoned or actively hunted, the options are to join the resistance, or put your tail between your legs, let the government trample others' rights (and by proxy, your rights), and try to fool yourself into thinking you can just let things blow over. If you're not joining in the resistance and you're instead choosing to sit out the fight for your freedoms & rights, you don't get to criticize the people who ARE fighting. They're fighting for themselves & their loved ones, and for you, whether you join in or not.
  - senordevnyc 2y ago
    If you're not joining in the resistance and you're instead choosing to sit out the fight for your freedoms & rights, you don't get to criticize the people who ARE fighting. Sure we do.
    - quickslowdown 2y ago
      It's pretty fucking empty when the peanut gallery wants to quarterback from the sidelines.
      - senordevnyc 2y ago
        Ok
ThrowawayR2 2y ago
> "If you are a-political you implicitly support what’s happening." Stop saying that. Stop stirring up people and instead let sleeping dogs lie. From a detailed post-election analysis posted on HN earlier today (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43400172 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43400172): "The reality is if all registered voters had turned out, then Donald Trump would’ve won the popular vote by 5 points [instead of 1.7 points]. So, I think that a “we need to turn up the temperature and mobilize everyone” strategy would’ve made things worse." Lots of people are indifferent or even supported what's happening and if your side continues to harass them they'll come out in even bigger numbers to vote against your side in the midterms or 2028. Hectoring people for being apolitical has been a losing strategy so stop following it.
- chgs 2y ago
  > Lots of people are indifferent or even supported what's happening Yes. Yes they are. We see the true face of Americans and what they really believe. Whether 51% or 49% of America wants this is basically irellevent.

If you are a-political you implicitly support what’s happening.

by chgs 2y ago

If you are a-political you implicitly support what’s happening.

Ah so its just a "fuck you" if you just want to live a quiet life and care about your own life. Suddenly we have to be political and choose a side on every issue. Come on man... its tiring as hell why can't people just be themselves. Why do we all have to be 100% connected to everything all the time.

chgs 2y ago
Because when the people around you are suffering it is connected.
patcon 2y ago
As a Canadian, I feel quite exasperated and angry about how you frame this. Sounds very cowardly-American when your country is crumbling beneath you, taking the world down with it
- Jcampuzano2 2y ago
  Then you misread my post. I'm not implying be completely apolitical, just that I don't understand the expectation now that everyone has to know and choose a side and be connected to every single tiny issue there is. Its completely astounding that we're now all expected to know and choose a side about every single thing, and if we don't know about it or for a given issue we either don't have enough information to choose a side or are unaware then we're complicit. Exactly how have I harmed someone through owning a Tesla since before Elon's political stunts. And do we really expect everyone who owns one, including people who financed and would almost guaranteed take a loss and screw up their financial wellbeing for potentially years to sell it at the cost of their families financial health?
  - patcon 2y ago
    No one else can solve the system of equation for you, but there are likely creative solutions that don't require any large action on your part. Maybe put a sticker on your car to reason with your fellow citizens who expect more of you than you can offer right now? [EDIT: But if you resent even having to think about it (bc it need not cost you money, but things always cost attention), then I don't know what to say to you in this moment.] I'm just glad it's now taboo to own a Tesla. Because in my world view, the poorer Elon Musk gets, the safer we all are in our home democracies.
  - boothby 2y ago
    Elon's a general in the culture war being waged by your country, and you're asking why bearing his standard is seen as a political choice. I'd say that your question should be directed at Elon. Likewise, Russian citizens are suffering the consequences of their leader's choices. They didn't vote to go to war, they were born there before the war broke out, but they're paying the price. I'm sure the people of Ukraine would love to live in peace and be left alone, but that choice was taken from them. And so they fight. And since you own a luxury car, you can afford to get rid of it. It might not be a comfortable choice, you might lose some money, but I am confident that your life does not depend on you holding and using that asset. Serviceable used cars go for a couple thousand bucks. Really cool and flashy ones can go for ten.
  - spacemadness 2y ago
    I hear you on feeling innocently targeted. Elon wasn’t always this crazy. He’s causing irreparable damage right now, however. You should be pissed at him as well. He’s supporting anti-EV measures directly or indirectly anyway. He’s pissing people off enough to take serious measures against him. He made a nazi salute at the inauguration for fucks sake. A lot of your ire should be toward him. His whole life is dedicated to making “everything political” right now whether you like it or not.
- quickslowdown 2y ago
  As an American, I 100% agree. This is extremely frustrating. This community has way too many people who are far too comfortable, complaining about how an authoritarian government is making their comfortable lives more difficult. The current government is exhausting. That's the point. It's so frustrating hearing people complain instead of taking action. Things are harder for everyone, a lot of people here have lived too many decades without any real form of struggle and it shows in the things they complain about & how they frame the current reality.
- tekknik 2y ago
  the country is not crumbling you just have different ideals
  - AlecSchueler 2y ago
    Diplomatic relations are definitely crumbling, whether that's your ideal or not.
    - tekknik 2y ago
      why do you think we care about relations with canada, who very much doesn’t stand for our ideals with Trudeau?
      - AlecSchueler 2y ago
        I don't think that, I even said "whether that's your ideal or not." But whether you are worried or you think it's the best thing ever the relations are still crumbling, that's the point I was making. Also just to say you might want to read a newspaper because Trudeau is no longer the prime minister.
- chgs 2y ago
  Americans have always been selfish. “I’ve got mine so fuck you”. It’s that “rugged individuality” they claim to like.
outer_web 2y ago
Apolitical or 100% connected. Zero middle ground.
- quickslowdown 2y ago
  Pithy hand waving aside, yes, those are the stakes right now.
  - senordevnyc 2y ago
    I ignore anyone who pushes “you’re either for us, or against us”. It’s a cheap trick for bullies.
    - quickslowdown 2y ago
      Ok
    - anigbrowl 2y ago
      That's literally and explicitly government policy now; the administration is asserting a right to deport people based purely on opinions rather than follow legal process.
      - senordevnyc 2y ago
        Yeah, I refuse to submit to their bullshit either
        anigbrowl 2y ago
        I'm not sure that this would make any practical difference if they were to show up at your door with the intention of vanning you.
raisedbyninjas 2y ago
Unless you were raised by a pack of wolves in the wilderness, you're benefiting from the society that's been built by generations of your fellow man. Leeching off of that when it's convenient and living a private life when it's not, is a violation of the social contract.
- senordevnyc 2y ago
  Interesting how this “social contract” changes constantly depending on who you’re talking to.
quickslowdown 2y ago
Yes, it is. At this moment in time, none of us get the luxury of a quiet, simple life. Burying your head in the sand & refusing to engage with the world around you is a choice, a tacit support of what's keeping you from that ideal life you want. It's a very tone deaf & privileged stand to complain about how an authoritarian government is making your life harder. If you're not being mistakenly imprisoned or actively hunted, the options are to join the resistance, or put your tail between your legs, let the government trample others' rights (and by proxy, your rights), and try to fool yourself into thinking you can just let things blow over. If you're not joining in the resistance and you're instead choosing to sit out the fight for your freedoms & rights, you don't get to criticize the people who ARE fighting. They're fighting for themselves & their loved ones, and for you, whether you join in or not.
- senordevnyc 2y ago
  If you're not joining in the resistance and you're instead choosing to sit out the fight for your freedoms & rights, you don't get to criticize the people who ARE fighting. Sure we do.
  - quickslowdown 2y ago
    It's pretty fucking empty when the peanut gallery wants to quarterback from the sidelines.
    - senordevnyc 2y ago
      Ok

ThrowawayR2 2y ago

> "If you are a-political you implicitly support what’s happening." Stop saying that. Stop stirring up people and instead let sleeping dogs lie. From a detailed post-election analysis posted on HN earlier today (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43400172 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43400172): "The reality is if all registered voters had turned out, then Donald Trump would’ve won the popular vote by 5 points [instead of 1.7 points]. So, I think that a “we need to turn up the temperature and mobilize everyone” strategy would’ve made things worse." Lots of people are indifferent or even supported what's happening and if your side continues to harass them they'll come out in even bigger numbers to vote against your side in the midterms or 2028. Hectoring people for being apolitical has been a losing strategy so stop following it.

chgs 2y ago
> Lots of people are indifferent or even supported what's happening Yes. Yes they are. We see the true face of Americans and what they really believe. Whether 51% or 49% of America wants this is basically irellevent.