GLORIOUS OFFICIAL IWAKU ELECTION 2016 THREAD | ALL OTHER THREADS INFERIOR

[Hecatoncheires]

HEY FUCKERS, I HEAR THERE'S AN ELECTION HAPPENING SOON.

So lemme get out ahead of this, before General Chat turns into Iwaku's own version of The Purge.

Y'know, more than it fucking is already.

Politics threads tend to go to hell in a hand-basket faster than you can scream "HITLER WAS RIGHT", and with this current election cycle that's never been more true. At the end of the day, we're a roleplaying forum and we really don't need politics coming into spoil everyone's nice time: this is a place folks come to for escapism, after all, so having the election cycle chase them here is less than ideal.

BUT WAIT, I'M NOT FINISHED.

At the same time, we also don't want to go laying down blanket statements about what you can and can't say on Iwaku. Goes against that whole "flexibility of speech" thing we have written down somewhere that @Jorick and @Astaroth keep yelling at me about whenever I suggest we just ban all of you and have done with it. With that in mind, we're gonna try and find ourselves a middle ground solution that allows folks to have their say without the entire forum descending into a clusterfuck of angry, bipartisan bullshit.

Again, more than it already is.

SO HEY, YOU GOBSHITES WANNA TALK ELECTION 2K16?

YOU DO IT IN THIS THREAD AND THIS THREAD ALONE.

To prevent me from rambling, lemme bullet-point how this is gonna work:

• WE'RE KEEPING THINGS LIGHT. NO BIG RANTS ABOUT HOW HILLARY'S A FUCKING LIZARDWOMAN AND/OR HOW TRUMP IS HITLER 2.0.
• We're keeping shit civil, too. Discussions are cool, but if you start slinging insults about (or, given how you fuckers tend to work, passive-aggressive sniping) you will get spanked.
• Any overtly rant-like/insulting/snipey posts will get edited by our lovely security team to be more user-friendly. We will insert butterflies, rainbows and other nice suggestions so you all maybe calm the fuck down or something. You'll know they've edited a post cos it'll be all red. Like the blood of our enemies.
• Gary Johnson is my husbando. You can't have him. He's mine.
• Seriously. Mine.

Hopefully that clears everything up about the purpose of this thread. Now go fucking kill each other.

Or don't, actually. I think that's why I got asked to write this.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

In all seriousness, as a trans woman, as a pansexual, and as a person who values racial and gender equality, I can't bear the thought of Trump taking the office. I wanted Bernie Sanders, and I don't like either of the nominees, but that said, Hillary's a crook, but I can deal with a crook. A crook might not give a shit, but they won't go out of their way to destroy your rights and those of people you care about. I've seen the people who support him, I've seen the violence he incited, I've seen the women he has victimized, and I've heard how he caused other women to be victimized by advocating their victimization, and I cannot understand why anyone would support him. In the words of Christopher Hayes: "Who are the literal Nazis and Klansmen supporting? Maybe I should look elsewhere."

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

Because of how volatile this campaign has been, make sure that you know what to do if you're harassed at the polls. (I truly hate having to give warnings, but better to be on the safe side.)

What You Need to Do if You are Harassed or Denied Your Vote

 

[Kooriryu]

Because of how vivolatile this campaign has been, make sure that you know what to do if you're harassed at the polls. (I truly hate having to give warnings, but better to be on the safe side.)



What You Need to Do if You are Harassed or Denied Your Vote

How Should Voters Respond to Unlicensed 'Poll Watchers'?

According to the FBI, complaints regarding voter intimidation (among other voting law violations) should be referred to their Public Integrity Section, as well as of their field offices around the country. Several social advocacy groups, including the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, have also banded together to form the Election Protection coalition, a non-partisan group offering voters guidance against intimidation tactics and other issues.
...
Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee, told snopes.com in an interview on 12 October 2016 that though there is "no clean and easy answer" regarding taking pictures of voters inside a polling place, the best thing for the public to do is to report any "untrained individual" hovering near them at the polls or around a polling site to both on-site officials and her organization:

We want people to report that kind of conduct, because this is not a one-off kind of conduct. People who are outside of polling places or inside polling places intimidating people can affect the rights of many.​

 

[Legens Legentis]

In all seriousness, as a trans woman, as a pansexual, and as a person who values racial and gender equality, I can't bear the thought of Trump taking the office. I wanted Bernie Sanders, and I don't like either of the nominees, but that said, Hillary's a crook, but I can deal with a crook. A crook might not give a shit, but they won't go out of their way to destroy your rights and those of people you care about. I've seen the people who support him, I've seen the violence he incited, I've seen the women he has victimized, and I've heard how he caused other women to be victimized by advocating their victimization, and I cannot understand why anyone would support him. In the words of Christopher Hayes: "Who are the literal Nazis and Klansmen supporting? Maybe I should look elsewhere."

If you think people are voting for Trump because they hate your freedom, you are surely mistaken.
They're tired of being ignored by government. They're tired of being told that everything is getting better when for many, it is not. They're tired of the perception of a weak America. I dislike Trump but I sympathize with the people that are just as tired as I am. People hardly care about issues anymore. The people want bread and circuses.

 

[Sidhe]

If you think people are voting for Trump because they hate your freedom, you are surely mistaken.
They're tired of being ignored by government. They're tired of being told that everything is getting better when for many, it is not. They're tired of the perception of a weak America. I dislike Trump but I sympathize with the people that are just as tired as I am. People hardly care about issues anymore. The people want bread and circuses.

There are definitely a good number of people voting for Trump because they share his bigoted views. I won't go so far as to say everyone, but quite a few.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

They're tired of being told that everything is getting better when for many, it is not. They're tired of the perception of a weak America.

You can't make things better for people by imposing a flat tax rate, nor will that create a stronger nation. In fact, imposing a flat tax rate will make things worse than they already are and drive our country ever deeper into debt, resulting in an even weaker nation, and what's worse - speaking from experience, which admittedly, is neither empirical fact nor subjective opinion - the poor right-wing voters will simply blame Senate Democrats rather than looking into their own candidates' policies.

What this nation needs is to catch up with other first world countries. We need to adopt socialism in order to maintain the autonomy and class mobility we enjoy today while allowing the poor enough assistance and vocational opportunity to actually prosper and give them a reason to love their country.

Many of the ideas and policies that make our country great - things like civil rights, veteran care, et cetera - are socialistic ideas.

And lastly, how can our country ever be great if the person who holds our highest office believes that, with no prior political or military experience, he knows more than our generals?

 

[Legens Legentis]

There are definitely a good number of people voting for Trump because they share his bigoted views. I won't go so far as to say everyone, but quite a few.

Goodness, I would never deny that. A whole slew of bizarre individuals that are normally reclusive have swarmed around him.

 

[junebug]

We should just have staff do all the politic threads now lol, they're the only happy places on Earth 8)

 

[Legens Legentis]

You can't make things better for people by imposing a flat tax rate, nor will that create a stronger nation. In fact, imposing a flat tax rate will make things worse than they already are and drive our country ever deeper into debt, resulting in an even weaker nation, and what's worse - speaking from experience, which admittedly, is neither empirical fact nor subjective opinion - the poor right-wing voters will simply blame Senate Democrats rather than looking into their own candidates' policies.

What this nation needs is to catch up with other first world countries. We need to adopt socialism in order to maintain the autonomy and class mobility we enjoy today while allowing the poor enough assistance and vocational opportunity to actually prosper and give them a reason to love their country.

Many of the ideas and policies that make our country great - things like civil rights, veteran care, et cetera - are socialistic ideas.

And lastly, how can our country ever be great if the person who holds our highest office believes that, with no prior political or military experience, he knows more than our generals?

I am a right-wing libertarian. The Cold War was enough proof of how wondrous socialism can be when civilians are killed in the millions. If you think civil rights and veteran care are socialist ideas, you are guilty of an extreme distortion of history unlike anything else before. Socialism is the act of workers seizing the means of production and advancing towards communism. It is not Scandinavian social democracy, which is actually quite capitalistic.

I will pursue policies which benefit myself and myself only. I will not stand for tyranny.

 

[Kooriryu]

IT B E G I N S

 

[junebug]

 

[Kooriryu]

That thumbnail is terrifying

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

Everyone take a breather and go google pictures of kittens and butterflies! This shit storm will hopefully be over tomorrow and we can all go back to the real issues, like why they're playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving!

 

[VerbalAbuse]

The Cold War was enough proof of how wondrous socialism can be when civilians are killed in the millions.

Socialism and Totalitarian Communism is not the same thing

Let me be a bit more specific. I'm a Democratic Socialist, like my ideal candidate, Bernie Sanders. Democratic Socialism maintains the fiscal freedoms of capitalism while destroying any possible means of corporate interests and entities to exploit the proletariat - the working class, people who work minimum wage jobs, labor, and other undercompensated vocations.

I am often mistaken for a Marxist because I announce myself as simply being a Socialist. What so many people, including my own mother-in-law, fail to realize, is that Socialism is neither Marxism, nor Leninism, nor Stalinism, nor is my particular ideal of Socialism tolerant of any of these systems.

 

[junebug]

Everyone take a breather and go google pictures of kittens and butterflies! This shit storm will hopefully be over tomorrow and we can all go back to the real issues, like why they're playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving!

Let's eat tacos!

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

Let's eat tacos!

Tomorrow is taco Tuesday! Taco Bell should give everyone who votes a free. It's fitting. =D

 

[Legens Legentis]

Socialism and Totalitarian Communism is not the same thing

Let me be a bit more specific. I'm a Democratic Socialist, like my ideal candidate, Bernie Sanders. Democratic Socialism maintains the fiscal freedoms of capitalism while destroying any possible means of corporate interests and entities to exploit the proletariat - the working class, people who work minimum wage jobs, labor, and other undercompensated vocations.

I am often mistaken for a Marxist because I announce myself as simply being a Socialist. What so many people, including my own mother-in-law, fail to realize, is that Socialism is neither Marxism, nor Leninism, nor Stalinism, nor is my particular ideal of Socialism tolerant of any of these systems.

Bernie Sanders is not a real socialist. Does he advocate the workers seizing the means of production? No.
He either lied through his teeth or sold out for the sake of being popular (like how he endorsed Clinton). Let the workers be exploited, by all means, it's none of our business. I think true freedom involves throwing the working class under the bus.

There is not a single country on Earth which practices socialism and has retained its liberties.

 

[Kagayours]

There is not a single country on Earth which practices socialism and has retained its liberties.

And once again, I'm fairly certain you're confusing socialism with communism. They're not the same thing.

The workers seizing the means of production is a communist ideal. Basically your whole post describes communism.

 

[Legens Legentis]

And once again, I'm fairly certain you're confusing socialism with communism. They're not the same thing.

The workers seizing the means of production is a communist ideal. Basically your whole post describes communism.

Communism is stateless, moneyless, and classless. The only requirement for socialism is to have the workers seize the means of production. If you do not adhere to that, you are much more likely to be a social democrat.

 

[junebug]