A Short Conversation About Politics
“If you don’t vote for the Baby Incinerators with Blue Hats, you’re helping the Baby Incinerators with Red Hats!”
But I oppose incinerating babies.
“Look, those babies are getting incinerated no matter what, so we need to worry about the ones with red hats, who are WAY worse on other non-baby-incineration-related issues.”
Don’t you think it’s kind of obscene and horrifying and nightmarish and dystopian that you find yourself saying those babies are getting incinerated no matter what instead of trying to make them all stop incinerating babies? Like, how is the fact that both mainstream parties in this country want to incinerate babies not the main topic of conversation here?
“Our political system isn’t perfect okay? Do you really want to miss out on some sweet student loan debt forgiveness from the Baby Incinerators with Blue Hats just because they like incinerating babies?”
I kinda think the whole baby incineration issue is a lot more urgent and important than that though.
“Damn it dude, you need to be realistic! OBVIOUSLY the Baby Incinerators with Blue Hats can’t just stop incinerating babies, they’d lose the support of the baby incineration lobby!”
Oh my God but WHY is there a baby incineration lobby?? Why is incinerating babies a thing at all?? I feel like I’m going insane listening to the Baby Incinerators with Blue Hats argue back and forth with the Baby Incinerators with Red Hats about who’s got the stronger immigration policies, when they’re both openly campaigning on the policy of continuing to incinerate babies! That’s the main thing! Can’t we fight them on that??
“After the election, dude. After the election. We get the Baby Incinerators with Blue Hats into office, and then we push them toward perhaps considering incinerating fewer babies. In their last debate you saw the top blue hat acknowledge that far too many babies have been incinerated. That’s a start!”
I don’t want them to incinerate ANY babies though!
“Okay well that’s just ridiculous. You’re an extremist.”
Oh yeah well I think incinerating babies is what’s extreme.
“You can’t just incinerate zero babies, dude. We have to be politically pragmatic. You really gonna let your fairies-and-unicorns, pie-in-the-sky idealism get in the way of our comfort here at home? You might get slightly worse healthcare!”
I don’t even want to talk about this! I just want to talk about the huge, glaring problem that we keep seeing babies tossed into giant incinerators no matter who gets elected. I’m choosing to make that problem the area of my focus, not whether the people incinerating them happen to wear blue hats or red hats.
“So you’re, like, what? A fascist then? Some kind of Russian agent?”
I think I’m just normal. I think I’m just a normal person born into a crazy world where babies keep getting incinerated and everyone acts like that’s fine while arguing about immigrants eating cats and prisoners getting sex change operations.
“Okay well you’re gonna feel like a real jerk when the Baby Incinerators with Red Hats get into power and your healthcare deductible goes up and they’re still incinerating your beloved babies anyway.”
No I’m pretty sure I’ll still just be focused on trying to fight the system which says it’s okay to incinerate babies.
“Whatever, stupid commie.”
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I can not thank you enough for this. I posted something to FB critical of Harris and your post here is effectively the conversation that came out of it.
People who I hadn't heard from in 30 years figured it would be a great time to come out and insult me and call me names. One thing that I've noticed is they like to use the "vulnerable" as their excuse for all of this. I consider this to be using at-risk people as ideological human shields - unable to support their choice to endorse genocide, they foist the precarity of queers, blacks, the handicapped, fill in the blank - on me for the thoughtcrime of thinking independently of the DNC talking points.
It really does help me to feel slightly less insane to read posts like this from you, Caitlin, to reorient my interpretation of what is going on. Thank you.
I am now 71 yrs old and have been objecting to eg the steady erosion of Palestinian existence for 50-60 yrs . Also supporting other sneerworthy causes which might be described as 'bleeding heart liberal' or 'dangerously revolutionary' depending on the critique's origin . Voting is the least useful thing I have ever done ! Thus , as usual , Caitlin is spot on .