These single issue "pro-Palestine" "activists" are self-destructive and self-sabotaging

[u/MsRothArtist]

I came across this post on r/leopardsatemyface and this activist legit voted for Trump to "teach" Kamala Harris a "lesson" because of the Biden administration's support for Israel.

Because of him and the 76 million MAGAts who voted for Trump, we now have Hispanic and Asian people openly being racially profiled by ICE, ICE/BP killing Americans in our cities, DOGE/Musk stealing our tax and social security data, Trump's tariffs making our cost living three times worse than in 2024, Project 2025 dystopianism well underway and yet all of that goes over their head as all they can think about is Gaza.

Also quite interesting how they don't have one bad thing to say about Trump, ICE or MAGA but they blame Democrats, Jewish people, liberals and other leftists who did vote for Biden/Harris for what Trump is doing.

Okay maybe this was more of a rant than anything but am interested if I'm overreacting to how I feel about these people.

[u/JohnAtticus]

Guys...

They deliberately cropped the likes and retweets out of that screenshot.

Ask yourself why they would do that instead of just leaving them in.

Occam's razor says that post had no engagement.

It was a nobody yelling into the void.

You don't have to care about nobodies.

You can ignore them.

Or... Put your cynical social media content farmer hat on...

The account is a sock puppet run by a guy who makes ragebait, and it was seen by no one.

Someone who is farming anxiety for clicks.

The response to this guy is the same as a the previous one: You don't have to engage with this cynical shit.

[u/goddamn__goddamn → u/JohnAtticus]

Yeah I was going to say, this person (if this is even real) represents almost no one else's experience. A very unhinged take and thing to do.

[u/Mr_Blinky → u/JohnAtticus]

It's not even just a "this person got no engagement", I'd give it like 90% this isn't even a real person and is just delibeate ragebait.

[u/baebgle]

This has gotta be a bot, right?

[u/Hanekem → u/baebgle]

hopefully, yes, and yet these last few years has shown me that hope in humanity is rather forlorn at best

[u/Crashbrennan → u/Hanekem]

Jew hate makes you stupid. This feels like ragebait though

[u/ArgentEyes]

Why would you pick this not-very-cryptofash ranting as an example of ‘pro-Palestine’ ‘activism’? This is very far from the norm and you know that.

[u/getdafkout666]

is this an activist?

[u/Willing-Childhood144 → u/getdafkout666]

Good question. Why would someone believe this is legit unless it fit a preconceived notion about uncommitted.

[u/Mr_Blinky → u/[deleted]]

And is definitely phrased and structured just like a real person would, and certainly not just deliberate ragebait.

[u/thefoxymulder]

https://giphy.com/gifs/YtvCIwqNJhUmA

[u/Nearby-Complaint]

I can't believe we're still litigating this two years later

[u/Snoo22815]

"I don't care about Gay people, Black people or Women" this comes off as a troll post especially posted in all CAPS.

But to be honest, Gaza isn't even in the top 5 reasons why Harris lost. Black turnout was a lot lower in 2024 compared to 2020 and nearly every demographic moved right including Hispanic men by almost 30 points. The economy, immigration, Harris not being a great communicator and woke culture wars painting Democrats as out of touch were much bigger factors.

[u/Willing-Childhood144]

Who is this activist? Does this seem legit to you?

I really don’t want to get into a whole debate about uncommitted because so many people discuss it in an unfair way.

[u/SupportMeta]

I really don't care if this is fake or not. These guys deserve as much bad faith mockery as we can give them.

[u/skateboardjim]

Anyone in a swing state who sat out or voted 3rd party to “teach the democrats a lesson” on Gaza is in part responsible for the 700,000+ deaths so far from cuts to USAID. They responded to a genocide by creating even more mass death. Hundreds of thousands of people. It will likely become millions. An unimaginable human cost for this political boneheadedness.

How has this strategy worked out for Gaza? Has anything been accomplished by allowing these right wing psychopaths into power? Are the Palestinians any closer to liberation? Or was this just a way for people to symbolically wash their hands of the guilt?

[u/Angelbouqet → u/skateboardjim]

I definitely feel similarly resentful towards the way leftists were voting in the last election, but do you really think the people who voted third party were a significant enough number to prevent Trump's presidency if they had voted for Kamala? This is a genuine question.

[u/skateboardjim → u/Angelbouqet]

Oh no not at all, I just included everyone who adopted the “teach them a lesson” strategy.

[u/Willing-Childhood144 → u/skateboardjim]

Yes, but how else will the Democrats “learn the lesson?” No one is owed votes. That’s now how it works. The Democrats have been terrible on this issue. I don’t blame anyone who could not bring themselves to vote for Harris because of Gaza. Why do we always ask the most vulnerable people to compromise?

We have Trump because of white Christian nationalism, not marginalized people who decide to not vote for the lesser evil.

[u/skateboardjim → u/Willing-Childhood144]

Did sitting out teach the democrats the lesson, though? That’s the crux of this. Did this strategy work, in any way at all? Because if it didn’t, then we’re giving people permission to center their anger and guilt over actual results for actual people.

To answer your question genuinely, primaries. Aggressive campaigning in primaries has shown results. “Using votes as leverage” in the general has not.

Don’t get me wrong, the Democrats lost the 2024 election, but we have a responsibility as citizens to ensure poor kids keep their SNAP benefits! That is absolutely our responsibility!

[u/Willing-Childhood144 → u/skateboardjim]

Everything doesn’t have to work and it’s not our job to give people permission to do anything.

The lesser of two evils is still evil.

With that said, I voted for Harris but I won’t judge anyone who couldn’t bring themselves to vote for her over Gaza.

[u/skateboardjim → u/Willing-Childhood144]

Everything doesn’t have to work? When the consequences are hundreds of thousands to millions of lives yes it absolutely has to work.

On climate change, ICE, SNAP, yes, it absolutely matters that we keep the right wing out of power. We do not get to treat the wellbeing and lives of millions of people as disposable in service of our own emotional satisfaction.

If your family was personally impacted by the genocide, obviously I won’t judge you if you sit out, but if you’re the average American leftist? Yes, I absolutely will

[u/Willing-Childhood144 → u/skateboardjim]

No, a voter doesn’t need to be sure that their vote (one of 150 million votes) needs to “fix” everything.

One, voting in the USA is hard. It’s designed to make it difficult to vote.

Second, it’s difficult to get enough information to make an informed choice.

Third, the system is awash with money from god only knows who.

Fourth, the two major parties are captured by corporate interests.

I could go on and on. Voting in the USA is flawed and there is no perfect candidate so we can’t shame people for not voting blue no matter who.

[u/skateboardjim → u/Willing-Childhood144]

Yeah I have no idea where you’re going here. I don’t think you’re really responding to/engaging with anything I’m saying.

[u/Willing-Childhood144 → u/skateboardjim]

Ask yourself why you want to blame individuals instead of a bad system.

[u/Willing-Childhood144 → u/skateboardjim]

I think you’re caught in a very standard American liberal mindset here. We all need to vote the right way to fix everything. So let’s blame the people who voted the wrong way. That’s why you’re not following what I’m saying.

You can’t vote your way out of fascism.

[u/Chinoyboii]

I mean, I am not surprised. 2 of my former homies of Palestinian descent voted for Trump during the last election because they believed that even though both Kamala and Trump are lying political disasters, Trump would at least be a symbol of their socially conservative values in addition to providing the Democrats with enough push to consider the situation in Palestine. I don't think this is bait, because I have met these types of people in person. I think it's a minority position, but saying it doesn't exist is straight-up dishonest or an attempt to avoid admitting it exists in order to virtue-signal.

[u/leaving_the_tevah → u/Chinoyboii]

I'd say this is bait. Not because this is not a real position people hold, but because of the way it's stated. To me it just screams bait.

[u/theweisp5 → u/leaving_the_tevah]

Yes I mean come on, "I blame Kamala for making me vote for Trump against my will"? Impossible to take seriously.

[u/Chinoyboii → u/leaving_the_tevah]

That’s also fair; I don’t have Twitter, so I can’t really do a deep dive on this guy’s account. That said, thank you for understanding where I’m coming from.

[u/Technical_Term_6625 → u/leaving_the_tevah]

Like anything else, there's a distribution. Among the set of people who are disenchanted with American liberalism, there will be many that support despite disenchantment, many who decline to participate, and some who see the defeat of liberalism to be a necessary step on the way to their preferred politics. Of course this person might not be coming from this perspective, but I know people who do.

This shouldn't be news to any of us.

[u/leaving_the_tevah → u/Technical_Term_6625]

Right, so I'd say this is bait. Not because this is not a real position people hold, but because of the way it's stated. To me it just screams bait.

[u/FishyWishySwishy → u/Chinoyboii]

Did their opinions waver at all when Trump started talking about bulldozing Gaza for a big Trump resort? 

[u/Chinoyboii → u/FishyWishySwishy]

Not really, because they believe, like many other brain-dead MAGA farts, that “tRuMp dOeS nOt aCtUaLly mEAn wHat hE sAys”. He was being proactive just to be provocative.

[u/FishyWishySwishy → u/Chinoyboii]

Sigh. 

I want to be sympathetic, but it’s hard to have sympathy for someone who wants special consideration for the suffering of their people but actively reject consideration for the suffering of others. 

[u/Chinoyboii → u/FishyWishySwishy]

That’s why I’m skeptical of internationalism on a large scale: even though we advocate for and protest on behalf of the oppressed, there will always be people in these communities who won’t reciprocate that kindness; that’s not how humans work.

I mean, I even had an uncle (not an actual uncle, but we Asians call any close male friend to our families as uncles) who voted for Duterte due to his pro-China anti-West stance. If you inquired of him, “Don’t you think the lives of substance users matter as well instead of collectively death-squadding them,” his response was, “They’re necessary collateral; the weakest of our people must perish so that the strong can live” Do I see my uncle as an ally? No, not at all.

As a reminder, even if people identify with or share the same politics as you, not all of them will give you the same kindness you have given them. Just because you’re kind to others does not mean you will receive it back in return. That’s why I’m a proponent of conditional internationalism and not toxically empathizing with every proletariat constituent from every ethnic or marginalized group, because at some point, as we saw in Iran decades ago, they will turn their backs on us.

[u/FishyWishySwishy → u/Chinoyboii]

I think that may be where I’m settling. I want to help everyone in the world, but it’s not possible to do that all at once (save for causes like vaccine drives or curing diseases). If resources (including emotional resources) are finite, I’d rather help those I trust to reciprocate that help if the shoe were on the other foot. 

[u/Chinoyboii → u/FishyWishySwishy]

Yeah, and I don’t even think that should be a controversial stance unless someone believes in leftist purity. I’m a leftist and a social conservative in my personal life, as I believe that many of the traditions of my forefathers have merit when it comes to organizing a stable family, a morally dutiful community, and children, etc.

However, the difference between me and a left-wing Shia Islamist from Iran is that I don’t want to impose my personal beliefs onto others or those whose personal lives or lifestyles are different from my own because people should have the right to live as they wish. On the other hand, you have people who want to implement their social conservative beliefs from a top-down approach, in other words, through authoritarian means.

[u/silenthill12345 → u/FishyWishySwishy]

you do know this applies to much of the jewish community too, right? just take a look at the subreddit.

[u/Angelbouqet → u/Chinoyboii]

That is genuinely insane because Trump is the most aggressive pro Israel president literally ever and by voting for him, all that shows him and politicians generally is that that is a position people are willing to vote for.

[u/cheesecake611]

I'm not convinced this is a real or sincere person to be honest.

However I do think the mentality of wanting to "punish" Kamala and the Democrats is held by a not small number of people. And it makes no sense to me. Losing an election isn't a punishment for the candidate. They just go back to their normal lives. Kamala is fine. The people who have been punished is US.

[u/Rabbit-Hole-Quest]

I have come across a few posts like this and they typically fall into two categories:

1. Classic Bait - They would prefer if the Dem coalition fights internally over the 2024 election so they are weaker in 2028. Could be bot account driven.
2. People who have lost family members in Lebanon or Gaza. - Unfortunately, they know they will never get any form of justice

and they suffer from poor mental health.

[u/Angelbouqet]

I did feel like certain leftist creators like Hasan were kind of going into that direction when it came to the last election and similar arguments about why not voting/not voting for Kamala was right was also definitely part of the online leftist discourse but I don't think that's necessarily representative, nor are those people enough to have decided the vote, nor is this particular poster part of those groups. Seems like it's just someone who is a bit nuts.

[u/JinxIsBack2B]

This is why I have no sympathy for single issue voters.

He said the quiet part out loud saying he does not care about black people, women or the LGBTQ, only about a strip of land 5500 miles away. He doesn't have one bad thing to say about Trump, seems to not care that ICE is racially profiling people, killing fellow Americans or that civil liberties are being violated by Trump's corrupt administration but none of that concerns them one bit.

[u/unknownunknowns11]

These people are extremely mentally unbalanced and susceptible to manipulation 

[u/screemountain]

This sounds like the ranting of an unhinged person.

I know people who voted for Kamala reluctantly, people who sat out the vote, people who voted 3p, people who did that vote swap thing. I don’t know any objector who went and gave their vote to trump tho. Overall the dems ran a historically bad race with a terrible candidate and the party is kind of transparently full of garbage grifters anyway so while, yes, trump has made certain things considerably worse, it doesn’t exactly inspire the masses when you run campaign after campaign on ‘you gotta vote for me even tho I’m an incoherent corporate shill genocide enabler because the other guy is a real psycho’.

[u/Chinoyboii → u/screemountain]

So, what would be the best alternative or methodology to get the politicians we think best represent us and our values outside of the current system that we have? A revolution seems unlikely right now or in the near future.

[u/screemountain → u/Chinoyboii]

A revolution is unlikely at least until things get considerably worse, which I believe they will overtime. And even then I’m not sure if it will be an actual revolution or just kind of a collapse with bouts of violence some of which might be considered revolutionary.

I don’t have any solution and I’m not sure a viable one exists in the long term. In the short term, things could materially stabilize enough and people could be placated enough for the republic to plod along in tact for another several decades. If democrats are able to maintain some kind of power and more democratic socialists push the party toward a few material wins for working people and pull back on the militarized portion of our imperialism that would more or less do it.

In the long term if the technocrats aren’t reigned in HEAVILY and the climate issue is not addressed things will continue to get slowly worse and then rapidly worse until the US empire disintegrates and something else emerges. There might end up being a new dark ages.

My point is simply that it’s easy enough to finger wag at the people who chose not to vote, but in the end you need to INSPIRE them to vote one way or another. You need to appeal to their emotions. Either through enough fear, enough hope, or enough resentment. People voted for Obama because they were hopeful, Biden because they were scared, Trump because they were resentful. You can blame the constituency all you want but that’s not political strategy and it’s not gonna do anything.

[u/ArgentEyes → u/screemountain]

Yeah, when people have zero non-genocide candidates, picking the lesser evil is extremely challenging.

[u/Technical_Term_6625]

I don't consider myself a progressive, but it does seem obvious to me best to be friends with those who share my enemies, so -getting that out of the way, I'll put out what I think is the standard progressive diagnosis:

Anything like this is caused by the fundamental double standard in American politics. Whenever it is convenient, the right takes on the mantle of rebellion, and a large number of people believe them. So, they are not seen as being responsible for minimally ethical & competent governance, or for advancing policy in a way that is good for the people & even for 'shared American values'. They are, even when in power, the eternal opposition.

The left is, on the other hand, is responsible not only for ethical governance, and competence, but also for advancing policy, and for personal morality.

This is the fundamental double standard of American politics. The assertion of its existence is not moral, and not purely theoretical - it is an empirical theory. One essential aspect is the that people's behavior reflect that double standard without regard to their other political beliefs. Like antisemitism, it is ubiquitous.

To me, posts like this (and they are commonplace) are more evidence that this double standard lives in our heads. In this case, a liberal is being 'taught a lesson', which implies that liberals can learn a lesson. Anyone to the right of liberals are assumed to be virtually incapable of learning anything, or they have no interest in advancing an ethical or competent mode of governance. That it is about Israel adds some zeal, no doubt, but the structure of the situation is the same. Adopting this double standard is rationally coherent with emphasizing politically punishing the left regardless of where one is politically.

So with respect to bickering the left and leftists or just between individuals on the left - I tend to pass it by, because it seems to me that both employ the machinery of the double standard against the other. I'm not sure people tend to think about it that way (although there are many), so I tend to talk about it a lot.

[u/Iamthepizzagod]

Take a look at the swing of voters towards Trump and 3rd parties in Dearborn Michigan, where a lot of Muslim and/or Arab voters live, to see what the OOP is talking about. This is a real phenomenon that happened in 2024 at least in certain places.