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@ sj_zero
2025-03-13 08:46:53
Why should you feel ashamed of someone else's actions -- especially if they're actions you disagree with and have no meaningful capacity to change?
What is anyone gonna do? Go full uncle ted? A few people tried that, it didn't improve anything.
People can go "but muh democracy", but in its current form, democracy is a sham intended to increase buy-in (which works -- democratic societies can have much higher taxation before revolution occurs, and we're some of the highest taxed people in history). Of course, that isn't to say that every politician is exactly the same and literally nothing ever changes, but in general, people were disgusted by red so they voted blue, then they were disgusted by blue so they voted red again, and we're all still less free (in terms of what government enforces) than 40 years ago.
In my view, the only long game has nothing to do with the state -- voting red or blue doesn't change the fundamentals in the long term, because the forces that choose who you even get to choose between are so disconnected from reality. The only solutions are local -- trying to become a strong individual, being a good family member, being a good parent, being a good neighbor, being a good parent, to create a culture that overwhelms the state and the market.
"Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one."
In the end, empires fall, urban monoculture fails, and what's left? The people who are strong enough to live without it.