this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2024
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CHARLESTON — The West Virginia House of Delegates debated the merits of removing protections for public librarians and school librarians from criminal prosecution in the off chance a minor encounters books and content some consider to be obscene.

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[–] growsomethinggood@reddthat.com 18 points 9 months ago (2 children)

This is a general frustration, so not at all about you specifically, but: we can't keep condemning a whole state for the actions of their shitty government, even in a "haha West Virginia is full of republican hicks" or "can someone saw Florida off the mainland like Bugs Bunny already" or "Texas can just secede if they want, I don't care".

Painting these entire states by the brush of their elected government lowers our empathy for the people there, and that includes the people who didn't vote for these gerrymandered fucks, children who are affected by these policies without their input, and people who can't leave even if they wanted to. Those are real people who deserve to have things like libraries and the chance to escape poverty.

When we oppose policy decisions like this, we can't leave behind people who agree with us but are in terrible circumstances that they have no control over. Statistically the people who are going to make the West Virginia state government any better are already living there, and we need to be in community with them rather than pushing them away.

[–] mods_are_assholes@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Hot take: Every republican who voted trumpty dumpty a 2nd time doesn't deserve empathy.

I'll forgive the first timers, everyone else should lose their right to vote for supporting a seditionist.

[–] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I like your take. Hearing people tell me that since I live in Texas I must be a yee haw inbred who loves stripping women of rights won't change the fact that I'm totally against that, but it does hurt.

Speaking of gerrymandering, a lot of folks don't realize that it also affects statewide offices like US senators or the governor because it makes people like me feel like our votes don't matter. So fewer people at the polls who do agree with anything more liberal than owning other humans. That's great for the GOP. They're already trying to throw out all the votes in my city because we're blue so the less people that vote the more likely it is that nothing changes.

I'm both old enough and callous enough to not care what others think about me and my views, but that's not true of everyone. So I'll be voting against the GOP in my big red state. But the more people make fun of us the more likely it is that people will feel there's no way they can make a difference.

[–] bostonbananarama@lemmy.world -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Speaking of gerrymandering, a lot of folks don't realize that it also affects statewide offices like US senators or the governor because it makes people like me feel like our votes don't matter.

This is incredibly stupid. Not trying to be rude, but need to be honest. First of all, statewide elections aren't actually affected by gerrymandering, which you obviously know, so I'm not sure why you all would be discouraged from voting for statewide offices.

More importantly, gerrymandering is accomplished by diluting super majority districts with the opposing party from neighboring districts. This makes the formerly supermajority District much easier to flip, along with the previously leaning minority District. So organize and get out the vote, and you can flip multiple districts.

[–] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Because people are discouraged from voting at all. They don't believe it makes a difference.

You're right that it doesn't make a difference because of the way it works mechanically, but you're failing to take into account how many people are told and believe that since Texas is a red state that what they're doing doesn't matter. That breeds a group of apathetic folks.

We barely had about 1/2 of eligible voters and about 2/3 registered voters voting in the 2020 election and that was a high turnout.

This makes the formerly supermajority District much easier to flip, along with the previously leaning minority District. So organize and get out the vote, and you can flip multiple districts.

Everything is easy if you're not the one doing it. If you can't share the secret of how you've personally done what you call easy then maybe you shouldn't assume we're just not doing it. Because it's fucking hard when people don't believe their vote matters due to gerrymandering and being told that we're a red state. I've donated my time and money and it's fucking exhausting watching what should be an even split statewide go red.

Unless by starting your comment with "This is incredibly stupid" you meant everything that you were about to type up. In that case I retract this comment.

I'm not trying to be rude, but come show me how YOU do it or go fuck yourself.

[–] bostonbananarama@lemmy.world 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

you're failing to take into account how many people are told and believe that since Texas is a red state that what they're doing doesn't matter. That breeds a group of apathetic folks.

This is why Dems need to do more groundwork, knock on doors and get out the vote drives. Need to increase turnout numbers.

Everything is easy if you're not the one doing it. If you can't share the secret of how you've personally done what you call easy then maybe you shouldn't assume we're just not doing it

This is where reading comprehension really helps. If district A used to be 75% Republican and district B was 40% Republican before gerrymandering, and after gerrymandering district A is 55% Republican and District B is 60% Republican, guess what math tells us? It is now easier to flip District A! You don't need to turnout 50,000 Dems (as an example), maybe now you only need to turnout an additional 10,000. Gerrymandering makes safe districts much closer to contested districts.

I'm not trying to be rude, but come show me how YOU do it or go fuck yourself.

Seems like you are trying to be rude. But you're saying that gerrymandering affects statewide races, so I can't possibly care about rudeness from a moron with poor reading comprehension.

Texas is a cesspool of Republican shit stains. Your school boards routinely try to make textbooks anti-science and anti-history. Your AG has been under indictment for about a decade. And now your state is stripping women of their rights to bodily autonomy. That's just scratching the surface of the fuckery, I haven't even mentioned your electric grid or plans at secession.

If after all that you're too lazy or apathetic to vote, and to organize others to vote, then yes, you're incredibly stupid and you deserve what you've got.

[–] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

If after all that you're too lazy or apathetic to vote, and to organize others to vote, then yes, you're incredibly stupid and you deserve what you've got.

Now who did you say had a reading comprehension problem? I mentioned that I'm doing all those things. But you're too busy being a self righteous fuckwit to see it.

You're not worth it.You don't understand what I'm saying, and you're too stubborn stupid to actually try.

When you're ready to tell me how YOU'VE done what you're saying is easy for others, create a new user and message me from there. Until then, blocking.

[–] bostonbananarama@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

I want you to tell me how, so I blocked you!