my personal view on the mutual aid vs. harris thing
If the choice is between Trump and Harris, I think it's very important that Harris get elected, despite all the problems with her, because the alternative is significantly worse.
Likewise, I am somewhat excited about the renewed enthusiasm among Democrats to actually do anything at all, and go (relatively) on the offense. In that light, the fundraising success is a good thing! I hope she succeeds at winning the election, despite my misgivings about the political system as a whole.
HOWEVER.
At the same time, there are people on here, in *your local community on fedi*, that are literally starving, with their mutual aid requests going unanswered for sometimes months at a time. *Your* virtual neighbours.
And in that light, I also think it is a good thing that people who donate to Harris but not to mutual aid requests are being made very, very uncomfortable by angry folks, including 'polluting' the Harris hashtags.
There are sometimes situations where people need a reality check, to stop living in their political bubble where if they just find the right political strategy, everything will magically be fixed. I often say this in the context of anarchism, but it applies just as much to Democrats and their supporters.
This conflict is exactly that. It is people in poverty telling Democrat supporters, to their faces, that they have neglected to care for their neighbours despite clearly having the means. Confronting them with the harsh reality of their politics. That their supposed political ideals are worth nothing if they are not put into practice. And that is a very important message to convey.
If you are a Democrat, a liberal, however you identify, this is something you should be listening to. It's going to be uncomfortable, and it is *supposed* to be; it is meant to shatter your illusion that poverty is a hypothetical thing that happens to Other People Far Away, and drive you into constructive action.
You can deal with this either by stubbornly insisting that these 'annoying beggars' are in the wrong, or by learning from what you are being shown and taking action to rectify it to the best of your ability.
The choice you make will tell other people a lot about your politics.
@joepie91
> there are people on here, in *your local community on fedi*, that are literally starving, with their mutual aid requests going unanswered
Ok, I'm willing to believe most of these requests are totally legit.
But genuine question; if we don't know the person IRL, how do we tell the difference between legit requests and posts by grifters. Who've decided fake begposts on the fediverse are easier and less risky than ransomware attacks?
@strypey Why would this even matter? See also https://social.pixie.town/@joepie91/112855092008052476
And if we're talking about grifters, hoo boy, a very long conversation could be had about political fundraising. A conversation that notably wasn't had in this case.
I simply do not believe that a legitimate concern about grifts is the explanation here. *Distrust of poor people*, sure, that very likely has something to do with it, but that is very different from legitimate concern and precisely part of the problem.
@joepie91
> Why would this even matter?
Is that a serious question? Are you familiar with perverse incentives?
If making a random request for money on the fediverse reliably works, with no work required to establish a genuine need, this information will get around. The legit:grifter ratio will quickly move towards being mostly grifters. Directing money away from people in genuine need.
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@strypey Directing *what* money away from people in genuine need, exactly? The money you're implying people shouldn't send to anyone in the first place because "they might be a grifter"? That money?
Also, did you actually read the post I linked at all?
For further context, see my comments in other branches of the thread.
@joepie91
> The money you're implying people shouldn't send to anyone
... without having a prior relationship or doing some due diligence....
> because "they might be a grifter"?
Yes. That money.
@joepie91
> What are you actually trying to argue here?
You nailed it;
> do the due diligence and then send money to mutual aid requests
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