this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2024
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Abstaining from voting makes you somewhat complicit in whoever wins. You have the ability to affect the outcome with whatever choice you make (Harris, Trump, neither). If you choose neither, it is partially your fault the winner won as you could have voted against them.
It can be boiled down to a classic trolley problem. A greater harm the trolley is hurling towards, a lesser harm you could divert the trolley to. You can choose inaction and let the greater harm happen or you can choose action and cause the lesser harm. Most people think the lesser harm, even if they enact it, is better. But it's a classic morality problem for a reason. Some people view the action to cause the lesser harm as less moral even if it prevents the greater harm.
Its more like being held prisoner than like the trolley problem. Harris could say right now that she will stop the weapons shipments when she becomes president but she does the opposite of that. The blame for those shipments and the possible loss of the election are 100% on her and not anyone else. I'm not committing genocide. Harris is. And the people who vote with her are complicit.
In the classic trolley problem, if you do nothing then the murderer is the person who tied the people to the tracks. You are not using that analogy correctly.
Even if they did hit a switch, they bear no responsibility for who is murdered. Again thats to the person who created the situation.
I have never heard that interpretation. Everyone I've ever seen talking about it agrees that if you flip the switch, you are complicit. Why else would there even be a discussion of if you should or not?
Except if you flip the switch while the trolley is halfway (front wheels have passed, rear one haven't). Then you derail the trolley and nobody dies.
A lot of people on the trolley might.
You can have that discussion but neither makes a person a murderer, thats the point. Much like a person who refuses to vote for a democrat or republican is not genocidal.
Besides all that, there is no consensus that the democrat track is less genocidal than the republican track. Try the trolley problem again but with equal life on each side.
If voting for Harris makes you complicit, not voting does as well. Neither option is "murderer" or "genocidal". But you contribute your small part to the outcome just by virtue of having some modicum of influence.
Okay and what benefit is there to influencing the decision if it won't change the outcome either way?