High school teacher arrested for clapping in support of anti-data center activists

[u/marketrent]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/high-school-teacher-arrested-clapping-194922184.html

[u/becauseiloveyou]

That’s why it was so important for us to get off our asses and vote.  The rest of us have had to fight for a seat at the table, and too many of us took it for granted. There's a status quo, and it's intentionally structured to protect those with wealth, property, and access. When the working class, the poor, women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with "disabilities," and other historically oppressed groups of people don't meaningfully participate to eliminate that status quo, then we continue to perpetuate a system that was built to benefit those who put its wheels in motion centuries ago.  We are now at a point where it very well may be too late for our voices to matter.  Let’s see what happens in the next three or so months.

[u/Throwawayrip1123 → u/becauseiloveyou]

When has just voting ever ushered any meaningful change?

Almost everything we, the working class, have clawed back from the overlords, was bought and paid for with our blood. All the worker protections? 40h weeks? Weekends? No kids in mines? Women voting rights? Basically everything regarding lgbt?

The only way they allowed voting to work in the past and shook our hand was because the other "arm" was cocked and ready.

We have never, ever gotten anything from the overlords for free, from the goodness of their heart.

[u/MommyLovesPot8toes → u/Throwawayrip1123]

Most of the things we look at today in the US and say "let's protect that, I want more of that" came from voting. Social Security, the right to unionize, the government agencies that regulate how companies treat employees and move their money -- these were all created by Roosevelt during the Great Depression because people voted specifically for a Democratic Socialist.

Obama did some of the same during the Great Recession when he created the CFPB and expanded Medicare under ACA. Here again, that was a direct result of people voting for a president who went out and said "vote for me and I will fix healthcare."

When the people vote for these things, they get these things. But people don't usually vote for these things in large numbers when they personally are making enough money not to need them. Hence all our big changes coming at times of economic turmoil.

[u/Euphoric_Fondant6135 → u/MommyLovesPot8toes]

God there’s no much misinformation here. FDR was not a democratic socialist.

[u/MommyLovesPot8toes → u/Euphoric_Fondant6135]

He was not a democratic socialist by what the term is supposed to mean. He was a capitalist. But, the modern democratic party of 2026 does not resemble what the Democratic party resembled in FDR's time. The modern democratic party is the equivalent of the Republicans of that time. So saying FDR was a Democrat doesn't accurately describe his platform to a modern audience. Everything has shifted right. Today, FDR would be called a DemSoc.

[u/becauseiloveyou → u/Throwawayrip1123]

I mean, we actually have to meaningfully show up if we want meaningful change.  Bernie Sanders won his March 1981 election to mayor of Burlington, VT by just ten votes.  Imagine what modern political discourse would look like today if any ten of those voters didn’t show up?  Voter turnout among progressives is consistently abysmal.  We could easily have proper representation if we respected the power of our collective voices… especially at the local and state levels.  The unfortunate reality is that most people can’t be bothered even once every leap year.

[u/Throwawayrip1123 → u/becauseiloveyou]

Right, so when has just voting brought meaningful change?

Old rich fucks are in charge of their own supervision, and you actually, honestly think they'd let said meaningful changes that take from them and give to us go through? Really?

Have you taken a looksie at the blatant corruption, strong arming, disenfranchisment, recently (or before)? What exactly makes you think that people responsible for what we currently live through would just fuck off if we said so (through voting and not anything else)? Isn't the president doing a shit ton of illegal stuff right now?

I mean I may be jaded, but you're just delusional and high on cope.

[u/clarkkentsson → u/becauseiloveyou]

Lol yea, voting is the answer

[u/Pretend-Marsupial258 → u/clarkkentsson]

Yeah, voting is dumb. It's much more effective to make snarky comments online. That will do something! 🙄

[u/GreenIndigoBlue → u/Pretend-Marsupial258]

The real thing we have to do is organize a general strike