I mean what else can be said.... people act like congress wasn't kneeling with kente cloths while our loved ones were getting full clips emptied into them. Congo been being looted before they chopped up Lumumba and vanquished him in acid. Like we learned nothing from Obama apparently - or maybe people are too afraid to admit to themselves what is the real cost to get to the world on the other side of this one, an activist is not the same as a freedom fighter. The most perceptive of us peeped game. Our problems are further crystalized when the most reductive of us are defining our circumstance, drafting up dreams of the future. Loudly. People are mostly just incredibly uneducated and dishonest. If you still trusted these mechanisms after all this I would call you naive or uninformed. You don't negotiate with colonizers you defeat them on every level possible - including and most importantly militarily. That's a risk most of us are too afraid, lazy and tired to take
I appreciate the call to keep our feet within reality, you put it much more elegantly than I can but we as the side in a class war currently being decimated need to understand that choosing someone better to fill a role which in it of itself is meant to cause us harm cannot be the answer there is no more progressive manager of empire.
I agree that we shouldn't put all our energy into elections rather than community care. I don't agree that the celebration over Mamdani is about settling for token representation, unlike Harris or even Obama. People are excited about his policies, not only his demographic identity. Whether those policies can survive in this system, well, we'll have to see!
It means fuck the police and white frankly you could’ve googled that.
His policy proposals are just that for now, proposals. It’s not tangible — and the skepticism that they might not ever be is, in its own particular way, a way of caring for each other.
Ughh you're right. I fell for the opportunity to feel hopeful with Zohran's win, but you're right. It's all still part of this game to distract us from claiming real power from the empire's grip. You made great points here - thank you for keeping us focused on the bigger picture.
Highkey resonating with this piece, especially as someone who’s been working inside the system for years with very little to show for it, and a lot of disillusionment. This critique hits hard and raises real concerns that shouldn’t be dismissed. That said, I’m still grappling with a few tensions:
Is it really an all-or-nothing binary, either you’re in the system or you’re in the revolution? Can we imagine a model where inside and outside actors are in strategic alignment? I don’t know if that’s possible, but it feels like something worth exploring, especially if we’re serious about long-term power building.
I completely agree that Zorhan isn’t liberation: no one person is. But does that mean his campaign is worthless? That nothing meaningful can be achieved through the system at all? Maybe it’s rare, maybe it’s incredibly difficult, but I’m not ready to fully write off those possibilities.
The system is violent and broken, no question, but people still live and die under it every day. And working only outside of it can risk abandoning those most immediately impacted. Revolution doesn’t feel close enough (yet) to meet everyone’s material needs. That’s part of what keeps me tethered, even when it hurts.
Lastly, maybe I’m naive, but I do think it’s possible for politicians to be strategic without selling themselves out. It’s a tightrope few have walked well, but I’m not sure we should equate strategy with betrayal across the board.
Still sitting with all this. Grateful for the fire in this piece, and for the chance to wrestle with these contradictions instead of numbing out.
I mean what else can be said.... people act like congress wasn't kneeling with kente cloths while our loved ones were getting full clips emptied into them. Congo been being looted before they chopped up Lumumba and vanquished him in acid. Like we learned nothing from Obama apparently - or maybe people are too afraid to admit to themselves what is the real cost to get to the world on the other side of this one, an activist is not the same as a freedom fighter. The most perceptive of us peeped game. Our problems are further crystalized when the most reductive of us are defining our circumstance, drafting up dreams of the future. Loudly. People are mostly just incredibly uneducated and dishonest. If you still trusted these mechanisms after all this I would call you naive or uninformed. You don't negotiate with colonizers you defeat them on every level possible - including and most importantly militarily. That's a risk most of us are too afraid, lazy and tired to take
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
you always have a clear head on stuff like this. i really appreciate it.
This was a phenomenal read, I always appreciate your perspective on shit
I appreciate the call to keep our feet within reality, you put it much more elegantly than I can but we as the side in a class war currently being decimated need to understand that choosing someone better to fill a role which in it of itself is meant to cause us harm cannot be the answer there is no more progressive manager of empire.
I agree that we shouldn't put all our energy into elections rather than community care. I don't agree that the celebration over Mamdani is about settling for token representation, unlike Harris or even Obama. People are excited about his policies, not only his demographic identity. Whether those policies can survive in this system, well, we'll have to see!
What does "fuck 12" mean?
It means fuck the police and white frankly you could’ve googled that.
His policy proposals are just that for now, proposals. It’s not tangible — and the skepticism that they might not ever be is, in its own particular way, a way of caring for each other.
Good point about skepticism as care.
When I googled it, I got warnings that I shouldn't look for underage adult material!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😭☠️☠️ ok this was hilarious
Ughh you're right. I fell for the opportunity to feel hopeful with Zohran's win, but you're right. It's all still part of this game to distract us from claiming real power from the empire's grip. You made great points here - thank you for keeping us focused on the bigger picture.
thank you thank you thank you for your focus, clarity and salience
Highkey resonating with this piece, especially as someone who’s been working inside the system for years with very little to show for it, and a lot of disillusionment. This critique hits hard and raises real concerns that shouldn’t be dismissed. That said, I’m still grappling with a few tensions:
Is it really an all-or-nothing binary, either you’re in the system or you’re in the revolution? Can we imagine a model where inside and outside actors are in strategic alignment? I don’t know if that’s possible, but it feels like something worth exploring, especially if we’re serious about long-term power building.
I completely agree that Zorhan isn’t liberation: no one person is. But does that mean his campaign is worthless? That nothing meaningful can be achieved through the system at all? Maybe it’s rare, maybe it’s incredibly difficult, but I’m not ready to fully write off those possibilities.
The system is violent and broken, no question, but people still live and die under it every day. And working only outside of it can risk abandoning those most immediately impacted. Revolution doesn’t feel close enough (yet) to meet everyone’s material needs. That’s part of what keeps me tethered, even when it hurts.
Lastly, maybe I’m naive, but I do think it’s possible for politicians to be strategic without selling themselves out. It’s a tightrope few have walked well, but I’m not sure we should equate strategy with betrayal across the board.
Still sitting with all this. Grateful for the fire in this piece, and for the chance to wrestle with these contradictions instead of numbing out.
https://open.substack.com/pub/marcospaulocandeloro/p/thetotalitarianismoftheballotbox?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=zvhi