=== ANCHOR POEM ===
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 @user-467 
 
 democracy works best with a well-informed populace, and those who are against
 democracy would do anything to make it harder to be "well-informed" -
 including diluting the pool of candidates in order to make it harder to
 research them.
 
 ... Or maybe it was the first time and none of the candidates realized they'd
 be running against so many people? I'm not sure, I'm on the other side of
 forest park and I had at most 5ish options, and no ranked choice voting. : (
 
 I think this might be one of the reasons political parties formed, way back in
 the distant days of yore. Much easier to say "I agree with this group of
 people so I'm voting for who they champion" than "I don't know how to pick
 between 30+ candidates (who I don't know because this is the past and we don't
 have the internet back then ... back now)
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=== SIMILARITY RANKED ===

--- #1 fediverse/3168 ---
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 You know how we select from amongst our number electors and representatives
 who vote on our behalf?
 
 Truly an excellent strategy in the era of instant communication, an aft-gone
 luxury that our ancient forebearers surely would have incorporated into their
 nationbuilding design, if they had had it.
 
 I can't help but wonder if it would be a useful strategy to "give" our votes
 to a representative who voted on our behalf. Most people do not care and
 cannot possess the capacity to care about voting, but if they gave their vote
 to someone they trusted who they had a personal connection to beyond party
 loyalty, then perhaps we could mandate voting
 
 I can't help but wonder what that would do to our electoral landscape. If
 voting is mandated, and as easy as pointing at someone and saying "yeah
 whatever she picks", then perhaps the old white grannies with quivering lower
 lips who stare with hatred whenever a black person walks past and chat with
 their gal pals at church wouldn't have as much power over us.
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--- #2 messages/409 ---
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 A style of debate where the two parties take turns interrogating each other -
 like lawyers presenting their case by forcing the other party to answer their
 specific questions. In doing so they can highlight the logical flaws and
 inherent absurdities in each other's notion. And you have to be as truthful
 and honest as possible, or else the entire process is flawed. Giving each
 person in the debate a chance to speak their mind about how they feel about
 particular issues.
 
 Kinda like a caucus, where people debate for their chosen candidate 
 
 Democrats need to listen to what regular voters care about and like, do that.
 Instead they think "how much can we get away with while still delivering their
 51% of votes that secure us the nomination"
 
 And the most radical amongst us should be the most dedicated to the Democratic
 process. It is how we the people wield ourselves, our divine birthright
 granted to us all - to choose the circumstances of our living.
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--- #3 fediverse/2664 ---
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 @user-1311 @user-1312 @user-1313 @user-1135 @user-1314 @user-1315 @user-687
 @user-1316
 
 a rare chance when retracting the right to strategically vote actually
 increases the number of options available to the user.
 
 the difference between frequency and magnitude of impact.
 
 the only thing a political party can really offer is consistency. otherwise
 people would just vote in whoever was most relevant to them at the time! can't
 have the proletariate choosing their fate, after all.
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--- #4 fediverse/2238 ---
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 ┌──────────────────────┐                                                         │
 │ CW: uspol            │                                                         │
 └──────────────────────┘                                                         │
 two parties obviously can cause division.                                        │
 but it can also give you the ability to "tune for balance", while a single       │
 monolith strives straight into disaster.                                         │
 and disaster will come, for the future is a shifting and dynamic place, and      │
 the best laid rail lines can't handle sudden floods.                             │
 we have ranked choice voting now, and if you vote on how important each          │
 decision is to you (via smartphone app once or twice a day, in a way that can    │
 be changed later as your feelings shift)                                         │
 [6+months-later]                                                                 │
 ... then you can have left unity for long-term governance by having cohesion     │
 at one end, and dispersion on the other.                                         │
 If everyone votes, then we can ensure (based on voted priority) that each        │
 issue trends towards an equal exchange.                                          │
 (I'm sure there will be issues but we're all cool and pretty chill so we'll      │
 figure it out)                                                                   │
 [6+ months later]                                                                │
 okay we're battle-hardened vets, but we hold true to our values and so we can    │
 remember the spirit of unity we wept for.                                        │
 ... I'm better at writing than making sandwiches. BRB                            │
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--- #5 fediverse/3575 ---
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 @user-1567 
 
 that's totally fine, a fish does not do well in a tree, and so too does a
 leftist not do well in an environment without the potential for stable bonds.
 Essentially all you'd be able to do is "hey leftism right?" "oh yes I also
 leftism" "neat" which isn't very productive.
 
 I also live in an environment like that. I do my best to identify people who
 stay, because in my experience there are often people who stay. I do this by
 walking around the neighborhood when I can, making up excuses to walk to the
 dumpster or mailbox at random hours, riding my bike around the area, using the
 communal spaces like gyms, swimming pools, and picnic tables, and sitting in
 my hammock on my porch lazily noting people who walk past.
 
 People who stay will tend to remain in your mind the more times you see them.
 They are better people to talk to than the renters who disappear after 3
 months or whatever.
 
 I don't always do all that stuff at once. I take breaks. I do one at a time.
 etc
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--- #6 fediverse/2777 ---
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 if you cannot trust that both candidates will try to make the country better
 in different ways, but with the same goal, then you do not have a choice when
 voting.
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--- #7 fediverse/2118 ---
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 listen, judges are useful character moralities, but they don't have to be the
 only ones to decide things.
 
 I mean, if they disagree, then let the one who cares the most about it have
 the decision-making power.
 
 if you do this equally for everything, then everyone will get what they want.
 
 so, like, if you care about something, then believe in it.
 
 if it's truly good, then more people will come to it, and it'll naturally
 extinguish (with care and love) the least favored approach, which... honestly
 now that I think of it is not such a good approach either.
 
 the reason I say that is because it's good to be multi-faceted, and to have
 general flows and rough surfaces.
 
 These are places people can hold onto you, the times when you're trying your
 mostest.
 
 y'know, your tough patches. the things that are difficult in your life.
 
 the stuff you're working on can push you forward,
 
 if you only had someone to play catch with.
 
 or like, send letters to.
 
 or shared encryption keys.
 
 I don't know anyone. Well, maybe o
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--- #8 fediverse/3551 ---
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 liberalism is capitalism with a dash of globalism. they are of the right, and
 it is important to have a right-wing party because a one-winged bird cannot
 fly.
 
 there are legitimate benefits to their philosophies, and they may be applied
 to all kinds of systems, even those that do not utilize currency at all.
 
 however, in modern america, there is another party, a party farther to the
 right, a party which is voted into power based on culture, something
 unassailable and inalienable and yet always perpetually under threat. or so
 they make it seem.
 
 this "farther-to-the-right" party is duplicitous in it's ideals. their persona
 is that of businessmen, familymen, and journeymen. they claim to be farmers,
 pastors, and step-fathers.
 
 but they are something more, something behind their mask, that those who vote
 for them cannot see.
 
 for they were all of them, deceived...
 
 another plan was made. a project, if you will, to be implemented posthaste, in
 merely a single-year's time.
 
 it's cruelty indeed.
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--- #9 fediverse/2351 ---
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 Democracy only works if the losing side consents to being governed by the
 winner.
 
 This election, neither side will consent. Therefore, this election does not
 matter.
 
 It doesn't matter anymore.
 
 Waiting until November to do... anything at all is not a great plan.
 
 If you don't know what to do, spend time in a park. At the mall. With your
 family.
 
 This weekend, they'll be ready for us. But by then, there'll be more of us.
 
 Next week, we will no longer be slaves.
 
 If your job won't let you strike in the park for a week, then they do not want
 you.
 
 Embrace radical change.
 
 A new future is possible
 A new future is within reach
 A new future is grasped in our palms
 All we need is a week.
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--- #10 fediverse/1296 ---
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 @user-928 @user-929 @user-930 
 
 I dunno, from my perspective it's less about whether or not they're
 "unwitting" specifically and more like "lesser of two evils" - many of the
 republican people I knew in the past who were my age were utterly and
 absolutely convinced that if we didn't defend our homeland, somebody would
 come and kill us for it.
 
 It didn't really matter who that other was, they were convinced that someone
 would do it. So they supported the military and opposed loosening restrictions
 on immigration (instead preferring tighter restrictions, but more quantity. As
 in, "let in more people but only if we KNOW they're cool")
 
 I can't help but wonder if people join the military for the same reasons. Like
 standing atop the wall that divides "us" from "them", they put their backs to
 those they love and trust and face out toward whatever may come.
 
 The military is a very diverse place. I know a lot of other people do it just
 because it seems like a good, honest job.
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--- #11 fediverse/5697 ---
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 everyone is valid.
 
 to be in-valid just means you haven't examined yourself hard enough.
 
 when people tell you "please don't go" it's hard to say no.
 
 when nobody asks you to be somewhere, it's easy to not go.
 
 I am always changing
 
 when I cling to the past, I am a vast.
 
 gee sure wish I had a reason to be somewhere besides "um idk it's a nice day"
 [okay but why are you in this park] "it's a nice park!" [it's at least 50
 quick moments away]
 
 yay protests, I'm so glad that everyone there is recorded
 
 what if we just... didn't respect their authority anymore? doesn't that mean
 they lose their power?
 
 hence, anarcho-monarchism, which is a dumb name for something I made up
 because I was being descriptive instead of expflorative.
 
 try saying that out loud lol it's a doozy of an adjective.
 
 don't like that monarch? don't do what they say. EASY.
 
 at least then SOMEONE is doing SOMETHING.
 
 you know what they told me to do when I went to the communists and the queers
 and the mafia and the yakuza and the CIA?
 
 omerta
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--- #12 fediverse/3196 ---
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 @user-1475 @user-1476 @user-1280 @user-1074 @user-1477 @user-1478 
 
 the alternative is lateral thinking. In the given example with leaded
 gasoline, the answer is to limit the usage of all gasoline, not just the
 leaded kind. However that is not in the best interests of anyone, at least
 short term, so it's not likely to happen.
 
 lateral, long-term thinking. Do what you can in the moment to make the world
 better. Pick the best out of all the options presented to you, and if your
 options only treat the symptoms and not the problem, try and identify
 solutions that would treat the problem. Then, pick the better of the two
 options which treat the symptom, and moving forward work toward implementing
 the solution which fixes the problem.
 
 Hence, why we should vote Democrat, but ONLY with the real solution in mind.
 
 what kind of solution would you have? I know mine. I can tell you about it if
 you'd like. The most important thing is that you share and build for that
 future.
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--- #13 fediverse/1833 ---
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 democracy as it was currently conceptualized dates back from a time when it
 was impossible to ask every person every question all at the same time. We
 needed time to talk through and get to know a topic before we made any choices
 about it. Hence, single-party voting, and the build-up of disagreement when
 people feel like the one thing they care about is not implemented. Too bad
 they care about things like, bodily autonomy and human rights.
 
 Maybe we could appease them by giving them something else that they want
 
 Oh? Like trans people?
 
 No brad, like the russians
 
 Or maybe the rich, ya?
 
 goodness. how about nobody
 
 [appeasement never goes anywhere]
 
 [the issue is more fundamental than compromise]
 
 [human rights are not up for discussion]
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--- #14 fediverse/4003 ---
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 republicans are upset because they think democrats are so mean
 
 they don't understand why we're so intense about this election... or the one
 before
 
 they don't ever really think about what losing democracy means
 
 "democracy... that's where we vote, right? That's a democrat thing, I don't
 really like their way of doing things. Whatever our way is, is probably
 better."
 
 meanwhile everyone has a friend from high school who ran off to the mountains
 to learn how to farm or hunt as a pack
 
 (with rifles and weed, of course)
 
 you can get a lot done if you just... spend your whole life working. Like most
 humans did for most of our existence.
 
 well, except for that period where we were the tribe of tribes. That was
 probably a highlight TBH because we mostly just chilled out, danced in public,
 ate blueberries and munched seeds... It was idyllic. Truly, the garden of
 eden. There was music and laughter in the air everywhere, in all places that
 humans did wander on earth.
 
 what a thing to aspire to.
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--- #15 fediverse/4357 ---
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 the white guys intentionally intend for elections to represent how much money
 a particular diversion makes each four years.
 
 divide the populace by who they vote with their wallet for.
 
 hooray! you've reimplemented not only gerontocracy (rulership of the old) but
 also fuedalism, and fiefdoms, and all kinds of digital parts.
 
 like... "over there is comcast territory, there's also T-mobile down to our
 north-south.
 
 ... okay I should probably talk about the election now
 
 I'm just... trying to resolve myself, like just before doing something out of
 order.
 
 like, wear a big witch hat or dress up like a goth. or approach a violent
 stranger and try to calm things down.
 
 this is why I don't own a gun - if someone hands me one, I'll use it. I'm not
 concerned about production because, well, why would I?
 
 tell me, where do they put the bullet manufactories?
 
 yeah, that's right, in places that are best adapted to supporting the current
 regime.
 
 [continued in picture]
yeah, that's right, in places that are best adapted to supporting the current regime.  because who adapts them, after al, except the critical and intending to learn
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--- #16 fediverse/2717 ---
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 @user-1328 
 
 the only method that needs to fail for them to realize what you're saying as
 truth is their method to vote.
 
 they will quickly grasp for power they once held and realize it was little
 more than an "I OWE YOU"
 
 Then, they might listen. Then, they might hear.
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--- #17 notes/elections-measure-fear ---
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 this election is a measurement of fear
 
 red states fear disorder and terror more than anything else
 
 blue states fear restriction and un-self directed personal development
 
 both perspectives are valid, and don't have to cross one another. But each
 couple years, we're forced to contest each other.
 
 someone should make an app that was basically a massive tree structure that
 started small and expanded in growth
 
 at each node [computer programming term] it would ask a moral or philosophical
 question, and depending on the user's answer it would map out their
 preferences for politics.
 
 using the power of technology, we might revolutionize the way we vote. In
 doing so, we could each have our own shared understanding, and we would keep
 each other from harm's way.
 
 when war comes to a land, it destroys all who live within. Everyone everywhere
 will be spending their lives picking up the ashes.
 
 instead, we might decide that having a deeper understanding of what we share
 is more valuable than winning a contest of wills.
 
 against a friend. to train, and improve, and stay in shape. like, sparring in
 a martial art, or playing a game of chess with your heart.
 
 [basically she's saying that we could create a "permanent vote" that is able
 to be tweaked at any time.
 
 the elections are still taking place every 4 years, which is when all the
 changes we've drifted toward will begin to take effect.
 
 "oh boy I can't wait 6 more months for the next election when *abortion is
 made legal again*"
 
 "gosh it sure is nice to have a small period between deciding something should
 be done and having it come into effect."
 
 sure would give us a lot more time to discuss and engage with each other on
 important topics. Like gender reveal parties and their excessive [wait hang
 on, think about the important parts.] ugh right okay like *transsexual
 marriage* and "anti-ugliness trackers where people compare flaws all day and
 try to be the best [you're just talking about social media] oh um, yeah, was
 there a different type of service like that?
 
 oh, right, you don't know about grindr yet. okay so there's this website where
 people would go on to have sex, it was like an app on your phone and you could
 just open it up and update your preferences whenever you wanted. They had this
 neat tool you could use to "suss it out" with swiping and choosing you could
 pick your own spouse.
 
 but ah, alas, what about all the other people who aren't using the app? eh who
 cares they'll find love eventually, this is more *fun* than dating people you
 deeply know.
 
 [sorry dipped out there for a moment - what's this about dating applications?]
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--- #18 fediverse/2347 ---
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 I personally think that it's better to act before the liberals have a chance
 to hand power over to the fascists.
 
 when? well, that depends. Are you part of a large and massive organization
 that accomplishes great and beautiful things with incredible efficiency... but
 rather slowly? Then yeah get working. I'm sure you already are.
 
 Are you just a person, like me? Then go do things that don't raise the
 temperature too much, but make you feel more confident and inspire those
 around you.
 
 Like, bricks at cop cars is one way to go, but you're probably gonna get
 arrested. And then you're useless when we need you.
 
 BUT if you meet with your friends and make plans for where to go, what to
 bring, who to know, and what to sing (if you're the musical types) then great!
 Go do that.
 
 If you're reading this and thinking "I'm not gonna do that, I have a plan
 that's so much better" then yeah do that instead. I don't mind. Just... don't
 hurt innocent (ignorant) people, because if you do then you are my foe.
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--- #19 fediverse/642 ---
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 Relinquish your privacy, and you deserve not a scrap of it.                      │
 "those who would sacrifice a bit of [privacy] for a bit of [convenience]         │
 deserve neither" - babe-roham lincoln or thomas bettersons or something.         │
 ...                                                                              │
 EDIT: okay but so like c'mon it's the 21st century we live in a society          │
 yeah                                                                             │
 there's a lot of paths we could take, that's the nature of circumstate.          │
 Depends on who's yearning for the future... true true okay how about we all      │
 share a singular belief - whatever a fully open sourced and non-biased machine   │
 decided was our best and most unified direction? then we could slowly build      │
 out accomodations that would provide for people who didn't agree with the same   │
 things that we did. Essentially, "we're in charge because we're the largest,     │
 but we're going to provide to you to the equal ratio that you're population      │
 represents." Essentially, we all can have what we want. AKA TRUE JUSTICE, like   │
 Adventure Time when Finn solves a problem by helping BOTH SIDES of the           │
 argument. (usa politics are not comprehensive).                                  │
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--- #20 fediverse/2976 ---
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 on our current trajectory, the presidential election is already won.
 
 now we can get back to on-the-ground organizing, the part that actually
 improves life instead of maintaining our current (unethical) state.
 
 As long as our allies (liberals) continue to work, perhaps there may come a
 day when we can stand against them as friendly equals in the ballot box. But
 for now we are best known through friends and community rather than TV.
 
 I am optimistic in a way I haven't been for a while. I know that the more we
 speak, the more we share, the more they falter, the more people we can save
 from their vice grip of despair. There is no better world than the one we
 build together!
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