Now, I did a post on this previously, but after getting into an argument with some idiots, I decided to write another, more concise post aimed at addressing this question.
If you vote third party, and you vote on the basis of your ideological values or whatever "single issue" you care about, you're voting your values. Very few people will dispute this. Heck, the holier than thou "pragmatic" voters will go on about how your vote is a worthless virtue signal and blah blah blah.
But you want to know what else is a virtue signal? Not shutting the heck up about how you're voting for "pragmatic" reasons or based on "real world consequences." Blue no matter whoers literally are some of the WORST virtue signallers. They are tied with the WORST of the third party voters in signalling their virtue. The difference is, that their values are different than the people who are in the first group. But it makes them no less virtue signally than those people.
If anything, in some ways, I think the "pragmatic" voters are worse. At least the third party voters are honest about their values. They say they vote their values and they do. But the other group tends to dance around this. They tend to be obnoxious centrists who frame their choice as "non ideological" or go on about how they're "living in reality." The problem with these people is that they are no less ideological or value driven than anyone else. They just obnoxiously and falsely believe that they are somehow above the fray. As I've said before, always be skeptical of those who try to portray their views as "reality." Because let's be fricking honest about these people. They are just so blind to their own ideological biases and values that they mistakenly believe they are "above the fray" or "above ideology", when in reality, they are just as ideological as anyone else.
And I gotta be honest, any time these guys start going on about how moral they are for voting based on "real world consequences" or "pragmatism", THAT IS JUST AS MUCH OF A VIRTUE SIGNAL AS THOSE WHO VOTE THIRD PARTY FOR IDEOLOGICAL REASONS. You just have a different value system than them. But it is no less of a value system and no less of a virtue signal.
The big problem with these people is they literally lack self awareness. They really do think they're above it all and superior to everyone else, and that they're right and everyone else is wrong. And it's insufferable to listen to, because, guess what, to everyone who doesn't agree with you, your ideology and your values is on display for everyone to see, and not only do we see it, we're sick of seeing it. We're sick of hearing about it. Because you guys don't stop lecturing everyone else, EVER. And you literally won't shut the heck up. You're so convinced of your objective rightness that you are literally blind to your own biases. And I don't know what else to say to these people at this point. If they can't see it, they can live in their own illusory realities, but honestly, they just don't understand they're pissing everyone the heck off.
And btw, I am voting for Harris this year. I may not like it, but she is the best candidate, and Donald Trump is a danger to democracy. As I said before, I don't even like Jill Stein, even if she's my second choice currently. I just value the concept of third party voting in principle, and do believe that in a more normal election cycle, that it's a perfectly valid option. I wouldn't advocate for it in an election year where Donald Trump is on the ballot any more, and is as dangerous as he's gotten these days. But any other year with any other candidate? Sure. Hell, even Donald Trump 2016 and 2020 were perfectly acceptable years to protest vote in my eyes too.
And you know what? If you vote for the blue candidate and have a harm reduction lesser evil pragmatic worldview, you do you. Just understand that you're not above the fray, or a better person for it, and acting like you are is just as much of a virtue signal as any green voter going bugnuts over Palestine right now. it's just a different set of values. Own it. And stop acting like you're the only rational people or the only adults in the room or whatever.
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