this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2024
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US Authoritarianism

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[–] [email protected] 81 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

In California they have prisoners fight the wildfires. I find it sickening, but it's a popular program. I wonder if that's where this result comes from. The wildfires get worse and worse and they need bodies to sacrifice. Depressing.

[–] FlashMobOfOne 36 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

My thoughts as well.

It's the wildfires. They don't want to pay more in taxes to hire more firefighters, at least that's what makes sense to me.

It's still an abominably shitty thing and, IMHO, a human rights violation too.

[–] Warl0k3 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

It's at least a volunteer program, they aren't directly forcing people to fight the fires. A lot of people, the prisoners included, consider it a way of repaying their debt to society. I'm pretty sure I don't agree with a great deal of the situation in which it exists, but I do think that if I was in prison, being able to to something, feel like I still matter, would be some comfort.

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[–] Maggoty 20 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

That's a volunteer program. This is inside the prison work and comes with physical and mental punishment if you refuse.

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[–] NarrativeBear 54 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

Looks like people voted no to slavery, but the question asked do you not support slavery.

The answer should have been (yes) I do not support slavery.

Instead (no) I do not support slavery.

I can image a good chunk of people got confused with the wording, and I myself am still confused reading it.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Are you sure? It seems pretty straightforward to me. “This amendment would bar slavery and involuntary servitude.” It’s the first sentence.

[–] rdrunner 13 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I bet the wording on the ballot was different. Similar election results sites for my local ballot measures hasve greatly simplified the language the ballot had (which honestly is probably how ballot measures should be written)

[–] krashmo 16 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Or maybe Americans are largely shitty people. Stop trying to excuse the behavior and accept it for what it is

[–] rdrunner 9 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Well yeah, obviously, but the wording of a question is often manipulated to lead people to different results. That's all

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago

You know, reading that today, and putting myself in the shoes of an overworked, everyday American, it seems the wording does leave something to be desired. I wonder how that vote would have turned out if the question were: "Do you support slavery as long as the person was convicted of a crime and is in prison?"

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[–] Wilzax 39 points 2 weeks ago

Your wording is more confusing to me

[–] Maggoty 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This is the ballot text, it's not really confusing at all.

Link

[–] NarrativeBear 18 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The link you supplied clears it all up. No way anyone could have misunderstood the vote, the ballot even outlines what yes and no mean in the context.

I think I now agree with what krashmo said in the thread below.

"Or maybe Americans are largely shitty people. Stop trying to excuse the behavior and accept it for what it is"

[–] AngryCommieKender 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The part that was most surprising to me was this:

ARGUMENTS

PRO Proposition 6 ends slavery in California and upholds human rights and dignity for everyone. It replaces carceral involuntary servitude with voluntary work programs, has bipartisan support, and aligns with national efforts to reform the 13th Amendment. It will prioritize rehabilitation, lower recidivism, and improve public safety, resulting in taxpayer savings.

CON No argument against Proposition 6 was submitted.

No one came out in opposition? Not even the bureau of prisons, or the warden's union‽‽ And it still didn't pass?

Edit: I, and all my housemates claim to have, voted for this proposition, and actually all the propositions I had on my ballot in IB to pass. It's truly disheartening to see that all the other props that mattered less than this one passed, and this one that literally seems to have no downsides is potentially failing.

For reference, the downsides of almost every single other proposition on the IB ballot would increase various taxes, and all of them passed. WTELF you stupid NIMBYS‽‽‽

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Nobody wants to admit they support slavery but clearly >50% do

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[–] blazeknave 37 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The props are worded so insanely that without hours of prep, I would vote incorrectly.

[–] kofe 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

My state banned ranked choice voting by an insane margin because it was worded like "only citizens should be allowed to vote, and each citizen only gets one vote each!" Literally two Google searches would clear it up if people had more critical thinking skills

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

A "resistance" against the will of the majority is generally called a terrorist organization.

Progressive Americans, face it: Most of the people around you want this.

[–] Allonzee 48 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 children)

George Carlin called it decades ago.

The politicians are a reflection of us.

Our PEOPLE suck.

A fat, greedy, proudly ignorant, proudly racist, spray tanned elitist bully drunk on schaudenfreude is the perfect American mascot.

He's like the United States took human form. A monument to all our sins.

If you still consider the rugged individualism we crow about a feature and not severe mental illness, you are infected with the disease. If you want winners and losers, go live in the forest and see if you live or die.

Societies need to work together, and we have been trained in the spirt of capitalist competition🤮 to compete against eachother, to tear eachother down, to root against one another hoping to get moooaaaar for ourselves. This is the very opposite of a society.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 weeks ago

The first part is not true. The White rose and the french resistance in ww2 are both called "resistance". So the distinction between terrorists and resistance is in the eye of the historian.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 weeks ago

This is the first result I checked for when I woke up this morning, and I nearly vomited when I saw the breakdown. Half the vote is still uncounted, but I don’t think the result will change. I’m ashamed of my neighbors.

[–] slickgoat 24 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Call for resistance? You can get enough Americans to get off their arse to vote every four years?

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[–] anas 21 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

To be fair, and that’s being very fair, it does end with “allowing involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime” and a case could be made for confusing wording.

[–] Maggoty 11 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

This is the ballot text, it's not really confusing at all.

Link

[–] anas 12 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Oh wow, that’s actually explained very well. Fair enough, y’all just want slavery I guess lol

[–] Maggoty 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

But only as a punishment for a crime. Like the new felony theft of a toothbrush from the other proposition we have definitely passed. (Made what was previously misdemeanor theft into felony theft, and yes we still have a 3 strikes law to imprison you for life.)

California is not some progressive bastion. It's a conservative state that doesn't bother the LGBTQ community.

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[–] Maggoty 16 points 2 weeks ago

It hasn't been called yet but I certainly didn't have California votes to be a slave state on my 2024 bingo card.

[–] taiyang 6 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

I think it'll be a few days before everything is counted, since California is pretty slow. That said, conservative turnout seems pretty high so I wouldn't be surprised if it fails.

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