@Mary625 @freemo "So let me get this straight… if I vote for a third party, I'm voting for Trump?"
"Yeah! You damn Nazi racist MAGAt."
"But they say the same in reverse."
"Who cares what MAGAts say?"
"And (hopefully) the machine actually counts the vote for the third party."
"So?"
"So you're telling me to vote third party, since that means your vote counts three times as much?"
"… f🈲 you!"
"No thank you. 🤢 Wait… since I vote for third parties, does that mean you'd enjoy it three times as much?"

@MySideIsHumanity

The fact that third-party vote pisses off both democrats AND republicans is a good enough reason on its own!

@Mary625

@MySideIsHumanity @freemo

Hahaha 😂

@Mary625 @freemo Thank you -- my mom's advice* of "Sometimes if you can't laugh you'll cry" has been one of the things keeping me sane through this madness, and I was hoping it wasn't just me who found the imaginary convo amusing. 🙃

(The closer I get to the cry end of the equation, the worse my humor gets as I strain to keep pretending it's all funny.)

* - and the wisdom of "Hawkeye" Pierce https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUeBMwn_eYc

@MySideIsHumanity @freemo

I don't know whether to laugh or cry

@Mary625 @freemo Ditto.

@MySideIsHumanity @freemo

🤗🤗🤗

This world is crueler now than any other time in my adult life. It's too much, too often, with no relief in sight

@Mary625

The world is the least dangerous as it ever has been... and yet people are scared to death of everything all the time..... That is a diseased state, plain and simple.

@MySideIsHumanity

@freemo @MySideIsHumanity

Cruel doesn't necessarily translate to violence. Yes, diseased state

@lonelyowl13 @Mary625 @freemo If you ask my old cynical self, the truth is that we have one party with two color-coded wings: The Billionaires' Party.

Either that, or it's just a long series of amazing coincidences that they pretend to squabble and hate each other over wedge issues (that they deliberately inflame and leave in limbo)… but they form up like Voltron every time their bosses' "profits" are threatened or their bosses have found a new way to expand their thievery and graft. 😏

@MySideIsHumanity @Mary625 @freemo

I mean, united states isn't the only democratic country with questionable political system but it's the only one with de-facto two party system where other political activity is just rat racing that could be safely ignored. And a thing that makes it especially puzzling is that it isn't a new phenomenon, democrats and republicans were dominant forces for the last century.

@lonelyowl13

So the two party system hoax, is bore out but an illusion that does lend to this thinking, and it can be understood why.

In FPTP voting systems there is a strong tendency for each election for there to be at most 2 parties that collect most of the votes. What a FPTP system does not do is cause the same 2 parties to consistently win during each election.

But its an illusion because it is not reflection actually support from the people. They will vote for someone other than who they want as a compromise. Sot eh actual "real" support is usually wildly different than the public manifestation of support in the form of votes.

In other words if parties have A: 35% B: 33% C:32% in terms of peoples preferred candidate, what you will see is the actual vote will turn out to be A:51% B: 49% C: 2%

However the very next year if C gains 1% support and B looses 1% support then the very next year you will see a sudden shift in votes at A: 51% B: 2% C: 49%

So while there isnt **really** a two party system this illusion tends to make people thing it is. Then once they think it is it becomes self reinforcing people people are idiots.

@MySideIsHumanity @Mary625

@freemo @MySideIsHumanity

Exactly what it is here. The DNC admitted in court that they choose the candidate in backroom deals. It's all about, and always about, the money.

Nothing was done about voter's rights, women's right, healthcare, minimum wage, the wage gap, the wealth gap, raising taxes on the wealthy, closing the tax loopholes for the wealthy, etc etc