‘They will vote against Harris’: Arab Americans in Michigan desert Democrats over Gaza

www.theguardian.com ‘They will vote against Harris’: Arab Americans in Michigan desert Democrats over Gaza

Hamtramck, population 28,000, has new Trump campaign office weeks from election in hopes of gains in swing state

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/21396125

Stephen Starr in Hamtramck, Michigan
Mon 14 Oct 2024 11.00 EDT

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425 comments

- Oh look, anti-Arab racism from liberals already
  
  I think calling Arab-Americans stupid for refusing to vote for genocide is racist. Harris is handing Trump a victory because she can't cease US support for Israel.
  
  I don’t think anyone is calling anyone stupid for calling for an end to the genocide. But what’s stupid is when people think that Trump will somehow stop the genocide.
  Oh and btw… I was banned from world news. LOL.
  
  But what’s stupid is when people think that Trump will somehow stop the genocide.
  No one thinks this
  
  Meaning these people are consciously assisting continuing what they believe is a genocide abroad AND making things worse here too?
  Or do they not understand FPTP voting?
  
  As so many Harris-voting lemmitors have instructed me, stopping the genocide is not on the effective ballot as-presented, so no, they are not assisting continuing what is absolutely a genocide. The goal is that they either pressure Harris to not be a ghoul, because they presume she cares about winning more than aiding genocide (this is most likely false) or, if Harris sticks to her guns and either loses or wins by such slim margins that it makes the Dem winning next election without stopping Israel much more hazardous, they (the Muslim/Arab voters) can extract concessions, because even electoral politics doesn't end with one election cycle, and some strategies aimed at maximizing some long term result can introduce a risk or even a guarantee of short-term costs.
  I don't believe, like I think those voters do, that Dems would trade Israel slaughtering with impunity even for a guaranteed victory, but I think them demonstrating that unwillingness has its own value, since the DNC needs to be brought down. I don't expect you to agree to this and am not terribly interested in persuading you, I'm just offering an explanation.
  
  Virtually no one thinks Trump will stop the genocide. You’re just strawmaning.
  
  Then why not vote for the other people, who will possibly make it a slightly less bad genocide? What’s wrong with less bad?
  
  You’d have to ask them. If your family or the families of people in your community were being slaughtered by the incumbent administration, you might discover you have a red line after all. Fortunately for you, you’ll probably never really know.
  
  I’m at least not going to be making it worse.
  
  There was a commenter calling Arab-American voters stupid for abandoning Harris.
  
  Well that is stupid. People can be stupid from all corners of the globe.
  
  The knee jerk response from lefties is that any insult or criticism of people who are members of a minority is racist, regardless of if it has anything to do with race (or race adjacent).
  
  It's a convenient label to slap onto anyone who criticizes the non-western world.
  
  Agreed. To the point that they cheapen the word.
  
  How are Arab-Americans being harmed by liberal democrat policies? Do you think Trump being elected will be better for Arab-Americans?
  
  Their families are being genocided by liberal democrat policies. Some of them are even in Gaza right now, or their lifeless bodies are, anyway.
  Also, dude, Arab is not the preferred nomenclature. Palestinian, please. Most are simply people who converted from Judaism to Christianity or Islam at some point, and some still practice Judaism to this day.
  
  I'm confused how you believe that Israel's rabid ethnic cleansing campaign is a liberal democrat policy, but please do actually answer the question. Do you think Trump will be better for Arab Americans?
  Also dude, there is literally an Arab American Institute that encompasses a lot more than just Palestinians lmao. Virtue signal harder please.
  https://www.aaiusa.org/about-arab-americans
  
  Other than the genocide of their friends and relatives? Increased anti-immigrant policies, failures to address concerns of marginalized communities, failures of the liberal Capitalist system at large, etc.
  They aren't voting for Trump either, most are going to Stein.
  
  A vote for Stein is a vote for Trump.
  
  Yeah… I’ve heard better Lowkeys.
  
  When you are faced with high numbers of marginalized people refusing to vote for candidates contributing to the genocide of friends, relatives, and people of a similar heritage, and your response is that they are "stupid," rather than trying to understand why they are acting in that manner, you assert yourself as more "enlightened," and the marginalized people as uniquely stupid. That is why it is racist.
  
  It’s like you didn’t even read what I wrote.
  It’s NOT uniquely stupid. Dummies vote against their interests all the time (see comment about white Christians).
  And it doesn’t take any special enlightenment to acknowledge how FPTP voting works. In fact, it’s so simple, you’d have to be pretty stupid to be unaware.
  But keep ruining that word to the point of meaninglessness.
  
  I read every word of what you wrote.
  Arab-Americans are refusing to vote for genocide at much, much higher rates than other ethnicities. My answer is what they have been saying themselves: they can't vote for continued genocide of their friends, family, and people of a similar background. Your answer is that it's because Arab-Americans are uniquely stupid among ethnicities in America, which is racist.
  
  Me:
  It’s NOT uniquely stupid. Dummies vote against their interests all the time (see comment about white Christians).
  You:
  Your answer is that it's because Arab-Americans are uniquely stupid
  
  Why aren't White Christians abandoning Harris, but Arab-Americans are? Your answer thus far had been that Arab-Americans are stupid.
  
  White christians were always Trump. What the hell do you mean?
  Yes. In the same way white christians are when they vote against their interests.
  It’s equal opportunity stupid. What about this aren’t you getting?

425 comments