A little bit of religious philosophy for your Monday.
Often, I come across the argument, advanced by theists (i.e. people who believe in one or more divine beings, usually in an American context we’re talking about Christians), that morality is somehow contingent upon the existence of God. Basically, if God doesn’t exist, then there’s no reason to be good–in fact, “good” and “evil” aren’t even real things!
Let’s give this some simple examination.
Theistic Moral Argument:
“God has to exist, because if God doesn’t exist, then we have no standard for morality! It’s all down to individual preference, and what’s to stop people from indulging their base impulses? If someone’s attracted to a child, why wouldn’t they act on those urges? What’s to stop people from murdering each other?”
The logical response:
So let me get this straight: are you saying that if you ever determined that God doesn’t exist, you would become a murdering, raping psychopath?
Because I wouldn’t.
And while that might not be what you’re saying, that’s what the above theistic moral argument entails: that without God, there is no standard of morality.
And that’s just not true.
It’s a logical fallacy called “begging the question” (i.e. assumes as a premise what it’s trying to prove). It assumes that God is the only source of morality in human experience.
And that’s a pretty empty way to look at the universe.
My morality doesn’t require the existence of a divine being to hand it down to me.
So where does non-religious morality come from?
Logic and reason are more than enough to figure out morality, and my morality starts with this:
Do no harm. Ask for consent. Respect others’ autonomy and basic humanity. Do good.
I think we can all agree that these are pretty standard moral principles. Does one really need them printed in a holy book?
How did the Greeks, for instance, establish morality? They’d never heard of the Christian God (predated its very conception, in fact), and their own concept of divinity was hardly morally perfect. They believed in deities that were great and powerful but also venal and fallible.
And yet they had concepts of justice and goodness vs. cowardice and evil.
And how are there good people in the world who don’t believe in God? Or people in the world who DO believe in God but still do evil things?
Thinking that a divine being must be the source of morality–or worse, a *particular* divine being–is a foolishly reductive argument. It’s also dangerous, because if you build no solid moral system for yourself, then when you have a crisis of faith (and we all do), then you will have no guiding principles.
Tying morality to religious doctrine is a recipe for societal ruin.
My Personal Context
And to clarify: I was raised in the United Methodist church and currently identify as a Christian agnostic.
Not because I’m not sure whether God exists, but because it’s ultimately not relevant.
One should live a good life, being good to others and doing right by humanity, whether God exists or not.
One shouldn’t do good things out of the hope of a reward (that’s a hollow, selfish reason to do good) or avoid doing evil things out of fear of punishment (that’s a hollow, selfish reason to avoid doing evil).
One should do good things and avoid doing evil things because it’s the right thing to do, because the world becomes a better place for all when we do good and avoid evil.
What if I’m wrong?
So what if I’m wrong, and there is indeed a god who disapproves of the way I live my life, and I end up condemned to some eternal torment?
Note that this god 1) refused to clarify exactly how to live in accordance with divine will, so as to avoid eternal torment (seriously, there are thousands of options out there—a loving god couldn’t have pointed out the right one, if it was that big a deal?), 2) continued to allow humans to live in constant fear and anxiety about existence, 3) throws people into hell because they didn’t do what they didn’t know to do.
I don’t know about you, but I’d define that god as an evil god—which is pretty far from any reasonable conception I might have—or at least as a vapid, ineffectual deity at best. A bad, alcoholic parent, who inflicts a radically elevated punishment for comparatively small slights you didn’t even realize were bad. Hardly a deity worthy of worship.
And, here’s the thing. I still lived a good life, doing good to people and to the world. If a god is going to condemn me for that—especially after not telling me the right way to do things—then there was no realistic way I could have avoided my fate. If I’m doomed anyway, then at least I did something good and useful with my life.
I’m writing a story for an anthology on Kickstarter right now, called SISTERHOOD OF THE BLADE: a set of Three Musketeers-era stories that adds three awesome women to the intrigues and adventure of 17th century France.
Sisterhood of the Blade (Now on Kickstarter!)
How best to advertise it, you ask, other than just tell you that awesome premise?
Here’s the first part of my story for the anthology!
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Secret Liaisons
By Erik Scott de Bie
Padgett was drunk.
Specifically, she was the kind of ill-mannered drunk that gave rise to the sort of ill-conceived words, ill-tempered actions, and ill-timed observations that quickly exacerbated delicate situations.
She knew this about herself due to experience—she’d grown up around soldiers, after all—and because all of those ill-fated things had befallen her over the last hour. Hence her exile from Salon Delorme and into the alley, there to cool off and ponder the folly of her course.
“Mon dieu,” Padgett said under her breath, the words slurred into some intoxicated monstrosity that was anything but godly. “Whatever came over you, you silly little girl?”
“Eh,” said a voice near at hand. She saw a flushed, elderly man dressed in filthy rags near the back entrance to the Salon. She’d not noticed the beggar at first, but she certainly saw him now, including the half-empty bottle of dark red wine he extended in her direction. “Mademoiselle, si vous plais.”
“Merci beacoup.” She accepted the wine with a little nod. The wine was thin and tart and did little to relieve the churning frustration in her gut. Padgett cursed herself again. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”
To his credit, the beggar declined to address his newfound companion’s inward deprecation and instead took back his bottle without a word. They shared a companionable silence for a moment, while Padgett mourned her misfortunes with a series of quiet lamentations and castigations. After another swig, the beggar handed her the wine with a gesture that made it clear she needed it more than he did.
This, Padgett swore, was the last time she would drink quite so heavily when—
The back door of the Salon flew open with such violence it struck Padgett painfully in the shoulder and knocked her staggering into a puddle. She spilled most of the wine, partly on herself.
As she got her bearings, down on hands and knees, Padgett watched as a group of men flooded out of the doors and hurried past her down the alley. There were six of them, all clad in obscuring cloaks and feathered hats against the mild Paris rain. Two at the front led a third, who was bent over, head down, wrapped head to toe in cloth to obscure his face, while three took up the rear. Men of arms and action, Padgett realized: one passed close enough for the hard leather scabbard of his sword to brush her leg.
Padgett couldn’t say why she shouted after them. Perhaps it was wounded pride—though falling in the puddle couldn’t be worse than what had come to pass in the Salon—or perhaps simple frustration. Perhaps she was itching for a fight. Regardless, she called after them angrily.
“Ay!” she said. “Ay, I see you! Don’t think I didn’t!”
Padgett didn’t expect her shout to work, but the group of cloaked men abruptly halted and exchanged looks and quiet words. The two escorting the stumbling, drunken man between them continued on their way, while the other three turned back toward Padgett, their expressions hard. She got a better look at them now: poorly shaven faces, low-class clothes, but each of them armed, hands on the pommels of their rapiers. The way they moved bespoke bladework training, and it set her immediately on her guard.
No simple patrons, these. And outnumbering her. And she without her sword.
Padgett spread her hands. “Now now, no quarrel, si vous plais,” she said. “Nothing meant by it, monsieur et al.”
The lead man stopped and looked down his nose at her. “What is that, a woman?”
The others snickered. Padgett realized she’d left her coat hanging open to her well-muscled belly, and she fumbled it closed with a scowl. Her fiery red hair had pulled loose from its bun, too, from the locks hanging in front of her face. The good lord had seen fit to endow her with an annoying set of features that tended to complicate things. She’d never really understood why breasts made so many men take her less seriously. Their problem—not hers.
“I shall forgive your indiscrete tone this once,” Padgett said. “You have the honor to address Padgett of the Sisterhood. I’d stand down, monsieur, were I in your boots.”
Her implied threat fell on ears hardened of hearing by many years of masculine bravado, no doubt. “Pagette?” the leader asked. “Little servant girl, non? What do you serve?”
“Padgett,” she corrected. Like as not, the nuance was lost on these knaves. “Last chance. Stand away.”
The leader barked in mirth. He had a braying sort of laugh, like something between a hyena and a mule. Padgett didn’t like it one bit. Her mind was running through how to put all three on the ground.
“Henri,” said a second of the men. “Stop playing with the strumpet and let’s have done.”
Bless him, the beggar got up in some misguided chivalrous effort to protect her. “Non—”
The third knave drew and ran the old man through in one smooth motion, silencing his protest.
Padgett uttered a strangled protest. The blow had fallen so suddenly it caught her by surprise, even as she had assessed their skill and training already. It was the drunkenness that had slowed her, and she tasted bile at her oversight. Damn.
Not again.
She started shrieking her head off, startling all three of them.
The lead knave opened his mouth, no doubt to address her obvious hysteria, and Padgett grasped his sword even as she smashed the mostly empty wine bottle across his face so hard it splintered the dusky glass. She’d aimed for his temple, but fell short and instead split open his cheek in a shower of blood and spit. He fell aside, gurgling a moan, and she let his momentum pull his sword from its scabbard and into her hand. She discarded the remains of the wine bottle and raised the sword to face the other two, mind racing.
The sudden fury of her assault gave one of the knaves pause, and so he was half a breath behind his companion in reacting. Padgett stepped to the side, closer to the man rushing toward her. He was the one who had killed the beggar, so it didn’t surprise her that he was fast on the assault. Stronger than her. Faster. Superior reach and armament: rapier and poniard, good for parrying.
Still screaming, Padgett waited until just the right moment, then fell low to the pavement and set her borrowed sword in a long stop thrust. She landed with unexpected grace, considering her level of drunkenness, and her attacker was too close in his overconfidence to pull aside. The sword sank into his belly, and he blinked down at it, startled. Falling suddenly silent, Padgett seized the opportunity to push his sword out of the way and shove him away with one booted foot. He slid off her sword to lie wailing and groaning on the cobblestones as she faced the third of the knaves with sword at the ready.
“Remember,” she said to the third man, slightly hoarse from all the screaming. “I gave you a chance.”
It was then that the man with the mocking laugh tackled her quite unceremoniously against the wall across the alley from the salon. The rapier clattered from her fingers and she fought to keep his hands from her throat. She’d deprived him of his arms, but his big hands were quite sufficient as they pummeled her sides and clipped her head. She dodged only by chance and accident, then turned her head when he drooled blood all over her face. She couldn’t bring the sword to bear. The last knave on his feet was stalking toward them, sword singing into his hand.
“Cut me, will you?” the leader asked, his voice garbled through gore and missing teeth. “You hellion!”
Dimly, as his hands shoved through her toward her throat, Padgett saw the door of the salon opening.
“Hellion? Moi?Non.” She nodded over his shoulder. “That’s her.”
Adina smashed the basket hilt of her cutlass across the side of the armed man’s head, sending him staggering. He flailed with his sword, but she stepped in with brutal efficiency, knocked aside his clumsy defenses, and raked it in a rising slash across his chest and the side of his throat. Blood splashed and he tumbled away from her, choking and dying.
Padgett waited half a breath until the man with the torn face looked away, then smashed her knee hard into his midsection. He fell back, gasping for breath, and she climbed awkwardly to her feet. Her uniform was a muddy, rumpled mess, but she gave it a brief brushing down.
“Took your time, non?” Padgett asked.
Adina shrugged and offered one of her big, infectious smiles. “Scream louder next time,” she said in her warm West Indies accent. “Don’t think they heard you in Versailles.”
Padgett bristled. “I’ll make you scream.”
Adina quirked an eyebrow, and Padgett blushed furiously. Not what she meant. How did she do that? Pirates.
The leader with the torn face scrambled to his feet, seized the fallen rapier, and stumbled down the alley toward rue de la Ferronnerie. Padgett and Adina shared a nod. The two women turned as one toward the mouth of the alley to pursue.
They needn’t have troubled themselves.
A third woman stepped out into the mouth of the alley, and her appearance stopped the fleeing man as surely as a blast of horns. Indeed, the faint cries and laughter of nearby buildings and even the patter of rain seemed to grow quiet as she absorbed all sound into herself. She wore her pitch-dark hair after the fashion of Parisian noblewomen, but there the resemblance ended. She had a distinctive appearance: chiseled cheekbones, severe lips, and dark eyes that were the envy of the city. Under her fur shawl, her clothes were of an eastern style, embroidered with beautiful golden and silver designs, and even though the hem trailed around her slipper-shod feet it never seemed to attract the city’s grime. She bore a gracefully curved sword in a beautiful black lacquer scabbard, the wrapped handle of which she laid graceful fingers upon.
She needed no words to stop the man—only one steely dark glance. He stood trembling, reclaimed rapier shaking in his fist.
“Yield,” said Madame Aimi Marlette in her sweet, musical voice. “And you shall be shown mercy.”
Before he had the opportunity to respond, Adina smashed the back of his head with the pommel of her sword, and he collapsed senseless to the ground.
Aimi looked up at them with distaste. “He would have surrendered,” she said.
Adina shrugged. “Now we’ll never know.”
“At least we didn’t kill all of them,” Padgett said.
“You say that like it’s a good thing.” Adina eyed the fallen man with a predatory gleam in her eye.
Padgett stepped between her and the prisoner. “The prize is safe in hand, milady?” she asked Aimi.
Aimi nodded. She was a master at hiding her emotions, but Padgett caught a hint of distaste in her expression before her face resumed its usual placidity.
“Well then.” Padgett nudged the groaning man with her foot. “Time to investigate, non?”
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Read the rest in the forthcoming SISTERHOOD OF THE BLADE anthology (on Kickstarter now)!
Question from a reader: Lady Vengeance is always fighting demons, but she never kills them–just sends them away, usually with promises to return and avenge themselves.
Why do the demons always get away?
Mechanically:
1) Because demons are really hard to banish, much less actually kill. All but impossible, really.
But really:
2) The demons are a metaphor for Lady V’s past traumas, continually coming back to haunt her. At best, we can push our pain and mistakes and regret away for a while, but they’re always there–always coming back to haunt us.
There are moments in our lives that challenge us, and it is how we rise to those occasions that defines us.
In our darkest moments, we have to find the thing inside us that pushes us. That drives us. The thing that lets us go beyond ourselves and do what we never thought possible.
Rise to this.
America has spoken, and the words it has chosen have been a threat. Not only that, but a promise: of retribution for perceived slights and cruelty to answer compassion. It is unlikely we will see the collapse of the United States within the next four years, but make no mistake that this is a major step in that direction. The hopeful society that has sustained us, despite its missteps and warts and at times vileness, is unraveling. It has been for decades, and now the damage is blindingly obvious and probably irreversible. It is the backlash we knew was coming for the progress we’ve made, and it’s been an awful one.
This is the challenge of our time.
Rise to it.
Those of you who still have jobs, keep doing them. Work hard. Economic recession is coming. Prepare for it. Take care of your medical issues while you still have insurance. Save what you can.
Know your rights. Advocate for them. Protect yourselves. Protect each other.
Hate crimes will skyrocket. Racism and homophobia and misogyny and every other way awful people hate each other will run rampant. Stand up to it. If you have power and privilege and standing, it is your moral responsibility to protect those who don’t.
Do not succumb. We need you. All of you.
Rise to this.
For those privileged enough to live here, western Washington State in general and the greater Seattle area in particular remain a haven for people of tolerance and compassion. I strongly urge our state government to begin enacting refugee programs to welcome those fleeing persecution in other parts of the country and also to start building a state-run health care system for when the ACA is repealed. Many of us are in need of the protections the ACA provides, and if the federal government isn’t gonna do it, then it falls to the state. We must use the power we still have to fight for ourselves.
Art remains for us, however free it will be for as long as it will be free. I will continue writing, as you should continue creating. Humans need stories to live, let alone thrive. Bear witness to this. Chronicle this.
I recently happened across a fellow who seemed to have no idea about the decades-worth of issues regarding the depiction of male character vs. female characters, or the male gaze concept, or anything of the sort. Odd to me that someone could read in the genre and not know even a little about this, but hey, it’s a big world.
The discussion produced a series of links that I think might be worth checking out. They range from the amusing to the poignant to the thoughtful, making the same point through logic and comedy.
My rogue/paladin, SHADOWBANE, suffers from a spellscar that lets him shrug off wounds. It’s essentially not under his control, though–manifesting at times and deserting him at times.
You control this effect during the game!
Tonight (8-12 PT), YOU play #Shadowbane’s hardening spellscar. For every $5 you pledge, he gets 2 temp HP.
Pledge more than $5? He gets more. $10 for 4. $50 for 20. Etc.
I am currently taking orders for signed books. If you haven’t been able to track me down at a signing or a convention and dearly want that book of mine signed, here’s your chance to order a signed book!
If, on the other hand, you have a much loved paper copy of anything I’ve written and want my signature, contact me through that page and we’ll work it out. 🙂
So what’s going on with your favorite overworked author? Well.
1) Currently writing a Stormtalons novel for Onder Librum (The Ed Greenwood Group)
For those who’ve not yet pierced the mists that obscure these realms (absolutely the ones you’re looking for, btw), the STORMTALONS setting is a medieval-esque fantasy setting hatched from the brain of Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms, and forged and tempered with the pens of many extremely talented authors. (His first novel, Words of Unbinding, is launching within days, and preorders for the special collector’s hardcover edition are on!)
I am writing a novel that will come out sometime next year, I think, in the setting, telling a tale I’ve waited 20+ years to tell. My very first D&D character was a mysterious warrior, highly skilled in woodlore and the ways of the wild, called the Lone Knight (though he was technically a ranger in 2e terms). His boon companion? James the Wanderer, a fighter played by my friend Jim Campbell, a polearm expert from a distant land who wore the Jaguar for his totem. We’re talking some old-school STRANGER THINGS era gaming, where we were constantly on the run from epic monsters and thought a fireball could take out the Demogorgon. Anyway, those ideas have been kicking around in my head for decades, and now they’ve grown into a really awesome story. Much as I love all my writing, I haven’t felt quite this way about a fantasy novel since I wrote Ghostwalker. It’ll be amazing.
2) Mask of the Blood Queen to be released soon!
That’s right. Sometime (I hope before the end of this year), Mask of the Blood Queen–third in the WORLD OF RUIN series–will be released. I have just got edits back and am assured they will be a quick turn-around. I’m hoping it’ll hit in November, maybe even October. Just in time for Halloween would be excellent, what with a very scary MASK being on the cover… (Cover reveal soon!)
3) Extra-Life 2016 game September 16!
I’m raising money again this year for Seattle Children’s Hospital through the Extra-Life network. I don’t wanna take up too much of your time with the particulars, but you can help kids, get tax-writeoffs, power up my character to fight giants, get me to say something on our prime-time game livecast, and enter for a chance to win one of my books, all at the same time. Donate!
On September 8-11, I’ll be up in Ottawa at Can*Con, a literary convention in Canada, at which a lot of TEGG stuff will be going on. If you’re in the area, let’s hang out!
For those who supported this anthology (or those who are intrigued by the name), this is a fantasy/scifi anthology out from Evil Girlfriend Media that stars female warriors in (as you guessed) armor. Functional, practical, useful, non-cheesecake armor (with one very pointed exception). My story is about Ovelia, heroine of my WORLD OF RUIN series and cover star of the second novel, Shield of the Summer Prince.
This is Ovelia. Practical armor like a boss.
Books have started showing up! I’ve also written and sent my four MARK OF THE BLOOD QUEEN award stories, for backers who kicked in extra to have a special story commissioned just for them.
I am also a contributing author to the Shadowed Soulsanthology, edited by the great Kerrie L. Hughes and a man who needs no introduction, Jim Butcher. It is perhaps my highest profile anthology for which I’ve ever had the honor to write.
My story? Stars Lady Vengeance.
I like to think that’s Lady Vengeance on the cover. 🙂
6) Everyday life
Otherwise, I’m just working at my day job like a madman and occasionally kickboxing when I get a chance. And occasionally playing video games when I’m worn out of energy otherwise! I’m also playing in a few tabletop games, though it’s tough to schedule blocks of time when you’re an adult, you know? Things are stable, if really busy. 🙂
I try not to post too many political things, but this is important.
Look, I get it. This election is divisive, more so than most elections in our history. Feelings are running hot. Negative rhetoric is all over, on a continuously self-spawning loop. Even the Russians have got involved (maybe)! Our democratic process is on the line . . . though maybe not for the reasons everyone seems to think.
And before I go further, a few caveats. I am a political independent. I am not now nor have I ever been nor will I ever be a Democrat, and I’m *certainly* not a Republican, though I described myself as a Republican back in High School (before Disaster 2000, more on that later). I have always backed political campaigns with my heart and my head working in concert. I turned 18 in 2001, too late to vote in 2000, and have voted in three presidential elections: for John Kerry 2004 (not ideal), Obama 2008 (yay!), Obama 2012 (somewhat muted yay). In 2016, I vocally supported Bernie Sanders in the primary, though I admit I drifted away from his team for various reasons that had nothing to do with him (more on that later). I’m planning to vote Democrat again this year, and that means voting for Hillary Clinton (not ideal).
What I’m going to present in this post are reasons for you to follow suit and vote Democrat this year. Note importantly that you don’t need to agree with all these points. If even just ONE of these points is something you agree with, then voting Democrat in 2016 may just be for you. Because I can guarantee that a Trump presidency will give us NONE of the benefits I mention below, but only the hindrances.
So. Here are a few reasons to vote Democrat in 2016:
1. You Like Hillary Clinton
Believe it or not, a lot of people do.
The lady has been in politics a long time. She’s played the game, she’s endured the mud slung at her (a consistent smear campaign for the last 30 years). She’s the most qualified of the candidates currently running (by a LONG shot). She has the connections to get shit done. She’s smart, skilled, and we know she’s capable of changing her views when shown new information (such as that the Iraq War was fought based on fraudulent intelligence, or that LGBTQIA+ people deserve rights). She evolves. She learns. She makes mistakes, and she tries to fix them. She’s human.
Is she from the war hawkish branch of the party? Sure. Does that mean she’ll start WW3? Unlikely. The most important aspect of Clinton is that she actually does bow to public opinion. I mean, that’s what all her detractors say, right? That she flip-flops and supports the popular opinion? At least she can change her mind, and she still cares about democracy.
2. You like Bernie Sanders
Believe it or not, a lot of people do.
This wild-haired Jewish man shouting in the wilderness with song birds landing on his podium and rays of light cascading from the heavens to light his path may not be Jesus, but, well, he’s got a lot of supporters who believe really fervently in him. Me, for instance. I love Bernie Sanders. He’s ethical. He’s moral. He’s largely remained on a consistent path throughout his political career. He’s an outsider, which I like. I see myself in him, and I think that’s really important to a candidate. Would his ideas have been too liberal and too radical to get through, and he would go down in history as the second coming of Jimmy Carter? Very possibly. But his nomination and election would have been an amazing message.
Unfortunately, he didn’t win, that message wasn’t delivered, and now our liberal option is Hillary Clinton. Whom Sanders has endorsed. Whom he is actively campaigning for. Sanders wants you to vote for Clinton. If you support him, you should really do what he says. Why? Because he’s your guy, and because SUPPORTING CLINTON GIVES HIM POWER. Sanders has carved himself a place at the table. The Democrats have to appeal to his supporters to get power, and that means moving to the left. That means addressing some of his points. That means highlighting the points of his platform Clinton agrees with (like 90% of it anyway). With a Clinton White House and (Gods and Goddesses willing) a Democrat-controlled Congress, that great vision we were all hoping for from Sanders? We might see movement toward that.
But only if Clinton wins in November, and we also vote in a Democratic Congress and Senate. Imagine if the Dems took back the Senate and Sanders leveraged his position and influence to become Majority Leader. Imagine what Clinton and Sanders could accomplish.
3. You Want a Third Party
Some of you reading this, like me, probably want to break the Big Two’s stranglehold on American politics. You might be pissed about having to choose between two candidates you don’t like, and though one is DRAMATICALLY WORSE than the other, you still feel like you have to compromise your principles to do the right thing. But lo and behold, here are two Third Party candidates that most people don’t seem to know about! You could vote for one of them!
Don’t do that. And here’s why.
This isn’t how you get a president in the White House. I mean, yes, running for president is part of it, but you run when you actually have a chance of winning. The Third Party candidates in this election (as in all elections before this) aren’t interested in winning: they’re running to “raise awareness” for their parties, not because they seriously think they have a chance of winning. Because they don’t. We all know they don’t. So what are they doing?
Imagine you want to run a marathon. 26.5 miles is a pretty long distance, even on a bike, and most human beings never run such a long race in one sitting. But those who do tend to be in fairly good shape, train HARD for it, prepare for it, map out the route, etc. They’re prepared. And when they succeed, it’s the culmination of months or years of work.
The Green Party and the Libertarian Party aren’t interested in all that. They’re just flopping off the couch where they’ve been Netflix-and-chilling for six months, stumbling out the door five minutes before the race starts, and expecting to do well. They haven’t put in the work, so of course they aren’t going to do well, let alone win.
If you want to get into the upper echelons of government, you need to start small. Elect city councilors. Sheriffs. Judges. Commissioners. Make yourself a household name. Build trust. Build recognition. Introduce yourself to people so they know you as a concrete entity, rather than a hypothetical group to turn to when they’re angry about some “lesser of two evils” business. Then you run and get elected to state office. Then national office. You keep working until you have 20-25% of the seats in Congress and the Senate and at least 10 governors. Then and only then will you have a reasonable chance of winning the presidency.
But instead, the Third Parties are running Jill Stein and Gary Johnson right now, without that support base. They announced about a month and a half ago, and are angry they’re not being taken seriously as candidates. They’re showboating. Not actually running.
DON’T ENABLE THIS BEHAVIOR. Advocate for a third party built from the ground up, so that it might actually win, rather than help the Donald.
“But won’t Johnson supporters be taking votes away from Trump?” you ask.
Statistics show that the third party candidates are more harmful to Clinton than Trump. The Republicans have always been better at organizing their base, even to vote for people they hate. Just look at the GOP party leaders coming out of the woodwork to endorse Trump. (It’s encouraging that some in the GOP actually speak out against him, but it’s not enough to keep The Donald from devouring their party.) The point is, Trump has the Republican party on lock, generally speaking.
You, however, might be one of those Republicans who wants to stop Trump. You’re not going to do that by voting for Johnson. You’re only going to do that by voting for Clinton.
I’m sorry, I know it sucks. But that’s the only way you can participate in stopping Trump.
And on a related note:
4. You Remember 2000
Now admittedly, it’s debatable whether Nader really made a difference that got Bush elected. (Here’s an article about that.) There was a perfect storm of factors that swept Bush into office: low democrat turn-out, complacency, voter irregularities, Nader taking votes from Gore, the Supreme Court siding against disenfranchised voters, etc., all of which favored the GOP. But what isn’t debatable is that Nader tainted his party with a reputation for aiding Bush in getting elected, ushering in 8 of the worst years our country has had to endure in my lifetime, at least.
And Nader could have had it all. If he had sided with Gore, uniting their causes, and Gore had been elected, Nader could have leveraged his showing in the election into a cabinet position or become a significant advisor in the Gore White House. If he’d acted early enough, he could have been Gore’s VP, and how would that look for the Green Party optics? He’d have ushered in a new era of trust and recognition for his party, and he would have got at least some of the political things he wanted enacted, because the Dems and the Greens are both liberal parties, and they could have compromised.
Instead, he followed his ego, kept pushing for publicity, and we saw the worst, most f***ed up election in my lifetime, got a president who not only eradicated all the things the Green Party supposedly cares about but plunged us into multiple wars that have led to the deaths of thousands upon thousands of people, shattered our economy, and shepherded the rise of terrorism in our modern world.
I don’t think I’m alone in growing up loathing or (at best) distrusting the Green Party. They set back their cause by years if not decades. And Jill Stein stands to do that again. I’m not 100% opposed to her because of her platform (there’s a lot we can agree on, though she might want to reconsider her anti-science stances). It’s because I’ve seen what the Green Party has done to itself and to all of us, and I will not enable or encourage that again.
Stein and Johnson only stand to do damage: to themselves, to their respective parties, and to the country. Voting for them will at best do nothing, at worst get Trump elected, and most likely damage their parties’ prospects in the future. And that’s not what you or I want. (See #3 above.)
Whew, that was negative. More reasons to vote for Clinton!
5. You Are a Principled Person
Now let’s be clear. When I say “principled,” I mean “cares about things like civil rights, the rule of law, the environment, other people, America, etc.” If you have other principles, I’d be curious what they are.
Is honesty your principle? In most analyses (here’s one), Clinton has been the most honest candidate so far in this election. I know, right? Hard to believe, particularly if you listen to the jeers of the GOP. But it’s true. She tends to tell it like it is, whether it’s encouraging or not. And sure, she puts spin on things, but so does every politician in the history of ever. That’s their job. That’s what we pay them to do.
Is progress your principle? Clinton pushed for universal healthcare in the 90s. She followed America’s lead on same-sex marriage and has become one of its biggest advocates. She’s pro-choice. She is to the left of Obama on almost all issues.
Ugh. I knew I’d have to get to Trump eventually. 😦
6. You Like Living in a Democratic Republic
A couple thousand years ago, there was a vast, sprawling country called Rome, which controlled a whole lot of the known world. They had a Senate, elected by the people, which made decisions on behalf of the rest of the country. It wasn’t perfect, obviously. Slavery, imperialism, war, entirely too much bloodshed, etc. But at least it was a country ruled at least ostensibly by its people.
Then a guy named Julius Caesar swept in and took it all over, becoming the Emperor.
I know, I know, we glorify the dude in all sorts of plays and movies and video games, but the truth of the matter is, he was a tyrant strongman who rode a swell of popular opinion to the top, and smashed the Roman Republic. Sure, he maintained a semblance of popular control–the senate still existed–but he was the guy in charge.
In the 1920s, a guy in Germany rose to power in a similar way.
Sound familiar? That’s what Trump wants to do. He has risen through the Republican party and now wants to present himself as the strong savior of America, which is under all sorts of threats from all directions (according to him), and only he has the solutions (what those are, none of us know, but he’s got ’em, he says). He wants to throw his political opponents in prison. He wants to purge the nation of ethnic and religious minorities. He wants to close the borders. He bullies. He blusters. He threatens.
He isn’t protecting our two party system. He wants a ONE party system. His party.
America’s democracy is at stake in this election. The monster the GOP has morphed into needs to be soundly defeated, and its ideals firmly rebuked. Fascism does not wither and die when ignored. It must be completely destroyed, and defeating Trump is the first such blow.
7. You Like Freedom of Choice
Not just birth control and family planning. I’m talking about other medicines. Doctors. Religion. What you wear when you go out. What you say online.
Because Trump and his cronies have questioned all of these things and insists he will overturn and dismantle important pieces of our free expression.
Clinton won’t do that. Heck, why would she?
Also? Trump stands to nominate 4 Supreme Court justices, who will reshape America for generations. Is that really what you want?
8. You Like Having an Economy That Works
Trump likes to talk a big talk about how “you’ll all be rich” or how he’ll fix all our trade issues, but he has no idea how to do it. Not only does he have no real economic policy or demonstrate even the faintest understanding of how the American economy works, he’s also a horrendous business man. He makes his money on fraud and stealing money from people who’ve done work for him, who he just bullies into accepting less than was promised. He’s gone into bankruptcy many many times. He is far worse than even Mitt Romney (a.k.a. Richie Rich).
Meanwhile, Clinton will continue Obama’s economic policies, which have pulled us back up. And on that point….
9. You Like President Obama
Personally, IDGAF Obama (who relentlessly trolls and rebuts GOP talking points these last six months) is my favorite Obama, but generally speaking, he’s been good for stability of our country. He pulled us back from recession. He’s proved remarkably capable at international relations. He hasn’t got a lot accomplished, but then, no other president has ever met such massive, continuous roadblocking from a hostile Congress.
Clinton will continue his policies. She’s a little left of him on almost every issue, in fact. And that centrist attitude will be good for the country.
10. You Like Ken Burns
I had to include this one. 🙂
IN CONCLUSION
I get it. You don’t want to vote for Clinton. I’m not a big fan either. I don’t think we’d be friends.
I know some people are–some people love her, and I can see why. Me? She’s not my ideal candidate. I wanted Sanders. But he’s not an option any more.
But the Democrats are still running. They are still our best option for stopping the rise of American fascism.
It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s not about her. It’s not about him.
It’s bigger than that.
It’s bigger than all of us.
So I’m voting for them. I’m voting for her. I’m voting for you. I’m voting for me. I’m voting for ALL OF US.
Your vote is yours. Please use it, and think hard about how you use it.
Cheers
Related: Check out John Oliver discussing the RNC:
Worldswalker 