As more and more states pass laws targeting “pornographic material” in books and online, they are repeatedly running up against a problem: The Bible has not just a few passages that could be considered indecent
Except that I that example, as you say - they have no actual choice in the matter because as you say it doesn’t matter who they vote for. That being said, I think we all do bear some small share of the responsibility for the atrocities our country has committed, if only because we benefit from them - but that’s a whole other debate.
My point is that every conservative has a very easy choice each election - support the conservative party, or oppose them. If they choose the former, that’s their right, but theyre responsible for having made that decision, and don’t get to pretend that all the terrible shit the GOP is doing, all the way up to it’s ongoing attempts to subvert the election process and undermine the justice system, is somehow not their responsibility, despite voting for it.
And in the interest of fairness, the same goes for the Dems. I bare some sense of responsibility for Biden’s union busting of the railworkers strike last year for having voted for him. That’s how it works. But I think any rational person looking at the two parties from a utilitarian standpoint of ethics can see pretty easily that the evils of the GOP vastly outweighs that of the Democratic party
Except that I that example, as you say - they have no actual choice in the matter because as you say it doesn’t matter who they vote for.
No you can vote for the non-evil, like I do. But I understand that it is a mature decision to vote who you see as the lesser evil with a chance.
That being said, I think we all do bear some small share of the responsibility for the atrocities our country has committed, if only because we benefit from them
No, not at all? If I am one of two plumbers in a town and someone randomly kills the other plumber I profit from that, but I have 0 responsibility for the murder.
the GOP is doing, all the way up to it’s ongoing attempts to subvert the election process and undermine the justice system, is somehow not their responsibility, despite voting for it.
There is some responsibility, but not exactly the same as if you were a perpetrator yourself.
But I think any rational person looking at the two parties from a utilitarian standpoint of ethics can see pretty easily that the evils of the GOP vastly outweighs that of the Democratic party
Most people are not utilitarian, or at least I hope they aren’t.
But I understand that it is a mature decision to vote who you see as the lesser evil with a chance.
Idk if I’m having a stroke, or you are - but this sentence makes no sense to me - though I think I can guess at your point from context, and I broadly agree - at least up until the point that you claim that voting for the “lesser evil” exonerates you of any responsibility for the actions of the party you voted for.
No, not at all? If I am one of two plumbers in a town and someone randomly kills the other plumber I profit from that, but I have 0 responsibility for the murder
Except in that example, you didn’t help give power to the murderer, whereas for the actions of our government, we do.
There is some responsibility, but not exactly the same as if you were a perpetrator yourself.
Not exactly the same, no - I agree. I the same way that if you came across an ongoing hate crime on the street and cheered on the perpetrator you wouldn’t bear the same responsibility as the actual perpetrator, but it still makes you evil in my opinion.
Most people are not utilitarian, or at least I hope they aren’t.
I disagree, I think most people’s natural approach to ethics (when they bother with it at all) is to compare the net harm vs the net good of the action their trying to weigh. That’s literally how we teach children the difference between right and wrong - we ask them to consider the consequences of their actions, and whether those consequences are good or bad).
Either way - I think it’s clear you’re not changing your mind on this, and I’m just repeating myself, so unless you have some novel point to raise I’m done arguing about it. Feel free to continue to distance your decisions with their consequences for others if you prefer (lord knows most people do, unless those consequences are bad for themselves)
