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Over the weekend, 17,000 people canceled their #WorldCup tickets

#FIFA is holding an emergency meeting

Maybe they will give Agent Orange another pretty trophy? Maybe bigger, more gold... really sparkly? Will that fix the problem? (/s)

As an American: don't come here

Don't do business with the #USA

Until we clean this shit up. Mainly: we #vote #primaries #primaries2026 and get some real left candidates

https://www.ticketnews.com/2026/01/nearly-17000-fans-cancel-2026-world-cup-tickets-amid-boycott/

#Boycott #BoycottUSA #Soccer #Football #Sports

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Immigration enforcement is shooting US citizens in the face. Why risk that as a foreigner taking a vacation?
in reply to Duchamp Pérez

I don't even want to leave the US because I don't know if I'll be able to get back in. :(
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Are you just trying to be optimistic or do truly believe he will let you have elections again?
He said there would be no voting after the last one, and he's trying to start world war 3 so he can cancel them.
If that doesn't work he'll just destroy the opposition votes.
The only option he's leaving you mass uprising and probably civil war.
in reply to lynfox

you don't understand how voting works in the USA

it is controlled by the states

red states might do something corrupt, but they are already red states. blue states won't

also, you have to understand that this sentiment of yours is known as premature capitulation. fascists merely state a goal, and you act like it is reality already. why? it's weak

cynicism is nothing but acceptance. please do not articulate this sentiment anymore, you only help fascism when you do

we need to #vote

#vote
This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I hope you're right but I'm not saying capitulate I'm saying fight back don't just sit around waiting for him to start obeying laws which he clearly holds in contempt.
I agree that US citizens need to do something. I just disagree on what that something needs to be.
Surely when people are being shot in the face by a Gestapo-like internal terrorist organisation don't you think it's too late to rely on rule of law.
in reply to lynfox

americans are entitled and indolent

so they don't vote, they can't be bothered. they invent bullshit "high minded" rationalizations for their complacency

given that a general strike is even more unlikely

revolution happens when people are hungry. there is hunger in the usa, but enough have access to enough food it makes uprising unlikely. if the economy tanks, you may see it

so the easiest thing, of the difficult things, for lazy americans, is to get off their fucking asses and vote

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

They can’t be bothered if it might upset their personal economy or it’s too much work, it they accept their personal status quo as not being too horrid.
Some can’t see stealing other people’s civil rights is a double edge sword.
And in a way this indicate that Trump medicine is just what the doctor ordered to wake some people up. Philosophically, if we can’t be aroused, we deserve the bad outcome and maybe then we’ll learn. 🤔
This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Huntn00

@Huntn00 @lynfox Thomas Jefferson once said "The government you elect is the government you deserve"
in reply to Offbeatmammal

@Offbeatmammal @lynfox I agree. And some people have a hard time seeing the forrest for the trees.
in reply to Huntn00

@Huntn00
@Offbeatmammal
It was midnight here when I last responded and I needed some sleep so I thought I'd just leave it at that, then I woke up to see more mentions than I'd ever expected on social media so I decided to take my own advice and continue "fighting".
I reread you initial responses to my comments Ben and I realised that you seemed to be doing what you accused me of; pre-emptive capitulation, with your comment about a general strike being unlikely even though Minnesota seems to be organising one.
Then the penny dropped... you are doing what the US has always done waiting for the Hollywood Hero or Marvel Superhero to sweep in and save the day.
That's what 'murrica doesn't understand, you don't win any battle like that. It's the tiny skirmishes that add up. World war 1 was one on the beaches of Gallipoli, the in the trenches of the Western Front from 1914 onwards not not in 1917-18 when you guys showed up to help mop up and claim YOUR victory.
And while you have a good claim to victory in the Pacific on 1945 you were only there because the Japanese Emperor was emboldened by your lack of reaction and tacit support of the Third Riech when WW2 actually started in 1939.
in reply to lynfox

first, i'd love to see a general strike. but americans are fucking lazy. how you twisted that into "you don't want one" i don't understand

second, indeed there are people who are waiting for magic savior: nonvoters. they sit things out until perfection somehow appears. this is called toxic idealism. but, suddenly, i'm waiting for a superhero? huh?

any other accusations you want to make? i don't think you're understanding what i'm saying

This entry was edited (1 day ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox

One thing that cannot be overlooked is the effectiveness of Russian Style Active Measures Political Warfare Propaganda sowing chaos & apathy.

Dr. Timothy Snyder testified at the House Oversight Committee Hearing on China Propaganda. https://www.youtube.com/live/VoQZjUCT6bU
https://youtu.be/Ej_D0YkDjy8

Russia, China, & the Iranian terrorist franchises have effectively brainwashed large segments of our "useful idiot" "extreme Left" with propaganda passing through us".

It gave us tRUMP.

in reply to Frank Frank

@FrankFrank @lynfox

yup

nonvoters and MAGA are the same in the respect that they are reduced to emotional states and then manipulated when in that state to achieve a voting effect

the effect sought with MAGA is to rile them up and get them to the voting booth

the effect sought with nonvoters is to depress them and make them feel powerless, and suppress the left vote

toxic idealism, mindless cynicism, alienation, learned helplessness, etc:

fodder for the troll psyop

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@FrankFrank @lynfox Non-voters are MAGA or so fucking stupid as to be completely indistinguishable. This timeline was obvious and preventable but they CHOSE to let it happen.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I do agree, with a minor substitution.
replace Americans by Western "democracy" citizenS.

The uk, fr, de, be, aus,... follow the exact same path (and apathy) than the usa, with varying degree of "completeness".

@lynfox

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox

The main asset of fascism is non-fascist defeatism.

Don't ever concede a victory to them without first fighting it.

It is the way Trump wins his battles: making people feel fear and desperation.

For as long there are urns, they must be used.

For as long there are streets, they must be used.

Otherwise, democracy dies.

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox Also, on the “probably civil war”…

One of the U.S. FBI’s favorite tricks is to spur people into violent actions, and then arrest them for terrorism. This makes us very skeptical of anyone openly advocating for violence.

in reply to aprilfollies

@aprilfollies @lynfox

and protests are great, when they are nonviolent

when they are violent, popular sentiment turns against you

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@aprilfollies @lynfox hmmm. With many millions of people experiencing violence on a constant basis here, Congress and the POTUS ignoring our will, I’m wondering what good is maintaining “popular sentiment” as a protester?
in reply to ts 🚇

@tsyum @aprilfollies @lynfox

well you want the largest turnout

if it's peaceful a lot turn out

if it's violent, people avoid it

the number of quality streetfighters is quite small

in reply to aprilfollies

@aprilfollies @lynfox I mean that makes sense when you're not allowed to arrest people and kill them for no reason at all.
The thing is that now they don't need any excuse to do so, that's the issue.
in reply to Ovidi Nawer

@Nawer_Rapter @aprilfollies @lynfox

well it's a sliding scale, it's not all or nothing

they get away with as much as they can get away with. and the idea is to not make it easy for them to get away with it

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@aprilfollies @lynfox yeah the thing is what does it mean "not make It easy" in the context of the country of guns and oligarchy
I would bet the moves that actually made some backlash are more related to non-organized targeting of key objectives in that context.
Namely CEO erradication did have a surprising impact
The thing is that the far-right normalized and accepted violence and killing as a tool, legitimized even,and the left are taught not to kill even if they're erradicated,sadly
in reply to Ovidi Nawer

@Nawer_Rapter @aprilfollies @lynfox

if it comes to violence it comes to violence

the problem is getting violent too early, or too late. if too early it can backfire. if too late, you might have already lost

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox @Nawer_Rapter @aprilfollies Aric McBay makes a strong argument for “all of the above” based on the histories of revolutions. But guess what—it will never be a quick, easy, and painless to resist a tyrant. But then, neither is living under one.

https://fullspectrumresistance.org/

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

they shot and killed a white woman in the streets and all everybody did was protest. Then Gestapo started going door to door selling bullets and handcuffs, with a possible 2k additional bootlickers joining in. News flash, protest no longer works in this country, people need to get angrier. Gestapo has no fear. They don't. They'll catch you anywhere and they know you won't fight back.
This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Dopes The Frogman

@macacator @lynfox

right, voting isn't all you do. it's just a tool in your tool chest. the other tools need using too

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox I don't know... maybe I'm seeing this as an outsider, but seeing a fundraiser for that piece of crap raising $400K in five days doesn't make me feel very optimist
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox the guy who shot Renee Good, I don't remember his name right now. I reported two crowdfoundings for him on gfm, but one of them was over $300K when I did it. I have heard there are other crowdfundings
in reply to Sabrina Web :privacypride: 📎

🤮

do these sites provide a breakdown of contribution sizes?

a common manipulation is the false appearance of popular support with a contribution by one rich douchebag

but yes millions of americans are just sadists and bigots

there was the woman who called a kid on a playground racist slurs, she received blowback on social media

then there was blowback to that where people donated to her:

$750k!

for being racist to a kid

this fucking world

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/17/racist-crowdfunding-campaigns-extremist

This entry was edited (1 day ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox I suppose it's a bunch of deep-pocket broligarchs that donated, in small amounts and under fake names to look like there are many of them, but I'm still not optimist. Some of the donations are likely organic
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox voting being controlled by the states won't matter if blue cities are under marital law on Election Day.

Take Pennsylvania. Lock down Philadelphia for long enough to disrupt the election and you pick up 2-3 safe seats in the House and oust a very popular Democratic governor.

They've already shown their hand on this.

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox You put armed troops on the street and institute a curfew to "restore order."
in reply to DressToKILT

@dresstokilt @lynfox

you know...

you're absolutely right

just flood dem leaning cities in otherwise red states with ICE and you warp the vote by suppressing left turnout

fuck

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

The big prize is states like Pennsylvania, where if they shut down Philly for the day, they can conceivably oust Shapiro - a presidential contender and one of the most popular governors in the country - regain control of the state legislature, and possibly pick up another House seat.

There's a number of governor races they could sway just by locking down a major city. Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Kansas, Iowa, Arizona... all currently polling within the margin of error.

in reply to lynfox

@lynfox Authoritarians don't typically just get everything they want instantly after grabbing power when there is an established democracy they take control of. Even in Orban's Hungary and Erdogan's Turkey it is still possible for the opposition to win elections and in Poland it did.

I'm sure Trump will try something and he may be able to influence it to some extent but I would bet he won't make voting in the midterms meaningless. He'll try to gradually corrupt them if not stopped.

@benroyce

in reply to ikuturso

@ikuturso @lynfox NO, no he won't.

He has not been prevented so far.

He believes he is a god.

He rules as such.

Remember,

in reply to Martin

@martintheg @ikuturso @lynfox

I don't understand your comment

Because an asshole has a God complex... we should therefore obey and submit and act like they are a God?

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@Huntn00 @ikuturso @lynfox I deleted my toots as they weren't helping.

The Republicans made a man with at least two brain disorders untouchable due to supreme court stacking and congressional malaise.

The orange king's court want a death in its private army (ICE) in order to escalate. And escalation is seemingly the only way forward. I don't know why each step IS an escalation but here we are.

We don't and should not treat that felon with fealty. #uspol

in reply to ikuturso

@ikuturso @lynfox - Trump will find a way to de-legitimize the results of the mid-terms if Repugnicants lose seats, or preemptively cancel the vote entirely under the guise of a national emergency or declaring war on a country.

He’s already shown he’s not afraid of using his faux-military DHS / ICE / National Guard to quell internal dissent, even with deadly force. And the thugs in those agencies happy to play along.

in reply to Barry Cook 🇨🇦

but what is the point of this comment in your mind

because when you act like trump's malice is unstoppable, you're saying the vote is meaningless. therefore people won't vote, therefore trump gets what he wants

you're wrong on the facts of how the vote happens in the USA: it's controlled by the states, not trump

and you're wrong on the attitude, you're presenting a fallacious rationale that there's no use in voting

the only effect is you are helping trump

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@ikuturso @lynfox - much of the problem is that states *do* run the national elections. In many countries, the vote is handled by an arms-length federal agency. They set electoral borders (not just the state / provincial borders, but ensuring roughly the same number of voters are in each jurisdiction) and they are responsible for the count procedures. US states have a tendency to invent electoral borders to suit their Party of choice. And then there's your Electoral College...
in reply to Barry Cook 🇨🇦

@bazcook @ikuturso @lynfox

yes, the us election system is completely fucked up

we need to fix it

how do we do that?

we show up and vote for candidates who will do that

we can't act like the problems are insurmountable and permanent, because that only helps the fascists

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@bazcook @ikuturso @lynfox Also, even under the premise that voting is meaningless, and Americans have to uprise instead: Voting, and getting everybody to vote is the best way to start an uprising. If millions of people vote and their votes are stolen, then they'll be motivated to uprise. If they stay home thinking their votes don't matter, and then the votes cast don't matter, all they'll do is say "I told you so".
in reply to PaulaToThePeople 😷

that's right

no uprising happens just because someone starts rioting. why are they rioting? what do they stand for? who knows

if people vote, and then the vote is denied, and the people rise up: absolutely everyone is crystal clear as to what is happening and why. so people join in, because they know the message being delivered

so we have to vote first. otherwise there is no coherency of meaning

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Just...wow. How do these people keep coming out of the woodwork to discourage voting and ultimately *meaning*?

Someone tried to take something important away from you--so you just let them? You don't fight to preserve something that's of existential importance?

Those are rhetorical questions, BTW.

@PaulaToThePeople @bazcook @ikuturso @lynfox

in reply to Deb Nam-Krane

unfortunately, there is a lot of weak will and mindless cynicism out there

these people don't seem to understand that their own attitude is willing submission to fascism

or they are troll psyop to suppress the left vote with learned helplessness

i can never tell

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@dnkboston @PaulaToThePeople @bazcook @ikuturso @lynfox A a lot of self-serving STUPID out there. “I didn’t vote for the Democrat because he gave too much stuff away to unworthy people. So in response, I’ll vote for the fascist white guy who will give me stuff, never mind that I’ll lose my civil rights in the process, because I’m unfamiliar with the concept of double edge swords.”
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@PaulaToThePeople @bazcook @ikuturso @lynfox People being executed on the street for no reason isn't enough of a cause?? We're just supposed to let that keep happening for ten months until the election??? There won't be anyone left to vote against him!

If people aren't willing to rise up over their friends, family, and neighbors being killed or kidnapped and tortured then I doubt an election is gonna be the thing that does it. I doubt they'll be *cancelled* anyway, even North Korea still has "elections". So it'll be easy for the people who want to ignore what is happening to pretend that the election was fair, to pretend that the ICE agents looking over their shoulders at the polls are legitimate security...if they can ignore folks being shot in the face then they can certainly ignore folks being turned away (or hauled away in cuffs) at the polls.

We've been hearing that the next election is the only chance to stop Trump for nearly a decade now and it's only helped them consolidate their power. The time to stop this motherfucker is NOW, not next fucking year!

in reply to SlightlyCyberpunk

@admin @PaulaToThePeople @bazcook @ikuturso @lynfox

fine

tell me how

and whatever you come up with, voting is just another tool to get that done

so we'll do what you say *and* vote

a vote isn't magic unicorns and rainbows

nobody said that so you don't have to counter that impression because no one serious believes that

it's just a tool, amongst a whole repertoire of tools, in a larger struggle

that's it

and use all your tools

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@PaulaToThePeople @bazcook @ikuturso @lynfox Minneapolis is currently showing us how. Follow their lead. General strike starts in a few days.

Yes, voting is a tool. One of many. And not one we have the luxury of focusing on right now. We can worry about that in a few months once we've managed to turn things around a bit. If we can't do that then it's not gonna matter.

in reply to Barry Cook 🇨🇦

@bazcook

Yes this my worry too and even worse I think it may be left to what remains of the 'old empire' Australia, New Zealand, Canada, to clean up the mess. Not sure we can even rely on the UK (they have their own problems). But unlike last 2 times when the US was just late to the party, this time they will be the actual enemy.
I hate the whole idea but we can't ignore the possibility we may have to choose a position. We can't afford to retreat into a delusional bubble like the US seems to be doing. Pretending it's still a democratic country.

@ikuturso @benroyce

in reply to lynfox

right but we can still vote and elect dems to control congress and freeze his agenda

this whole sentiment "the usa is already nazi germany" is self-defeating: you want trump to lose, right? so why act like he already won everything? trump is not untouchable. why act like he is? do you want to help trump? i don't think so, but that's what your words are doing because you're presenting a fallacious rationale that voting doesn't matter anymore. it still matters

This entry was edited (2 days ago)

reshared this

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@lynfox @ikuturso - absolutely, Americans must vote. Everyone eligible to do so. Without fear of repercussion. Providing the government lets it happen. Or accepts the result.
I don't see a another January 6th - this time led by Democrats - happening. Or without significant bloodshed if it does.
in reply to Barry Cook 🇨🇦

@bazcook @lynfox @ikuturso

thank you

🙏

i just worry about talk that paints it as if trump is insurmountable. it deadens people's spirits

trump is defeatable

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

And as a German, I would like to add: Even in Nazi Germany we had resisting people when Hitler was already in power. The fact that some assassination attempts unfortunately failed does not mean that they were not attempted. The fact that people hid those who were being persecuted at the risk of their own lives does not mean that they did not do so. But the fact that at some point the Nazis gained the upper hand and the majority and murdered people in the

@lynfox @bazcook @ikuturso

in reply to Petra van Cronenburg

resistance was partly due to the procrastinators, the silent ones, the do-nothings. The people who talked down the resistance or simply resigned themselves to the system.

A fascist system does not install solely because of ardent supporters. It also grows with the help of those who want to minimise resistance, who remain silent and look away.

@lynfox @bazcook @ikuturso

in reply to lynfox

@lynfox here's the thing that's probably not obvious outside the US: our election system is staffed by thousands of people who REALLY care about election integrity. I'm not saying the election will be 100% fair, but I think* that if there's a decisive victory, it will end up being honored. Although we'll certainly endure plenty of drama surrounding it.

* I could be totally wrong about this, obvs

@benroyce

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

As I get it here in France and in our neighbourhood in Germany, even tourists are warned that they could get detained at the entry to the USA (it happened already too often). Tourist numbers to the USA already fell quite low - the only people doing the flight are the ones with family in the USA or working or not afraid of dangers ... and the ones who would pay for sport tickets in every dictatorship of the world.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I don't blame anyone from wanting Americans to stay away from their country, except maybe progressives, aka anti-fascists/anti-nazis and similar.

I understand what a laughing stock my country is and we honestly deserve it for allowing him to have a 2nd term as president. Both the uncommitted voters and trump voters.

The uncommitted voters were protesting the genocide biden was helping with, well now its going to be even worse with trump in power.

Talk about fail...

Both of those groups are idiots.

One at least has a heart though albeit misguided

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

- the same needs to happen in advance of the Olympics.
Agent Orange making the US unwelcoming for foreigners and locals alike. At least foreigners can choose not to support the country.
Unknown parent

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Hahahahahahaha......breathes .... hahahahahahahahaaaaaa....

Karma strikes, FIFA.

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Four years ago, I boycotted the World Cup, due to FIFA's corrupt decision to hold it in a shithole country controlled by an evil regime. Nothing's changed in 2026.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Voting will only help us if the opposition can win by a big enough margin that they can't contest it. It needs to be an absolute landslide. Unfortunately, Dems have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot any time they have the advantage. They've been running the same strategy (appeal to moderate Republicans, at the cost of alienating progressives) for 10 years, and lost to Trump twice.

I knew we were fucked when Biden barely won in 2020, and way too many liberals took a victory lap and went back to ignoring the conditions that gave us Trump in the first place.

You can't vote fascism away.

in reply to Tulip

that's assuming usa is already full blown nazi germany

it's bad but it isn't that yet, so you can vote, and can make a difference

this rationale your presenting is saying a vote is useless. so people don't vote. so trump wins

so you're helping trump

do you want to help trump?

i don't think so, but that's what you're doing

so don't do it. don't present this "everything is already full blown fascism" fallacy. it doesn't help

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

It's mostly frustration with Dem leadership being useless. For the record, I vote in every election, including state and local elections which are on odd-numbered years (VA).

But I have absolutely zero faith that the Democratic party, as it is now, will be able to stop Trump, or whomever else the fascists rally around after he's gone.

As for the historical parallels, look up how Germany's liberals sided with the Nazis to stop the socialists from gaining any power. We aren't there yet, but it's starting to rhyme.

in reply to Tulip

the democrats fucking suck

it's just they're just not fascism

some of us want a real alternative

3rd party doesn't work. so i champion taking over the dem party. more aoc s and mamdanis. show up in the primaries and throw out the spineless dems

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I am amazed anyone travels to the US for ANYTHING - be it World Cup or Olympics, They have put our citizens in ICE detention, and those of fellow Europeans.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I agree.. both parties need to give us candidates we can vote FOR, instead of candidates to vote AGAINST...
in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin

100% agreed

but even if we don't get that, you still vote for the candidate that isn't an outright fascist. it's just self-preservation

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Pretty much why I've voted third party for the last six elections...

I keep hoping more people do so, so a third party can get into the debates and provide another point of view, and someone else to vote for.

Maybe the rise of a third party will make the other two pull their heads out of their butts and do the job right, because NEITHER party has done so in recent memory....

in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin

the usa is an fptp voting system

there can only ever be 2 parties. it's not corruption (corruption exists, but it's not the reason). it's just math:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law

to get viable 3rd parties we need a new voting system, like ranked choice. then you can vote your conscience free and clear and not worry about dreary strategy

ranked choice is creeping in in places

but if you vote 3rd party *before* we get that you divide the left vote and help MAGA win

you can't vote 3rd party

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I don't agree on the necessity of Ranked Choice.

In the Presidential elections, the candidates with the most electoral votes wins.

It doesn't matter if there are 2 or 20 parties.

The system was set up before the "two parties" even existed. The first few elections were party-free; candidates published what they stood for, and people voted based on their wishes.

If you vote third party, it's because you don't agree with the left or the right, or their candidates, and that's all.

in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin

no. you don't understand the topic

first past the post means only two parties dominate. they cannibalize the platforms of smaller parties because of the math of the voting system. 3rd parties are unstable in fptp, and fade away

3rd party's only value in our voting system is to divide the left, or the right, and help the other side win

when you vote 3rd party, all you are doing is helping trump. this isn't your intention, but that is exactly what you are doing

it's just math

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

If that's the case, then voting third party would have no effect on the other two parties.

I've been told that my vote for a third party helped Harris in the last election... I've been told that my third party vote helped Trump in the last election.

Both can't be true.. and if they are, then I need to be arrested and jailed for voter fraud, because that means I voted three times with one vote.

Third party voters are voting their conscience, as they should, and divides nothing. -c-

in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin

i don't know what to say to you. you're saying something that's just simply false. a third party vote divides the left and hands a win to trump

happened with nader in 2000

happened with perot in 1992 (in that case, it was dividing the right, giving a win to clinton)

are you familiar with the idea of someone who has good intentions but only winds up hurting something?

that is what you are doing

watch this, learn about voting systems:

https://youtu.be/qf7ws2DF-zk

(the title is just edgy)

in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin Apparently you don’t understand how ranked choice voting works. For example, in your state, there are three candidates to choose for president. Your first choice is A, second choice is B. If your A choice fails to gather enough votes to win, then your vote would shift to B. This allows people to vote for who they want and not worry about spoilers, because if your guy/gal doesn’t make it, then your vote is not wasted. Not complicated.
in reply to Huntn00

@Huntn00

Actually, I do...

Ranked Choice means that if the candidate I do like doesn't get enough votes, then the candidates I don't like can "steal" my vote.

Now, tell me, why would I want a candidate that I don't want in office (which describes the last 8 elections - or more - in the US for me) to be able to count my vote for them, rather than for the candidate for which I wish to vote?

@benroyce

in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

what you just wrote is a lie

your first rank gets your vote. if they don't win, your second choice gets your vote

so you can vote your conscience, without worrying that your vote will divide the left and hand a win to trump. which is what happens with a 3rd party vote in fptp

again: fact. not opinion

why would you lie about this

it's quite obvious what it is

mathematicians have studied this. you can't deny reality just with your feelings

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

From the way I understand it, ranked choice requires all candidates to get a vote, in order....

I can't *ONLY* vote for the candidates that I want in office, I *MUST* rank all the candidates in order of preference.

If my candidate doesn't win, then my "second choice" (which isn't someone I want in office) gets my vote.

This is not how I wish to vote.

@Huntn00

in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin I’ve already described ranked choice to you. Apparently you don’t want to believe how it works.
• Primarily it removes the spoiler effect, and allows you to vote for you really want and not worry about wasting your vote.
• it allows you to pick your green or ultra conservative candidate.
• but if your first choice fails to win, your second preference, the moderate can still prevail maybe.
That’s all I’ll say about it, accept it or not.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Also, that's the last time you're going to call me a liar.

There is nothing further to be gained from this discussion.

@Huntn00

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@admin @Huntn00

and... blocked

😂

it's like arguing with an antivaxxer

they just don't want to accept reality

they have their belief. their belief is false. hard, cold false

but they won't hear it. their mind is shut

willful ignorance

this person is actively supporting trump, and has absolutely no clue that is all they are doing. in the reality of the voting system. their intentions may be great. but math doesn't lie

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

The "divides the vote for X party" argument only works if you assume that the third party vote already belonged to one of the two major parties to begin with - and it doesn't.
in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin

that's not true

if i am left leaning, i prefer the 3rd party candidate, but if that candidate doesn't win, i certainly don't want trump

but i get trump, because of the way the voting system works, because i voted 3rd party

it's just math, in our sucky fptp voting system

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

So, you're saying that I shouldn't vote MY conscience, I shouldn't vote for the candidate that I believe will do the best job in office, simply so that you get your way in the election?

Essentially, you're asking me to vote the way you dictate, instead of the way I feel. Therein lies the fallacy.

The idea that my third party vote "divides" one side or the other is fallacious. My vote was never with your candidate, or the candidate you hate in the first place. Noting gets divided.

in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin

the problem is in fptp you can't vote your conscience, you also have to use strategy

it isn't about what i want

if you're playing a game of chess, do you imagine you have 5 queen pieces on the board? no. it doesn't work that way

same with voting 3rd party

it just divides the left and trump wins. you can't imagine it does anything else. it's just the way the voting system works

don't shoot the messenger

i'm not trying to convince you of my opinion, i'm describing reality to you

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

That's the thing... I only need to use strategy in order to force my viewpoint and candidate on the rest of the country.

I'm not trying to be insulting, but thinking like that is religious in nature, or even cult-like. "Christians" wanting to force the rest of the world to live by their values, for exaample.. They use "strategy" in the same manner you propose in order to influence government.

The true solution is for individuals to vote for themselves-or we get where we're at now.

in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin

you're acting like this is about opinions

this is about facts

in the fptp voting system, it is a fact it's a contest between only 2 parties. in this arrangement, 3rd parties can *only* siphon votes off from one of the 2 major parties and cause them to lose

that's it. there's no opinion. no religion. just mathematical fact

i asked you before: are you familiar with the idea of someone who has good intentions, but because they don't understand something, they only wind up causing harm?

in reply to Huntn00

Right

@ admin doesn't seem to understand there are mathematical rules here and is acting like we're forcing our opinions on them

but what's happening is the us voting system is blackjack and they are trying to play poker

If we change the game, and go to ranked choice voting (poker), everything they say makes perfect sense

But unfortunately we're stuck at the blackjack table until we vote in those people who will change our voting system

And it is creeping in in the usa

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Eh Eye Ate Dub Yah ✡︎ :ally:

@admin @Huntn00

Because the founders of the country weren't mathematicians. So the system is broken. And you are choosing to not understand how it is broken. We're asking you to understand the math. Did you watch the video link I sent you? It's quite good. You will understand the reality you are stuck in (again, it has nothing to do with opinions or religion, just mathematical facts)

in reply to goedelchen

@goedelchen @admin @Huntn00

but the current system doesn't work for them

this person seems deeply confused about some basic facts of what an fptp voting system is, and are stubbornly refusing to learn the reality

in reply to goedelchen

and the account we're responding to not only doesn't know that is the only effect of a 3rd party vote in fptp, but also doesn't care

what a world

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@admin

Ugh, I hate Duverger's law so much. It’s describing an unstable equilibrium and the fact it’s unstable is obvious to anyone with a basic understanding of game theory and psychology.

I wrote an essay arguing that it was likely to be an accurate predictor only in the short term due to that instability when I did politics A-level in the late ‘90s. The predictions I made in that essay pretty much described what happened in the UK since then.

I got a low mark because the marking scheme said that Duverger's law is correct. And it’s still taught as if it’s a real thing.

Duverger's law Is behind the ‘move to the centre’ model of mainstream parties in the UK and USA, and this does give short-term gains. But, as you move to some imagined centre, you also disenfranchise voters who support the positions you’ve moved away from.

Most elections under FPTP are won by getting 25% (often less!) of the electorate to vote for you. You are not competing just against the other candidates but also against voter apathy. Even in the late ‘90s, turnout in an election in the UK was under 70% and most candidates would have come second if ‘did not vote’ was counted as an option. When you have 40% of the electorate who doesn’t think either party represents them at all, a third candidate who can engage them has a very good chance. And then you may reenter the unstable equilibrium state a bit as some existing parties are relegated to obscurity and others try to engage with those voters (while moving away from their party faithful, which grows the pool of disenfranchised voters).

Note: I still believe FPTP is a terrible system, in part because of this instability. It leads to abrupt changes as the system lurches from one unstable equilibrium point to another.

in reply to David Chisnall (*Now with 50% more sarcasm!*)

@david_chisnall @admin "Most elections under FPTP are won by getting 25% (often less!) of the electorate to vote for you."

We once won a 2/3 majority on the council with the votes of around 10% of the electorate.

Turnout was around 30%, we got about a third of that, so around 10% of the electorate, but with a four way split we were much better than anyone else at targeting.

The Tories at the next table in the pub after the count were moaning about how unfair this was, until we pointed out that they'd had plenty of time in government to abolish FPTP if they thought it was unfair.

in reply to Tim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPE

@TimWardCam @admin

True. I was thinking about elections of MPs but more FPTP elections occur for more-local government.

And, as people in the US keep failing to learn, local government is where you start winning as a third party. There’s no point standing for President as a third party. You won’t win unless everyone hates both other candidates and even if you do you can’t do anything useful because you’re working with a hostile congress and so you’ll reach the end of your term with no successes to claim and the major parties will use this as a reason no one should vote for you.

But winning a local council and doing a good job shows people both that you can win elections and that you can govern. Then flip a few constituencies. Then grow. The Greens in the UK seem to be pretty successful in this strategy.

in reply to Tim Ward ⭐🇪🇺🔶 #FBPE

@TimWardCam @david_chisnall@infosec.exchange @admin

david is talking about the UK

UK has parliamentary, which lends stability to third party the USA does not have

david is right, but only for the UK

duverger's law is a real effect, and it is mollified in the UK. there is no such mollification of duverger's law in the USA

third party in the USA only helps fascism (until we get ranked choice)

i wish Europeans would understand how fucked up the USA voting system is and alter their comments appropriately

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@TimWardCam @admin I agree. You need to look at the realities of your country. In Sweden, where I live now, there are currently 8 parties in Parliament. Still, a lot of people don't vote for their favorite party. That party may be to small to get in. Or a potential coalition party may risk not getting enough votes to get in, and supporters of a larger party may tactically vote for them to ensure they do.
In the US, you have to go for the least bad.
in reply to Charles Berkow

@Charlesberkow @TimWardCam @admin

i'm certain you'll tell me about all the problems in swedish politics, but, from this american's perspective, what you just described sounds like a dream. the american voting system *sucks*

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@TimWardCam @admin Could, but I won't. It's why I came here, 50 years ago, to look at the back side. But one step at a time. Am grateful for your efforts!
in reply to gunstick

@gunstick @admin

sure but it's not about what the ideal is. it's about what can be achieved

like:

"throw trump in jail!"

agreed, but you need to elect the people who will make that happen first. it does no good just to proclaim that

it's not good enough to just proclaim what is ideal, but to talk in terms of what is achievable, now

and getting ranked choice is hard enough

but if we do get that, then maybe yes, we can have a constitutional convention after we finally elect some good reps

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@admin I agree with you there. With a possible exception; IF you are SURE a particular election (including electors in a state) will not be close, a vote for a third party might not hurt. But in a swing state, in a close election, in the US, it is counterproductive. But that may be too complicated, so as a rule of thumb, in the US, you are right.
in reply to Charles Berkow

@Charlesberkow @admin

i don't have a problem with anything you said

however, if there is a real left democratic candidate up in the primaries or the general election, the best strategy is to go for them

the idea is to take over the democratic party

the democratic party sucks. in a normal country, you go for a 3rd party. in the screwed up usa, we are left with the best, sucky, strategy of taking over the dems

and then getting ranked choice, and then voting 3rd party to our heart's content

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@Charlesberkow @admin it's unfortunate that political parties here are underregulated private organizations who don't have to follow their own rules
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Yes, take over the Democratic party, but with candidates that can win. Not Socialists. NYC is a different place, that's not going to fly most places and we will suffer under MAGA/GOP rule for the remainder of time. The country is, for better or worse, substantially conservative. Then it's centrist, then left of center, and a small percentage left. We can't win under normal conditions with a left candidate like Mamdani. Just reality. @Charlesberkow @admin
in reply to Joe (TBA)

@RegGuy @Charlesberkow @admin

the problem is what you mean by socialism

there's "socialism" like in venezuela and cuba, which is more like kleptocracy and despotism. and i agree with you about that kind of "socialism"

and then there's social democracy. norway or finland for example. i'm sure you understand that's far different

and then there is democratic socialism, which is yet another difference

that's what mamdani is

we need a new language here because people get hung up on terminology

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Any use of the word socialism in this country is doomed. As I said, I'm a realist. I know the difference, but the majority won't. @Charlesberkow @admin
in reply to Joe (TBA)

@RegGuy @Charlesberkow @admin

that's why i said we need new terminology. obviously norway works and venezuela doesn't. so we need a word that won't cause an immediate trigger reaction in americans about what socialism is

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

The term Progressive was a good one until it was used by people who get nothing done. Also the problem is that terms, regardless of what they are will get tied to stupid things by the GOP and those who refuse to understand and read or think, will be fooled. What Democrats need to do is sell the deeds that help the majority of people hurt by the GOP. Forget the terms, stop trying to be anti-GOP be for something positive in people's lives. @Charlesberkow @admin
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@RegGuy @admin In Swedish it's called "tactical voting"(taktikrösta).
But that won't help unless it's been explained.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Make being a Democrat mean it. D to go forward, R to go backwards. Republicans are coming for your cell phones. We need to stop giving the GOP easy boogie men to run against us. A word does that.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@admin

You would have to find one and they don't exist

Waiting for The fascists in both party to provide real candidates is literally the definition of insanity

We have tried this for decades and it does nothing but get worse...

Even a mildly left platform including stopping genocide would have ended this in 2024

But Bush in a skirt lost to cheetolini because instead of being that candidate which would have won easily, she punted and promised more fascism just with a smile and some fun

We have to throw them all out because they will not help us they have made it quite clear

Collaborator/crypto Democrats are helping the nazis just as much (if not more) at this point by doing not a single thing

Fuckwads secret police are now shooting people in the face and then saying she deserved it

When it was all on camera

You think that these people are going to get voted out?

It is that type of apathy that is the biggest factor in fascisms advance

Just waiting for the elections is a privileged position... It means that they aren't shooting at you yet

Right now it is the VAST majority of people doing absolutely nothing that is making it easy for fascism to move forward

We all need a personal game plan about what sacrifices we are willing to make, because if not it will get so much worse so much faster and when it's all over if we are still alive we will be one of the people that has to lie when they say they were against it the whole time

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Good. Fuck the United States, land of the criminal pedophiles, home of the free billionaires to fuck everyone and everything because feelings. I hope it's such an embarrassing dud just like needledick Trump. #Loser #FIFA #WorldCup #Boycott #SuckUp #Assholes who capitulate.
This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

When I see this sort of thing:

"As an American: don't come here
Don't do business with the #USA"

I'm thinking about the people around me, here in Wisconsin, dependent on tourist business - it's pretty terrible up here just now.

Not a milligram of nuance to anything said around here.

#usa
in reply to tuban_muzuru

that's correct

avoid the usa. completely. florida. nevada. wisconsin. everywhere

zero nuance intended. zero nuance required

the country is acting in ways that can not and should not pass without consequence

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Consequences for whom? Sure does make ethics a lot simpler when you can just throw us all in your Hefty Bag.
in reply to tuban_muzuru

the hefty bag called the reality of living in a country. and yes we are all in it. and there is no alternative. who leads us has consequences, as a whole group

i'm not proposing a path. i'm describing the path we are on

don't shoot the messenger

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I sure wish I was as similarly convinced of the evil of the American public. Yeah, when our leaders run amok, the thing which will convince those rogue elephants of their evil ways is to damage ordinary people who didn't do anything to anyone, just trying to run a business.

That's "reality"

in reply to tuban_muzuru

@tuban_muzuru

yes. that is the reality. elections have consequences. and what let us down is nonvoters and MAGA. it is their fault. we will now suffer, because of them. and there is no way around that. i'm not saying it's good, i'm not saying it is bad. i'm saying it is inevitable

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

No, it's policy. We decide to tell people not to come here, don't do business here - how will that get more people to vote for reasonable candidates?

It won't and we both know it.

in reply to tuban_muzuru

i don't think canadians are ceasing to come because i got on social media and said the usa sucks

i do think canadians are ceasing to come because an orange turd got on social media and threatened to annex them

the question is why the orange turd can do that

and the answer is because enough couldn't be bothered to vote, and enough are ignorants who love bigotry, that he is in power

it's not anything we control anymore

we had control, and we blew it

we better vote next time

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

So stipulated. What happened to the Rule of Law? The sniggering of SCOTUS, allowing Trump to issue sweeping pardons for Jan 5 - surrounded by rogues and the ghost of Epstein.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@tuban_muzuru Just speaking for Europe: It doesn't matter what is said in social media.
We have warnings by our Foreign ministries how to behave, and we read in our newspapers how innocent tourists were either prevented from entering the United States in the first place, or were repeatedly detained and hidden away in dubious prison camps before our embassies secured their release.
These facts are enough, we don't need social media. Your government does enough to keep people away.
in reply to RiaResists

@RiaResists I feel you. Unfortunately we have the same dangers for the next elections in several countries, fired by propaganda for the far-right coming from Putin and Trump at the same time.
@benroyce @tuban_muzuru
in reply to Petra van Cronenburg

@NatureMC @tuban_muzuru
Half of America have been fighting this since day one.
Stupid Americans have contributed to the uprising of fascism around the world.
They are unreachable & intentionally misinformed.
in reply to RiaResists

@RiaResists Reality anecdote: Half of my family fled from Hitler already in 1923 (yes, the danger could have been seen then), some later ... to the USA. Some of them fought against the Nazis as US soldiers in Europe.

Their grand-children and later generations are horrible MAGA heads now. To this day, I still cannot comprehend this betrayal of their *own* history (and I've cut the contact).

@benroyce @tuban_muzuru

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Petra van Cronenburg

@NatureMC @tuban_muzuru I'm a "native born" American with a US passport. In July I came through the port of entry at DFW. The place was swarming with heavily armed border and ICE agents just spoiling for a fight. I can only assume the situation has gotten much worse since then. If you are any shade of brown, you will be seriously hassled, that was happening months ago. I wouldn't want to chance being sent to a camp or deported for a football match.
in reply to Petra van Cronenburg

@NatureMC @tuban_muzuru Thanks, Petra! Since then, I've moved to the UK and don't plan on returning unless the US overcomes MAGA.
in reply to Petra van Cronenburg

@NatureMC @isotope239
Since 9/11 the USA is somehow broken.

Why do so many people lose faith in government? It's like religion, if all those people stop believing, they go to the ancient history department.

in reply to tuban_muzuru

yup, as i think i told you before, my last day of work at the wtc was 9/10/2001. i woke up late the next day so i never made it in

it really did shake our confidence, release all of our insecurities. and those insecurities morphed into derangement

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to tuban_muzuru

@tuban_muzuru @NatureMC @isotope239

😔

they got hit hard

i was at 5 wtc

9 story building between the towers

all my coworkers made it out. but they weren't spared the carnage

i still remember the zombies caked in asbestos dust wandering in a trance all the way up through times square

i spent hours on the phone with a friend who just ran across the brooklyn bridge having a mental breakdown

i'm not religious but i went and prayed at st. patricks

and the missing posters in grand central 😩

in reply to tuban_muzuru

Y'know what might make a difference, roust out our gerontocratic Democratic leadership - now those folks have no grasp of reality. How about not-voting for them?
in reply to tuban_muzuru

@tuban_muzuru

the democrats fucking suck

replace them with young leftists

show up in the primaries

but just not voting and having no transition means you're just handing more to maga. and even less will visit the driftless

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

That's entirely correct. The USA hasn't seen a leftist party in a long time. The sentiment is there.
in reply to tuban_muzuru

@tuban_muzuru
I don’t think “reasonable leadership” is an option on the table anymore.

There’s no going back to the “old normal” here in the New Normal™

The options are the unreasonable vs the wicked.

in reply to Coach Pāṇini ®

@paninid
"Inspiration move me brightly
Light the song with sense and color
Hold away despair
More than this I will not ask
Faced with mysteries dark and vast
Statements just seem vain at last
Some rise, some fall, some climb
To get to Terrapin"

Truth is, Ben, I'll be glad to be gone.

in reply to tuban_muzuru

we all come and go

it's nice to leave a mark though

to matter, in a way that made a difference. doesn't have to be discovering penicillin. and to matter to our loved ones is the most vital

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to tuban_muzuru

@tuban_muzuru This (don’t come to America) is a cause and effect argument. Unfortunately an element of this strategy is logic. Some of us can only learn when we see the negative results of our actions, and unfortunately we all, good and bad will suffer, but it’s the only real way to fix this. The world must treat the US as pariahs for us to collectively get the message. Some good people will unfortunately suffer more than they deserve. 😔
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Omg I didn't know if these calls to boycott were all hot air... I hoped it would work. I love to hear this. ❤️ 🔥
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

🔥 :ablobcatpopcorn:

Somehow, FIFA is completely missed the fact that the World Cup in the United States poses a material health risk to anyone outside of the United States wanting to view it. And that toy prize they gave to Trump that didn’t help that did not help.

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

There is also a european wide campaign going to migrate away from US big tech. That one is going to hurt even more.
So far I've gotten rid of the streaming services, the social media, Microsoft and amazon. I'm currently working on leaving Google but that one is a bit more tricky.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I hope this #boycott grows - losing money is the one effective way to push back these authoritarians
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I was reminded by the radio news this morning that you have the Olympics to boycott in 2028 as well if nothing changes...
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Waiting for the asshole to swallow himself is a losing strategy. We need more people in the streets. Every time I go to a protest march and I could be wrong but I see mostly grey hairs. There's just not enough involvement from the general public. I recall going to Vietnam anti war protests when I was in high school. It might be difficult to get the youth to put down their phones, but I think engaging the youth could be helpful.
We also need to use tools like cyber and economic
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Remember to boycott any livestreams of the FIFA World Cup, as well as any other branches of FIFA, like their games division.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

ينبغي أن يقتصر الأمر على المكسيك وكندا فقط.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

That would be just *awful* if the whole World Cup thing fizzled and turned into a normally manageable few weekends here in #Seattle instead of the freaking Defcon 1 situation we've been hearing about for over a year.
in reply to chx

care to explain?

i checked out the site before posting

they are a reputable niche site devoted to ticketing news. headquartered in connecticut, founded in 2006

https://muckrack.com/media-outlet/ticketnews

but yes, fakery on social media is a problem in the world

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@chx
Sounds like wishful thinking:
1 - tickets can't be cancelled
2 - what are 17k vs. more than 100m?
@chx
in reply to Joachim 🇪🇺

@jotho @chx

"Given that FIFA has a strict no cancellation policy on sold tickets for the World Cup, it is likely that the figure is reflective of people cancelling their participation in the in the third phase of ticket sales for the event – either the “random draw” selection process, or purchase via member organizations."

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

it links to https://en.royanews.tv/news/65690/Jordan-goes-through-to-Arab-Cup-semifinals-as-star-forward-suffers-ACL-tear as a source which says "Calls to boycott FIFA World Cup 2026 have intensified, with reports that around 16,800 people cancelled their tickets overnight." without actually naming any source for this claim. The FIFA emergency meeting is also completely unsourced. No one else mentions it aside from royanews which claims it's a Jordan news site.
in reply to chx

@chx

well then if this ticketnews outfit is reporting fake news their reputation is going to be toast

been around for 20 years. i guess they threw it all away?

@chx
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I meant some mainstream media, like #CNN, #NewYorkTimes, #BBC, #Guardian, etc. So far, none of these big news outlets have picked up the story, or have they? But if FIFA has an emergency meeting, I guess they would.
in reply to Justus

@AtJack

i guess so

i mean if the story is fake it's fake. and the source i linked to is toast. they've been around since 2006, they're a real outfit. so we'll see if their reputation goes to hell

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

seems like its within the noise like we're still waiting for the intl olympic/kickball fans to figure it out already.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

LOL
FIFA: Let's align ourselves with a brutal tyrant and present him with a fake trophy to make nice.

FIFA (later): Oh shit. We did not expect that people do not want to spend their vacations in fascistland being brutalized by a tyrant and need to call an emergency meeting to figure this out.

#FIFA #FAFO #USPol

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@StillIRise1963

I haven't supported sports in any way, shape or form since the mid 90's.

I love it when things like this happen.

in reply to Maddad ☑️

@maddad @StillIRise1963

IDK Why @Stillrise1963 has me muted 😄.

I wish I could read her comments! Perhaps one of you gentlemen could ask her to unmute me if she would be willing in grace🙏
Thanks!

in reply to RememberUsAlways

i'm blocked and suspended all over the damn place 😆
This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to RememberUsAlways

just roll with it

a few early blocks bothered me

now i just don't care anymore

"oh hi...

oh bye..."

whatever

mastodon can be ridiculously harsh

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Following the discussion here, but here’s the unpopular fact: if this continues *every weekend* until the start of the world cup (20 weeks) that’ll be 340,000 tickets. Every world cup since '98 hat roughly 3 million ticket sales, Qatar 2022 about 3.4 million. So about 90%(!) will still be visiting even IF these cancellations continue. About 10% less doesn’t look like a full-featured boycott. Bad for the FIFA yes, but no emergency. People will still flock around the soccer ball. 😝
in reply to Armin Hanisch

oh yeah, it's a tiny dent

but hopefully it focuses some people's attentions who don't care we got trump. there are certain things they do care about, and maybe now they will see the consequences

This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I do hope you’re right, but anyone with an IQ above room temperature (even in C) will avoid traveling to the States already, you don’t need to warn us. 😎 The people flying over will also go on vacation in any authoritarian country elsewhere, because beaches and cheap drinks like the ones visiting Socotra that got stuck on the island. At least half of the people is more stupid than the median 😉
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I've noticed Disney and other corporations have turned like this. Mr. Walt would be so mad if he was alive
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

I have so many great US friends and colleagues. I would never dare enter the country under the current administration.

reshared this

Unknown parent

Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@moshimotsu

it is only a drop in the bucket

but it's focusing attention, which is good

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Given that it's a joint Mexico/USA/Canada hosting situation, I wonder if FIFA have contingency plans to move the USA matches to Mexico and Canada
Unknown parent

Paul Chambers🚧

@LaNaehForaday Who knows how many people really are canceling [not showing up] since that 17,000 comes from the third phase of ticket sales and the other phases are non-cancelable. It very well could be a very empty World Cup.

I don't feel bad for FIFA but I do have empathy for the local businesses that will be losing a significant boost in business, esp in this Trump Economy. Except Hilton. Feck them.

@benroyce

in reply to Paul Chambers🚧

@LaNaehForaday@universeodon.com

Yeah its a drop in the bucket

It does focus the attention of certain people though

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Really a win-win. It embarrasses the current regime, and it causes trouble for FIFA, who deserve it.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

so 'that's' why he got the fifa peas prize. No football = no football violence. Genius!
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Not only should they not come here, the US should never have been doing business with FIFA. Evil is evil, even if people like soccer.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Cancel all your 2026 World Cup tickets. FIFA has priced them like tickets to the moon. It is greedy and corrupt, but doesn't hold a candle to Donald Trump. Mostly, because Reichsfuehrer SS Stephen Miller has made the US an unsafe place for Americans and foreigners alike to be or visit.
This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

to clean up shit will take the decade, to gain our trust again generations. Don’t take it wrong. Thats just my personal feeling.
in reply to Jan Antoš

i'm certain there are americans who think "get rid of trump and everything goes back to normal"

they are sorely mistaken

i've posted your sentiment myself before:

trust is hard earned, easily lost

it will take a decade or two for europe to trust the usa again, if it comes to pass that the usa reverses course, and sustains (rather than flipping to some other fascist again some years from now after a period of recovery)

This entry was edited (1 day ago)
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

for sure we can an Europeans give support, the moment we will be strategically not so much dependent on US tech companies. Tbh, I am quite “glad” this is happening, it was wake-up call for Europe. Finally we are looking forward to develop our technological suverenity. I see quite a lot EU companies shifting from Amazon, Google, MS cloud to European alternatives even on some cost of convenience.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@janantos why do you think so? Personally, I think that, at least for the Europeans, it will be like flipping a switch.

We have been used to just do whatever the US orders for very long. In some cases we even have precedents of exceptions in criminal law made specifically for Americans. If you look just at Italy, there have been numerous high-profile cases in which the US imposed the industrial policy of the state, including by means of assassinations of entrepreneurs.

My guess is everyone will be happy to instantly switch back to the previous attitude, even just for a psychological effect of reverting to the usual situation.

in reply to Charo del Genio

@paraw @janantos

i think this is true after one trump term

after two, no, i disagree with you

europeans will not think of the usa as they have post wwii pax americana for a long long time, and only if we return to legitimacy and stay there (not elect some other fascist for example)

the pax americana era died on nov 5, 2024

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@janantos it's possible. Time will tell. You are more optimistic than me on this. Anyway, the first step is making sure the MAGA are voted out of existence.

You know, I'm organizing a conference (in Europe), and a person from the US whom I invited declined to participate because he's afraid they won't let him back in (he's an American citizen, but he was born in India). I mean, this is so fucked up. And of course, it's nothing compared to people getting murdered in the streets.

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

i’ll believe that when I see it. European government seems just as likely to buddy up to china as it takes world power as it did with the US these last 100 years. Not sure where the moral high ground is in being complicit in whatever evil the new bully in charge is doing.

This assuming Europe stops its own fascist movement in time.

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

@janantos “a decade or two”? 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Make that half a century, at least!
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Boycott the US World Cup !

Broadcasters: I won't watch a single game.
Advertisers: I won't see a single ad.
Teams: your fans & players are in danger.
Players: I won't watch, it will forever be an asterisk.
Fans: If you must, go to Mexico & Canada.

in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Nobody in his right mind should go to the US in the current situation, boycott the bastards.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Considering they're also banning like half the world from getting a visa, I expect part of the refunds to be also caused by fans that now can't go to the matches [em]even if they still intended to[/em]. Absolutely boneheaded policy change but ah well
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

unfortunately there will be at least ten folds of that number now gleefully hoping to get their hands on those to tickets... So end of the day FIFA & US of Pedos will take absolutely no notice.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

all the best luck. At this point I doubt there will be electikns that deserve tge name, but I hope I am wrong.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Why did this happen just over the weekend? What specifically set this off, and can we get a repeat of that?
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

OK. Hopefully they repeat that excursive. Also, people need to not watch, and make lists of sponsors.
in reply to Ben Royce 🇺🇦 🇸🇩

Ja, meneer Gianni Infantino, dat komt er van als je een pleaser bent geworden van Donald Trump. Als bruinlikker kun je de gevolgen niet overzien en denk je het spel mee te kunnen spelen. Maar er is een grens en die grens bepaalt de toeschouwer en niet jij.
in reply to Fenix

Yes, Mr Gianni Infantino, that's what happens when you become Donald Trump's yes man. As a brown-noser, you can't foresee the consequences and think you can play the game. But there is a line, and that line is determined by the spectator, not you.
in reply to Fenix

@fenixmaster

Geef uw taalvoorkeur aan en Mastodon zal een ingebouwde vertaalfunctie bieden voor gebruikers die een andere taal spreken.