Vote or STFU?

Um, beware the lizards. Uh, your video urged people to vote or shut the up. It made sense if you were addressing only those who already see democracy as a positive thing, and of course, not everyone does. Um, if there are three people on an island, it doesn't strike me as legitimate that two of them get to command the third and threaten him with force if he disobeys.

And if this tiny island democracy is illegitimate, then it's not obvious what the ethically relevant difference is when considering, uh, a large modern democracy. Butler Shaer said when we vote in an election, we are declaring by our actions our support for the process of some people ruling others by coercive means. You talked about casting a vote to try to keep the worst guys out of power, like the BNP, and I can understand that there's a practical value to strategic voting.

But at the moment you oppose majoritarianism, the, uh, the calculation concerning whether or not to vote against the BNP becomes more complicated. On the one hand, your vote reduces the risk that a party of racists gets into power by some small amount. On the other hand, by voting, even if your vote is a spoiled one, uh, you are seen to be consenting to and thereby lending support to, uh, a system that you think is unjust.

The possible pragmatic benefits of voting then, uh, balanced against the prospect of acting in opposition to your ethical principles. I think that can be a difficult choice to make. Added to this, there's the extra complicating factor that politicians frequently lie or change their minds once in power, so the already flimsy causal link between your vote and the actual condition in the place you live becomes even more threadbare.

I don't support the process of some people ruling others by coercive means. It doesn't matter whether the rulers have the support of the majority or not. But your video tells me that by not participating in democracy, I have to shut the up.

On the hypothetical desert island, a vote is taken about whether to seize Bob's possessions and redistribute them among the other two Islanders. Bob doesn't vote because he thinks the whole idea is absurd. The votes are cast, and Bob's things get stolen. If the vote or shut the up logic makes sense, then Bob shouldn't vocally oppose the injustice of what just happened because he didn't participate in the contest to wield the coercive power of the state. I hope you don't really believe that.