[a character holds a lever connected to rails, on which a train is approaching fast]
A train is approaching fast…
Many people are tied to the tracks…
As a bystander, I can do only one thing in this current moment: flip a lever, which would send the train to another track where it would also kill people, but less of them
[next to another separate railway track, someone is trying to get the first character’s attention]
Hey you, over there, look!
There is a third track here!
It is not connected to the other tracks, but there are zero people tied to it, so if you do not choose to send the train on this third track right now you are an evil genocide enabling liberal
https://thebad.website/comic/third_track
Derailing a train takes no time, it’s a violent quick act.
The only ethical solution is to end the harm asap while working on building alternative support networks.
You don’t need a fully fleshed out replacement before you start removing the bad. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
How many people are on the train and will die when you violently derail it?
This depends on how many members of governors you have. Some have one passenger, some have hundreds of them.
Small price to pay for when we are at stake.
You’re forgetting all the regular folks, citizens and noncitizens alike, who are packed into the cars behind the government officials in the engine car. The violent act harms everyone. And you aren’t offering any way forward they can access, even if they survive the train wreck.
Who?
Then why aren’t you condemning the government itself? The very monopolist on violent? Why are governments allowed to commit violence on everyone?
What are you talking about? Are we in the same metaphor?
Won’t somebody think of the poor innocent government.
I’m talking about the ordinary people being pulled along behind, whether they’re in the dining car, regular seats, or packed into a cattle car.
I mean, I’d really love to find a way to save everyone on the tracks and on the train (especially since I’m probably on the train in this metaphor, i.e. benefiting from empire). But if the train is going to keep running innocent people over if drastic action isn’t taken, I’m in favor of doing whatever is necessary to stop it.
The ordinary person is the one on the tracks.
Ordinary people are everywhere, on the tracks and in the boxcars
Only the conductors and a couple thousands ton of war machinery
And the people packed into the boxcars
It’s called a metaphor, socio politics don’t work like an actual train.