I didn't mean to, but after the depicted exchange on the birdsite I ended up composing the following with respect to voting abstentionism. #elections #voting #nonvoting #abstentionism #anarchism

"As far as the similarity [between not voting and not going to work] goes, I don't think the best version of the argument is that individuals voting or not voting (or going to work) de/legitimizes the political (or economic) system. The compelling version of the argument, I think, needs to be that mass non/participation is what has a de/legitimizing effect. The element of mass is what marks the difference with respect to compulsion (it's harder to read non-voting as a deliberative action, e.g.). That's part of what makes the analogy you offered not so strong to me. Anyway, the issue with contemporary abstentionism is that it's individual & largely passive, an ethical, rather than a strategic stance, a weakness of much apparent leftism (which it appears we agree about). The compelling theory of legitimation by participation would require actual abstentionist campaigning, which does not happen, here at least. I suspect part of the reason for this is that there's a recognition among anarchists that this is not our most persuasive practice. There is, nonetheless, an argument for individual non-voting—which is that, imo, the evidence isn't especially convincing that voting for the lesser evil, or even a favorable candidate, in the long term produces better outcomes particularly regarding the viability of revolution."