It's more like the people tied to the top rail are also tied to the bottom rail.
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The only thing I disagree with in this comic is this part:
I can do only one thing in this current moment
You can do a bunch of other stuff. Voting and direct action are not mutually exclusive.
And if it WAS Connected it would be UNAMERICAN to Use it!
-Democrats CAMPAIGNING FOR REPUBLICANS right now!
The artist got it right in that the third track is not even connected to the rail, and the guy couldn't select that track even if he tried. He's missing that if you try to select the third track the genocide happens anyway.
I don't think it was missing, I think it was a "read between the lines moment", a "skill" that seems to be becoming rarer these days.
Kind of an accurate comic since a lot of people would love to send the trolly to the third track but since it's not connected we can only watch. And somehow people believe this is a failing of the person at the lever for not being able to teleport the trolly or something.
"Well, obviously, the dilemma is clear...how do you kill all 19 people?"

Collectively organizing to derail the train and/or build a bridge towards the third track is the only ethical solution by the way, but it takes time and effort, so let's get started.
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.
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.
Who?
The violent act harms everyone
Then why aren't you condemning the government itself? The very monopolist on violent? Why are governments allowed to commit violence on everyone?
And you aren’t offering any way forward they can access, even if they survive the train wreck.
What are you talking about? Are we in the same metaphor?
Only the conductors and a couple thousands ton of war machinery
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.
It takes no time to derail?
You have 5 seconds and nothing in your hands, are you going to throw yourself in front of the train?
After those 5 seconds, you have no option of choosing to derail. So you better pull that lever. Otherwise all those extra deaths are on you.
This comment is about the primaries.
It’s called a metaphor, socio politics don’t work like an actual train.
See, and whenever I make up bad guys that only exist in my shower argument fantasies, you guys all get mad about it. Is it the colours I use?
Yeah but that other track was built by a woman.
This, except the the lever doesn't actually control which track the trolley goes down, that is controlled by the trolley corporation. The third track is being built by people who understand this, in order to connect it with the other tracks so that noone has to be run over, but the person pulling the lever thinks they are pulling the track-switch.
The trolley corporation rigged it so that when the person pulls the lever, it actually bombs the other track, so that it won't connect to the rest of the tracks, killing a few track builders in the process. The lever puller is told by the trolley corporation that the track would have switched except the track builders are terrorists who blew up the switching mechanism because they hate freedom. But not to worry, keep pulling the switch because it is actually individual switch pullers, not trolley corporations, and definitely not track-building "terrorists," who make all the decisions, and that switch pulling is a sign of a healthy and civil society.


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