In the eyes of liberals, Chappell Roan committed a cardinal sin last week during her interview with The Guardian. Instead of blindly endorsing Kamala Harris, as many virtue-signalling celebrities are doing, Roan urged people to use their critical thinking skills this election season, citing problems with both major political parties in the US.

“I have so many issues with our government in every way,” Roan explains. “There are so many things that I want to change. So I don’t feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote – vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.”

Critical thinking is not something many people are eager to engage in, especially when faced with right-wing politicians like Donald Trump. Rather than honestly examining what both parties offer US citizens, the political narrative often shifts to “get Trump out at all costs.” When in reality, the Democrats are still funding the genocide in Palestine and access to abortion was lost under a Democratic president. 

In the past week, Roan’s fans have criticised her for not publicly endorsing Harris, even labelling her a Republican. However, yesterday (September 26) she clarified her position in a video, stating: “I’m voting for fucking Kamala, but I’m not settling for what has been offered.”

Although Roan was pressured into releasing this video, celebrities like Ethel Cain have come to her defence. In a now-deleted Tumblr post, Cain reportedly wrote, “Chappell is right though. Y’all cannot be stupid enough to scream ‘fuck Israel’ all year (rightfully so) and then go happily vote for Kamala and meme the fuck out of her like everybody did Trump as if she didn’t just get up on that debate stage and say Israel has the right to blow the entire Levant to smithereens. Do not piss me off.”

She continued: “The fact that even slight criticism of kamala, the public servant we’re expected to elect as the PRESIDENT of our COUNTRY as the PROGRESSIVE option, is seen as immediate unwavering support of trump… yall cannot actually be this stupid, i don’t want to believe it.”

Election season often brings out the worst in people, as the state convinces us that the only choices are those they present. Neither party will save us, and if we’re being honest, both parties enact policies that kill people in the US and abroad. Imagining a better world is difficult, but we must expand our political imagination. The suggestion to do so shouldn’t be met with such vitriol because we all deserve far more than we are currently being offered.