Flipping through the channels on television last night, I came across a campaign ad for the senate race. That alone isn't surprising - we're getting down to the wire in a pretty close competition. But the first ad was followed by another ad, for the other candidate. And then a third. And a fourth. And then Mandi shut off the television. At this point in the campaigns the gloves have long since come off, and every ad is a lesson in mudslinging. I can't take it anymore, and I swear my blood pressure spikes every time I start thinking about politics. It's all dirty and wrong. And slanted. And scary. So here's a rant about all things political, and then I'm going to go back to being quiet about the whole mess.
I don't like politicians. I believe a few important things can be said for almost anyone who has the money and the influence needed to succeed in politics:
1. They've long since sold out. Any decency they may have had was likely sacrificed in order to get them to where they are today.
2. They have absolutely no idea what it's like to be an average American citizen. They don't know the slightest thing about what life is like for you.
3. They don't care the slightest bit about what life is like for you.
4. Their goal is not to serve the best interest of the public - it's to serve their own interest, which generally means doing whatever is necessary to keep their position of power.
I don't like the party platform system. I think it's antiquated and narrow minded, and it stinks. That said, I'm a registered Democrat. I agree with some of what that party has to say, and more importantly, I fervently disagree with the actions of the Republican party. The current political regime has used fear and anger as a way to manipulate the public. They use religion as a justification for their actions (post concerning my thoughts on religion coming soon to a blog near you) and as a claim to a moral high ground that they simply don't deserve.
I have no problem with people who support a party different from mine. What I do have a problem with is people who can't tell me, at least in general, why they support who they do. I am tired of the lackadaisical mindset of the American public at large. It seems like much of the country has had the wool pulled over its' eyes. If people were paying attention, they'd be enraged. Instead, they take what they've been spoonfed and question no further. We've become complacent, concerning ourselves only with the mundane and letting the important things slip below our radars. Who cares about our civil liberties slowly being stripped away? Paris and Nicole are friends again - surely that's more newsworthy... I heard somewhere recently (although I can't find the original source now) about the steady increase in celebrity/entertainment magazine circulation, and at the same time a drop in sales of news magazines. This country has its' priorities all out of whack. It's sad. And right now it may be a benign little problem, but if we ignore our rights and responsibilities long enough, they're sure to disappear.
Okay -that's enough talk about politics. Tomorrow I will go to the polls and do my duty. You should too.
9 comments:
My personal feeling is not that everyone should vote just for the sake of voting, but rather that those who are apathetic and lackadaisical should not vote. You want a change, obviously, but you also want all these people that have no clue why they support who they do to go vote.
It's just like anything else: if you don't know what you're talking about, either learn, or shut up. The problem isn't a lack of voting, the problem is that people are voting for the sake of voting, because people keep telling them they should or the have to exercise that right. I'd rather someone tell them they only get to exercise that right if they take the time to educate themselves first.
The irony of our current political climate is that many people see voting as their only opportunity to have their "voice" heard. This misrepresentation of our electoral process to the masses is profoundly depressing. Especially considering how the last major election turned out.
To sum up... is it 2008 yet? All we can do at this point is cast our respective ballots... be they educated or not, keep our fingers crossed, and hope that the "moral majority" doesn't decide to express themselves like they did in 2004.
One of my favorite quotes: "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups." I have it on a T-shirt... it helps me remember that intelligence only takes you so far in this world.
There is a school of thought which says that you can directly link the decline of interest in the electoral process to the general increase in living standards amongst the general population. As we get more comfortable we lose the impetus to rally for change and thus the drip drip erosion of civil liberties is allowed to pass unchecked. I say "we" as the UK is just as guilty of this malaise as the USA.
There is a public commission running at present in the UK about voter apathy which will report in the next few months. I shall be interested to see what it says. I am guessing not a lot, but that's just the cynic in me talking.
Jeff, I agree with you in a sense - the general push to get people to vote should really be to get people to pay attentinon, then vote. However, I certainly never said that I wanted those who didn't know why they support someone to go vote. I just want people to wake up. And another troubling issue related to this is the difficulty for one to get any reliable information relating to any voter issue. It's tough to get real, straightforward information unless you really look for it. The loudest voices on any topic are always the most politically charged and slanted. For example, someone getting his information from FOX news is likely to have a very different opinon on say, the PATRIOT Act, than he would if he actualy READ the document for himself. Unfortunately, being a truly educated voter is hard work (and being an indoctrinated one is decidedly easier...). Which leads me the next comment:
Atrocity, I completely agree with your point - in fact, after I posted this I got to talking with Luis, and that's the same place at which we arrived. Life is simply too comfortable, and in a sense people don't feel an urgency or real need to participate in the governing aspect of their country. Scariest part is that although most people feel more and more disjoint from the government, in actuality the government is slowly gaining access to and control over more areas of our lives.
Zac - 2 years, 2 months, 15 days - assuming that no national catastrophe occurs which would call for his remaining in office (perhaps my biggest fear, and a not altogether unlikely ploy, judging from previous actions by this administration. How's that for a conspiracy theory?)
I think I'm the guy that Jeff is talking about above. I don't consider myself very politically informed, and therefore I don't vote.
Part of that stems from a general mistrust of all politicians anyhow. If someone came along that I felt should represent me I'd get out and vote for them, but that has yet to happen.
Lazy? Yes. Apathetic? Maybe. I do think in my case not voting is better than guessing.
What great discussion is going on here. As I get older I find some of my political views changing. And I become MORE interested and upset with our current political climate every day. I have children and grandchildren to think about, after all. How many more pipelines can the environment support? How many more nuclear plants? How many more power plants of ANY kind?
Basically, I have a hard time believing man can destroy what God created. But I have lived long enough to see that mankind can certainly screw it up badly! So, I find myself getting greener and greener, yelling more about recycling than I ever thought I would, and keeping an ever-vigilant eye on my civil rights.
Which brings me to Bush. Grrrrrr! We do NOT have to wait for 2008 to get rid of this regime. Why the hell aren't we writing our congressmen on a daily basis and yelling about laws that the bush-ites are being allowed to foist off on us? Comeon, folks, let's start a peaceful revolution!
Jeff, I agree with you in a sense - the general push to get people to vote should really be to get people to pay attentinon, then vote. However, I certainly never said that I wanted those who didn't know why they support someone to go vote.
I know you didn't. :)
And another troubling issue related to this is the difficulty for one to get any reliable information relating to any voter issue. It's tough to get real, straightforward information unless you really look for it.
Perhaps I'm biased working in the journalism industry now, but it seems to me that local news sources are your friend here. Big conglomerates and cable TV stations can only do so much -- they spread themselves very thin vertically in order to cover more ground horizontally. Local sources can get much deeper into issues that likely pertain more directly to you. And many are family-owned and don't have to answer to shareholders -- which often makes them more interested in serving the community than serving their bottom line. The world doesn't need more CNNs and New York Times'. The world needs more Lansing Currents and Peyson Roundups.
I think I'm the guy that Jeff is talking about above...
Well, I was actually talking about myself, but it's good to hear I'm not alone. :)
Jeff,
As a matter of personal opinion, your comment actually sounds a a bit elitist - which I'm sure you didn't intend - but nonetheless at a first reading it sounds like you're advocating some sort of limit on the voting rights of undeucated citizens.
Furthermore, as I mentioned on your blog, I doubt that this [problem of uneducated voters] is actually much of a problem. It does, however, bode as an excuse made by an intelligent, well-read citizen who is either uninterested or unwilling to participate in the election process. ;) The beautiful thing is, you don't have to. It's your right as a citizen of this country to completely ignore the election if you so choose. Unfortunately, if you choose to advertise that decision, you will likely (as was evident from many of the comments to your post) be chastised by friends and family who feel it a serious responsibility of citizenship...
Atrocity, I'm also relieved to hear that the general lethargy of the public is not just an American problem, but perhaps one of 'first world' nations?
Neena, after watching the election unfold, I think perhaps your peaceful revolution has begun. I'm excited...
To all - huzzah! The Democrats are in a place to make good things happen for this country! Let's hope they use their newly granted power wisely.
well thank god Paris and Nicole are back together. What about Brittany and K Fed?-Ex? I'm glad the election is over. Or rather I'm glad the campaigning is over, it was starting to make me grouchy and fussy. Personally speaking,the results were as I expected.Most of the people snatching up their "I Voted" stickers were there because they'd had enough already, it's time for some new kids to play in congress, the ones there now have been bullying and need to go to time out. And Mr. Atrocity nailed it pretty well eh? Maybe folks were starting to sense that their creature comforts might be threatened sometime soon. Who knows, but we all did seem to have an opinion. And ain't it grand that the un- read-up(awkward)folks can vote? (most probably don't)
And women?
And blacks?
not so long ago only educated white males got to vote hmm, our country is sooo young.
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