Then you have willingly given up your voice until the next election.
In other words, you cannot talk about politics unless you have participated in them. (You don't have to be a snaky, sneaky politician to participate in the political world. In the US, we have the privilege to vote for representatives. Whether they do their job or not is another question entirely.)
It's just that simple.
Why, then, do non-voters pretend to care about political matters and measures?
Why give us your opinion if you are not going to use your privilege as a US citizen to vote and thereby appropriately voice this opinion?
People have died to maintain this privilege; other people have crossed boarders so their children may have this privilege.
Clearly, Americans take freedoms for granted on a day-to-day basis.
In fact, the right to vote -- the privilege of electing representatives/etc. and accepting or rejecting measures brought up in legislature -- is the right that US citizens are most apathetic about. Yet it sets the stage for the rest of our "rights" under US law.
Elect the wrong guy and your nation could turn on its head, from capitalism to socialism. Haven't we already seen the effects?
Then again, perhaps one vote doesn't count.
Remember in college or high school, when you had a question for your instructor (but you were too cool / ashamed to ask it in front of everyone else), and then someone braver than you asked the very same question out loud! In front of the whole class! Whoa, impressive! And then, you had your answer?
Voting is like that. Other people share your thoughts / your positions, but think they won't be heard or are above voting for one reason or other, and so they don't vote. At all. How effective that is, I'm not quite sure.
A friend of mine, who has quickly grown liberal while attending the same public ivy league school I recently graduated from, posted an article on his Facebook wall. Yeah, I Facebook stalk. No big. In it, one of The Economist writers quips, "The stakes of November: It doesn't matter that much" (article: http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2010/10/stakes_november?page=1). Now, I could go into depth on this one but here's the main gist: "It's okay if conservatives take over the House and Senate, little worried children. It's not going to change anything; we still win through brute force." Oh honey, if only you knew what you were talking about.
Look. All I'm trying to say is, if you want your voice to count -- yes, even with "one measly vote" that "doesn't matter that much" -- then VOTE. It's not that hard. If you're in Washington, you have no excuse: there is a mail-in ballot. It's pure laziness NOT to vote.
In the end, if you don't use your privilege and vote, you don't get represented. And no one else will care to hear your opinions either. Me included.
End rant.
03 November 2010
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Begin response.
ReplyDeleteI did not vote because I did not understand the context of the majority of the political issues for which my opinion was asked.
I hold that voting out of ignorance is necessarily worse than not voting.
I do not think that I should be excluded from the political realm for this decision, particularly since involvement in that realm can be a powerful educative tool.
I also do not your self-admitted ranting to be personally compelling, and I would submit there are others like me. I am much more inclined to hear arguments from statistics and the desirability of transcending the ignorant apathy of our day.
I do wish that your sense of political urgency would be better communicated to others. That said, I find political education/research/open-mindedness to be of at least equally importance.
End response.
Thank you for your response and for giving a valid reason for not voting.
ReplyDeleteHowever.
Given the fact that so much goes into making voters aware of the issues at stake, wouldn't you agree that doing research to increase knowledge is an option?
I would entirely agree with you that voting in ignorance is much worse than not voting at all. I look at election results and wonder what the outcome would be, if issues were at least laid out in black and white for people to see ... you know, without any extra flourishes?
The privilege of voting is a hot-button issue for me, as you can see from my post. We live in an era of apathy and if I can, in some small way (even in stirring others up), light a fire, then this post is worth the effort it took to create it.
I hope you can see my stance as valid in some small way.
I see yours as such, but would likewise caution you against assuming that the validity of statistics transcends the validity of opinions voiced in opposition to your own.
We seem to mostly be almost entirely in agreement for this issue. I agree that doing research is certainly an option, and a generally worthy use of time.
ReplyDeleteOne difference may be in our opinions on the utility of statistics (namely their ability to accurately reflect empirical facts), but that is an entirely different subject.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply.