Posted by m1s1n (153.90.114.188) on November 13, 2004 at 09:26:49:
And like that, it has passed before our eyes once again.
Am I bothered by the outcome? Yes, more than a little.
Am I bothered about the campaign? Definitely.
Am I bothered with the voting system? No more than I was four years ago.
This election we had one of the largest turn-outs in history. This is a good thing. It means that the country is taking an active interest in the way our government works. Or it means that enough people let themselves be deceived to the point of action. By this I mean the "morality vote"--which was the number one reason given at exit polls by Bush supporters. The morality vote largely consists of people who are afraid that gays will take over the United States, spend all our money on drugs, teach Nietzsche in elementary school, and shit on the American Family Unit. It means that people voted their prejiduce instead of "the issues."
Let me take a second to explain why I vote, and why I vote the way I do. I am concerned for "the issues" because "the issues" constitute my future. In many ways our country has become apathetic to the idea of change. Someone somewhere got the idea that change had to be violent, drastic, and immediately profound. Of course very little in our political system happens with such urgency while still having a lasting effect. This same person--desperate for change, but not knowing how to get it--starts telling everyone around them that voting is hopeless, to them democracy has failed. "Every ballot contains some random topic, every election the voters go one way. In a couple of years the topic is back on the ballot, and the voters rebuke their previous statement." And with an air of hate and spite this person spreads the word--that voting is useless, that nothing will ever get done, we are hopeless in our attempts--each politician is the same. Yet the do not understand the process of change. They fail to see the slight augmentations to our everyday life. To them, satisfaction must be immediate or not at all. So instead of striving for improvement they settle for whatever is on their dish. I vote because I want to make the future. With each passing election I have a chance to tell the world what I want, and how I want it done. Maybe it is optimistic of me to look forward, but with each passing second I approach "What Will Become." To me there is no better reason to vote than to make the world better for myself and the world around me.
So why did this election bother me so? Because people voted for the future, but for stupid reasons. People voted their fears over logic--their unjustified hatred of what is different as opposed to improvement. They said "We don't care that our soldiers are dying, that our economy is failing, that our jobs are disappearing, and we especially don't care that the our world is becoming more and more divided. We don't mind that we're being lied to, and it doesn't matter to us that the administration does not have our best interests at heart. All that matters to us is that one man cannot touch another man's penis and get away with it." This is not progress.
And yet there is still one major thing to mention about this election. Even though we had some of the largest turnouts in history only 10% of the 18-24 population bothered to show up. It is argued that this age group does not care about elections, because they do not have enough income--nor own enough property to be interested. Because of this the Republican party spends very little money and time trying to entice that age group. Yet in polls the 18-24 group consistently sides with Democrats on a majority of the issues, so naturally the Democrats spend some amount of money in interesting our age group. Still, it is not enough to get the 18-24 year olds to vote. Kerry had loads more "youth appeal" than Bush has, but it still was not enough to get the 18-24 year olds out to vote. In 40-years a majority of the "consistent voters" will be dead, or in the process there of--and we will have taken their place. I wonder--at that time will it be our country? When half our life has been swept away from us, will we finally care enough to make change? Or will we simply replace the old crew?
I hope that when I reach that age people around me will awaken to the fact that it is not only our futures at stake. I hope that the youth--my children and yours--will be anxious to take hold of their futures. I hope that we let them. I hope that people will start making choices to improve the world, not just themselves--not just their property. I hope that someday people will see the advantage of small steps. I hope that one day we can vote on what matters--not what scares us.