Why I Didn't Vote
I know, break out the tar and feathers before I get away. I'm a horrible human being, I should be ashamed myself, I should have no say in politics, blah blah blah.Let me tell you a little story. Perhaps it won't be very compelling or important, and perhaps the opinion of one slightly unhinged free lance writer means nothing, but the truth is I never voted in my life until 2008. I got caught up in the idea of ushering in some kind of enlightenment via a black president, not because I thought racial harmony would dawn or that Barack Obama was anything more than a politician, but because I thought that his election was a sign of things to come, i.e. people finally coming to their senses and abandoning all the nonsense ideas about the completely bullshit concept of race. Also, Sarah Palin scared the fuck out of me.
Boy, was I wrong. I was gloriously, spectacularly wrong. I have never in my 30 years on this earth seen anything like like what I've seen since Obama has been president. Never mind the racism, nor the laughable candidates and movements, nor the legions of white people who seem to think Armageddon is looming, nor the bullshit arguments and accusations leveled at the party in power, accusations that make no fucking sense. Never mind that both parties are virtually the same, that both are beholden to the same corporate interests and no matter who is in power the same stupid, frustrating shit occurs.
The thing that gets me, the thing I cannot get over is that for years smarter people than myself have been clamoring for alternatives to the two party system and we finally get it and it is a party devoted to sheer unadulterated insanity. And it's not even really a third party, it's a cover for bat shit insane republicans to get back to their roots. Meanwhile, everyone with an opinion left of Pat Buchanan is labeled a socialist by people who have no fucking idea what a socialist actually is.And what should I do? Seriously, why do I have to participate in this farce? Don't tell me about how much better one slimy pig is than the other, that's the reason why I didn't vote until I was goddamn 28 years old. Don't tell me about how democrats are the lesser of two fucktards, because they should have been able to make that argument on their own. And yet they couldn't, they couldn't fucking shout down a bunch of grade school drop outs with a tenuous, at best, grasp on government and politics, people who don't know who the fuck is paying the bills for their oxygen machines and motorized scooters, people who are in all seriousness suggesting that we dismantle the Department of Education and over turn civil rights regulations.
The state of American politics is best exemplified by the recent conflagration taking place at a Rand Paul rally where a liberal rabble-rouser was assaulted by some hulking inbred beast of a man. I think it's fucking disgusting that this is the level of political discourse in this country: granola eating liberal gets curbed by a homicidal maniac at a rally for a fake doctor. This is why I fucking refuse to vote, any fucking normal person has enough sense to stay away from this shit storm. I'd shit myself if I saw a viable candidate run for anything. I wouldn't elect these fucking people municipal dog catcher.
posted by mutterhals at Tuesday, November 02, 2010
13 Comments:
Here fucking here!
This comment has been removed by the author.
My sentiments exactly.
They're all beholden to the same financiers: bankers and corporate assfaces who want to perpetuate dualism to the exclusion of real, creative options.
If we don't stop voting now then nothing is ever going to really "change".
I agree with everything you said but I voted anyhow. I had to at least do my part to keep tea partiers out of office. The political status quo (and the society who watches from the sidelines) is certainly driving this nation into oblivion but the tea partiers seem to want to get there on an express lane. Personally, I just need more time to prepare for the end of days.
www.rogermillercomedy.com
dude you're not the only one. I did not vote and kept telling all my facebook friends NOT to vote as that was no way to bring about real change. People are sort of starting to get that the 2 party system is a scam. Kind of happy Obama did such a great job of proving it.nice blog bro. donovan editor, spritnewsdaily.com
David Foster Wallace said it best:
If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don't bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched Establishments of the two major parties, who please rest assured are not dumb, and who are keenly aware that it is in their interests to keep you disgusted and bored and cynical and to give you every possible psychological reason to stay at home doing one-hitters and watching MTV on primary day. By all means stay home if you want, but don't bullshit yourself that you're not voting. In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard's vote.
So what did you do instead of voting? Oh, of course, you started a union? Or maybe you picketed a sweatshop in your neighborhood? Maybe you handcuffed yourself to the fence of a defense contractor.
No, you blogged about how personally disgusted you were with our system. And posted a pic of a dog humping a cat's head.
Our hero.
Well, after work I rescued a bunch of AIDS orphans from a burning building, but that's a typical Tuesday evening for me.
I felt the exact same way. It was a choice between a bunch of screeching neanderthals or a bunch of whining crybabies.
But mostly, I don't vote anymore because I cannot stand the idea that was so beautifully displayed in California - that 53% of the population can tell 47% of the population that a personal choice they make should STILL land them in jail. (Nevermind the fact that Prop 19 was a GOLDEN opportunity to get their state's finances out of the dumps!).
No. I'm not participating in this kind of bullshit anymore. I don't care if that makes me un-American. "Democracy is the art of running the circus from the monkey cage," said H.L. Mencken, and he is so right. The monkeys flinging their turds this year were out in full force.
What about voting on levys for operating expenses, those are important and are not associated with either party. school levys are failing everywhere.
Thank you. Just, thank you.
HA HA! I scoff at your two party republic!!! That's what you get for copying the french!
We in Canada have an extremely british parliamentary system, and have no idea how it works. So we are less pissed about it, to be honest. It's so relaxin!
We have NO idea what's going on.
We're constantly in a state of 'wuh?' but atleast we're not in Iraq!
MWa HA!
Eat it, suckas!
I vote so I can get out of the house once every.... I dunno. Whenever we're supposed to vote.
The tv tells us when.
BUT OUR SYSTEM IS PERFECT!!!
Jillian has a point. But fuck that betch, amirite?
Love your posts. You should totally run on a 'compassionate' platform. They'd love you. Tell them about the orphans.
Our political system can be compared to two wolves and a sheep deciding what is for dinner.
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