Comments on: PSA – Why You Shouldn’t Vote.

By: Micah Cowan

Micah Cowan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:30:45 +0000

@ Anonymous,

Boy do I hear that. I was dismayed to see a Facebook friend's status read "XXX hopes we elect an American citizen for president tomorrow".

I become increasingly depressed by the base levels of informedness and critical-thinking skills that seem to be present (or otherwise?) in the country in which I live. I mean, a (narrow) majority of the population still refuses to accept human evolution.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:10:59 +0000

I know this post is so old its growing mold, but I was just reading through your blog archives, and this one really made me smile. I don't normally go and look at the comments on each blog, but I did on this one (because I was curious if it did, in fact, degenerate in to a snarking match), and after reading them, I got a little tickle to put my two cents in for anyone else who has nothing better to do than read year old blogs like me.

Really, I can't say I put a lot of thought into the political machine. I agree, however, that one should only vote on the issues about which they are well informed, so my ballot last year had more blank spaces than not. I also agree with many commenters that no matter what, even if some profound astrological event were to allow a third party candidate to be voted into office, you still get a politician. I'm not saying I could do a better job, after all, that's what they do, but we've all studied history, and I for one cannot remember an example of a career politician in any era who actually managed to maintain a modicum of honor and honesty. In short, I'm embarrassed to admit I've allowed myself to become rather jaded.

All that being said, I cannot express the horror I felt when, just days before the election, in a discussion about the presidential candidates, my co-worker looked at me with wrapt, bug-eyed horror, and said..."but you know, Obama's a Muslim!".

That right there, that was a OMG moment for me, and I don't have many. Seeing as how no one will probably read this, I will not run through the gambit of thoughts and emotions that rolled through me at that moment. Suffice to say that it ended in what Pat might describe as a "frothy rage" that someone so ignorant that they would actually utter this comment in what was up to that point a fairly intelligent conversation, would actually be casting vote affecting the future of the country I live in.

On a side note, I live in Hawaii, and while I am in danger of once again exposing my jaded nature, I feel like most people here probably voted for Obama based on the high school he went to (which is where all the rich kids go). As most people here are lucky to get that far, where you graduated from high school carries some heavy social clout. I grew up here, so I can say this, and it ensaddens me.

Aloha!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:32:10 +0000

hmmmmm….I’m gonna have to say McCain because of his more conservative (but not rabidly so) stance on social issues…and his vastly greater experience in both Federal Government and international relationsdespite his choice of running mate

By: Linda

Linda — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:55:56 +0000

And yet, my first thought after reading this was “Thank heavens! Somebody abbreviated “y’all” properly!”I wish you weren’t right about people not paying attention to politics and then voting. I also really wish that some people would think through their reasons for voting one way (whichever way it might be) slightly more than just because one of the candidates “wouldn’t be able to kill Putin if he needed to.” (I kid you not, I actually heard a guy say that and be, pardon the phrase, dead serious about it. And he meant personally do it, not send someone else to do it.) So, just to clarify, you want someone who’s capable of murder running the country? Yikes… If you support McCain, okay, please just put slightly more thought into it. If you support Obama, fine, please just don’t let it be because you think he’s cute.

By: Kyle @ Home Insurance

Kyle @ Home Insurance — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:15:55 +0000

Great article. My favorite part was when you said: "If you think voting is a good idea because MTV told you to do it, then it is entirely possible that you are not very smart." <><>It is scary to think how many uninformed voters are headed to the polls on Tuesday. <> <>I was listening to a hip hop radio station yesterday and someone called in and said <>"I am voting for Obama because I'm tired of being on welfare. It's about time that big companies like google give me a little something to get my life together. I don't really care too much about the taxes cause i don't have a real job, but Obama is gonna change our country and take care of people like me." <> Get a job moron.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:22:20 +0000

I have often wondered... what are the chances that the same ratio of uneducated voters cast their ballot for each candidate, negating their effect? I can sleep at night because I believe it's possible. Just a thought.I truly believe that this or something very well like it should be required reading for every registered voter two weeks before they enter the booth or fill in that little block on their mail-in ballot (we Oregonians have that standard, which only makes it easier for the apathetic and uninformed to skew the vote). Thank you, sir, for your eloquent argument.

By: friedrichmauel

friedrichmauel — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:54:45 +0000

Hello Patrick, or Pat as everyone calls you. (I like the Patrick in it's german pronounciation thought) I might be stepping into fire commenting on your vote or don't vote discussion beeing a german, but I'll do it anyways. Having been present in America at the last vote beeing a Highschool student (foreign exchange) I got a good impression how voting in the rural states works. I lived in Central Illinois in the Decatour Area, Assumption/Moweaqua if that by chance does say annything to you. If not don't bother, s nothing of importance ^^. What stunned me when I was living on a Farm 5 miles out of town (if you can call a tousand inhabitants that) is that people do even know that there is a vote. No newspapers, no national - only local news and no information whatsoever of international affairs. My host family is a good family in all means. They were very kind, they care and they have a goal in life. But they shurely don't know nothing about politics. As does most of the people around. They know about church, they know about harvest and that arabic people are evil :-/. I was terryfied by the vote discussions we had, the father going for the democrat (I can't reacall his name) and the mother going for Bush. She was so pissed that Terry would vote him (an libalist on birth control and someone not too active in religion) that it felt like she was gonna divorce over it. Not that the democrat was a bright one but anybody I think could have done a better job than Bush. (my international viev. The discussion had nothing but feelings involved no arguments as such he does this and he does that. I was somewhat shocked by the sillyness of that discussion. Your examples recalled this from the black spots in my mind where traumatic things like that tend to disappear to. The conclusion I drew from that and that still exists in my head ist that a lot of the malinformation of americans ist the miseducation in school. Before University!! Here in Germany for example we have to do prescribed lessons very different from the american system and we have to learn about history first which later on divides to History and Politics of our country of europe and of the world as such. This does not make us smarter people, or better in any means and most of us Germans don't inform them much about the voting affairs but at least if we want to we can learn what is needed to become a responsible Voter. I didn't realy reach that although I had the best history teacher who's advice is still with me today. Thank you Mr. Burg. But the time we had was just not enough to learn enough about american politics, I had actually learned more in the german history and politics lessons. I think that this missing information is one of the main problems why americans tend to not know about their poitics. They just never learned that that actually can be interesting and makes sense. This is an now outsiders viev and may have changed in the last four years but I don't think so. I find your advice personaly very helpfull for it is not only of use to an american but also to somebody like me who will vote for the first time next year. It makes me think about my decision that I will have to make having 5 importand political partys to vote for. I just want to thank you. And please excuse my bad english, I am definitely out of practice writing english.

By: belenustenebrae

belenustenebrae — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:23:10 +0000

"...toward you not being smart enough to vote."You don't have to qualify to vote, that's the whole point. (Unless you count being alive and of age.)You can be a pro-gun, pro-life, pro-tax cuts for the rich, pro-war, pro-what-you-name-it or a righteous evil blockhead of a bastard and still get to vote. That's what's beautiful and horrifying about it.Yes, it'd be a great world if all x-phobic persons and half-baked fools didn't vote. Lovely. Lovely and elitist. Or only in ideal world. Unfortunately, informed voters are like informed consent... in an ideal world we would all be thoughtful, kind and critical people who based their decisions on an informed and researched basis. But ideal worlds are for idealists."They have the best intentions." Well, you know what they say about good intentions, they pave the road to hell. When worried about dumb, uniformed votes, becoming politically active is a good way to go. Hold lectures, tea parties, whatever. Then when it all goes to hell, you can take the high road on a high horse and in extreme satisfaction say “I told you so”. The people in the plane with you will thank you for it. However it might not be as satisfying as imagined, seeing that the ones who crashed the plane will most surely be the ones who think they are not responsible and therefore deaf to your words. Bah, it’s always 50-50 in hindsight.It makes me smile that you end with “polite and rational” since you just called any number of people stupid, “insipid, feckless, witfucked pogs”. Hem. Frankly, I prefer a blank vote to no vote. When I really don’t understand an issue (when it concerns economics my mind goes ‘zzzt’) I vote blank, because I think it’s important to cast my vote, to be active in my democracy. Even if it’s in a minor way. If not I might just as well live under an autocratic rock.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:01:50 +0000

1) Voting is a privilege that we are fortunate to have because we live in a so-called democracy. Let's remember that and keep it precious. Always vote--you could live somewhere that doesn't offer that option.2) When young, and voting the first time, youthful reasoning is leading the way, and youth aren't always necessarily as mature, wise, politically informed, experienced, etc. as say, me--a middle-aged person. (Not that I necessarily have a great measure of all those admirable traits, but this is just my opinion anyway.)3) I agree wholeheartedly that we should be thoughtful and informed when voting, but the presidential election is very very different than a local election--and to quote you Pat, a little piece of me dies every four years as I dwell on the fact that the national election process is not set up to support or even pay attention to the people anymore, anyway.4) Pat, the truth is every politician is a politician. That's why I'm not running for any office at any level of government. I am not a politician. It requires a certain type of personality. There is not one politician out there that I trust. We cannot believe anything any politician says prior to the election. They can say what they will, whether they believe it or not, and once in office the game changes so much--all of those promises and articulate dreams and nasty lies, and such--all go in the round file.5) Can a politician truly get elected and go on to follow through on what they believe in? Can they do their job according to their own values. Can they be in a position of power without being biased? I say no.6) Until another party grows strong enough to overcome the money and power of the two parties, and until the Electoral College is replaced by a system based on popular vote--Vote for the party that will do the least damage and will support some of your values.7) Afterward, if you have the ambition and the energy--go out there and try to make a difference yourself.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:44:26 +0000

You bassically summed up what I have thought since I saw the first “rock the vote” ads