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I fail to see the benefits of democracy when most of us don’t give a damm about whom we elect. I say this seeing the results of Spain’s autonomous regions recent elections. However crucial it was, how necessary a change is due in such regions, hardly 37% of voters showed up. Since Spain’s first democratic elections in 1977 an average 32% has shown up to exercise their vote. These numbers are not unique to us. In the 2008 US elections 56% of voters showed up at the polls and that was a record number. The US average absentee vote is over 58%.
Some countries such as Mozambique, Venezuela and Colombia have laws that forces voters to show up. Making your freedom to choose your leaders a responsibility and a duty. I have to say I agree with this. For decades - centuries - we have been oppressed, enslaved, and given no rights as to what we need or desire. It took many battles, millions of people dead, thousands of processes and laws to gain the freedom we enjoy today. And what do we do with this? Nothing, we allow the 36% of the population decide for us, as we take the day off chilling, dipping chips into spicy guacamole watching the election special report on TV and complaining about the results.
This is why I am for a new war. Bear with me.
From time to time Humans must be reminded that living as a group in villages and territories comes with a price. From the day we decided to tell our neighbors that from this line on they are not welcome we took a mission to define ourselves as a nation and thus the bitch that comes with it. The trouble is that if I were to designate a line that divides me from you I am also telling you that I am different and have to reinforce any stupid tradition that proves me as a citizen of my nation, even if that tradition comes from medieval times, such as throwing a live goat from the top of a church.
But here is the thing: a few decades ago we decided to be global. Aha, what a new concept; Nice, round and comfortable. What this meant was that from now on, anything that happens here will impact there one way or another or better said- you have to give me your freedoms in order for me to maintain mine. In order to make this work Big Brother US decided that their system was the best and went ahead spreading the word worldwide by means of cheesy slogans, wars, terror and grand scale theft. We all fell in the democratic Bus defending wars, supporting crazy ass murderous politicians and criminal ideas in the name of freedom.
To the untrained eye, all these processes are working, but they aren´t. The world is at the brink of collapse, only but a few nations enjoy the benefits of freedom, and even that freedom is limited, false and manipulated. And the problem with this is that no one gives a fuck about it. This is why I say a war is imperative. We need to be shown the terror of being fucked up, the pain of losing it all and still be alive to rebuild it, stone by stone. We need to bring the images of war on TV into our streets to make us see the difference. This is the only way out. And the funny thing is that it will happen. We will kill our neighbor if our leaders tell us its his fault we are hungry. It has happened before and it will happen again. Hopefully the ones remaining survivors will be the percentage that showed up to vote.
Some countries such as Mozambique, Venezuela and Colombia have laws that forces voters to show up. Making your freedom to choose your leaders a responsibility and a duty. I have to say I agree with this. For decades - centuries - we have been oppressed, enslaved, and given no rights as to what we need or desire. It took many battles, millions of people dead, thousands of processes and laws to gain the freedom we enjoy today. And what do we do with this? Nothing, we allow the 36% of the population decide for us, as we take the day off chilling, dipping chips into spicy guacamole watching the election special report on TV and complaining about the results.
This is why I am for a new war. Bear with me.
From time to time Humans must be reminded that living as a group in villages and territories comes with a price. From the day we decided to tell our neighbors that from this line on they are not welcome we took a mission to define ourselves as a nation and thus the bitch that comes with it. The trouble is that if I were to designate a line that divides me from you I am also telling you that I am different and have to reinforce any stupid tradition that proves me as a citizen of my nation, even if that tradition comes from medieval times, such as throwing a live goat from the top of a church.
But here is the thing: a few decades ago we decided to be global. Aha, what a new concept; Nice, round and comfortable. What this meant was that from now on, anything that happens here will impact there one way or another or better said- you have to give me your freedoms in order for me to maintain mine. In order to make this work Big Brother US decided that their system was the best and went ahead spreading the word worldwide by means of cheesy slogans, wars, terror and grand scale theft. We all fell in the democratic Bus defending wars, supporting crazy ass murderous politicians and criminal ideas in the name of freedom.
To the untrained eye, all these processes are working, but they aren´t. The world is at the brink of collapse, only but a few nations enjoy the benefits of freedom, and even that freedom is limited, false and manipulated. And the problem with this is that no one gives a fuck about it. This is why I say a war is imperative. We need to be shown the terror of being fucked up, the pain of losing it all and still be alive to rebuild it, stone by stone. We need to bring the images of war on TV into our streets to make us see the difference. This is the only way out. And the funny thing is that it will happen. We will kill our neighbor if our leaders tell us its his fault we are hungry. It has happened before and it will happen again. Hopefully the ones remaining survivors will be the percentage that showed up to vote.
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11 comments:
I can see you really want to provoke a debate with this one! You throw us so many baits I hardly know where to start...
Do YOU vote?... I do, stubbornly, although it's debatable how much that vote counts. In my country, so far, you have to decide whether you want to become a voter. Once you're registered as such, you are forced to vote every time, for life, and there's a fine if you don't. So what happens is that a lot of people, especially the youth, don't register at all; and of those who are registered, quite a number at every election prefer to pay the fine than to vote. And of those who do turn up at the polls, a considerable chunk again leave their vote blank, or "annull" it. The result is the same as everywhere else: a minority of citizens deciding for everyone else.
Why so much "indifference"? Perhaps the answer is that the options we can vote for are limited, medicre, and people don't feel represented by them. In my personal case, I tend to vote more left-or-green than is currently fashionable, so I know from the start that I'll be part of about 5 to 10% of the (voting)population who, politically speaking, don't have a pot to piss in. (And that's assuming that "our" candidate is actually semi-decent, which is not always the case..). So I can see why lots of people don't bother at all...
Having said all this, I still think that democracy is the way to go. But REAL democracy: the still-utopian kind where every one of us REALLY participates, thinks, debates, educates, works, gets his or her hands dirty, tries to contribute to "the common good" in their way. Voting every once in a while is not enough. Perhaps another problem is that, increasingly, we're CONSUMERS rather than "citizens", we expect everything to just fall into our laps all nicely pre-packaged... As long as that is so, our "freedom" will indeed be false and manipulated.
I think we agree that the "global democracy" you are describing is not really democracy...
Talking of global,I'm not too sure that globalization is such a new concept. Think of a couple of historical examples: the Roman Empire, for instance. Talk about a globalizing force!... And throughout history, different parts of the (known) world have traded or cooperated with each other,influencing each other's cultures (when they were not migrating into each other's territories or just plain conquering each other). Think of the Silk Road, of Marco Polo... Think that in the 1500's the Inca Empire was rapidly expanding its influence in South America - until the Spaniards came and that was that for the Incas, but then Spain was becoming a global force... Think of when Africa was carved up into colonies and all the goodies went to the northern hemisphere... And if we're going to talk about wars: think of World Wars I and II! I hardly think, from the evidence, that humanity has learnt anything for more than a little while from all those experiences... Because another problem is that we humans seem to have a remarkably short memory. So I know that your proposal of war as a wake-up call is a sarcastic one, but no thanks anyway. Can we please just wake up by learning from old mistakes and using our common sense?
J.
I beg to differ on the blank vote issue. A blank vote is not the same as not voting. I think you are confussing taking over with globalization. In a taking over situation, we simply take over, you submit and shut up. In a globalization, you give us all and we let you into our club, its a lie that makes believe that we are all profiting from something. Precisely as you say, it is not real democracy. But even then, democracy is not the answer. Democracy means the majority gets ruled by a few, it is fake, insulting and criminal. It worked for the greeks thousands of years ago, but rememebr humnas can evolve, can find new ways, rather we chose not to and stick with a pseudo feudalistic system that benfits the rich. Th same thing happens with religion, we are stuck with wawhat a few illiterate crazy guys said thousands of years ago.
Common sense? Brother/Sister (??) this is a concept rarely used in human history.
However I see your point and it is well argued, you use your common sense and apply it to the sutation. Soemthing more people should do.
Kepp voting green liberal, at some point I have the hope we will wake up.
And yes I vote....every time. BLANK!!
We need an alternative...and one that works and on all levels! If you tell me the alternative model in all it's glory then I will follow or at least think about it.
It's "Sister"...
You misunderstand me on the blank vote (my fault). I'm not saying it's the same as not voting, I'm using it as just another illustration that the choices we are given are often not real choices to at least a few of us... In my country, just incidentally, a blank vote is different to an "annulled" vote (one you scratch or write a comment on, I'm guessing usually rude)... A blank vote is added to whoever gets the majority in the end (yes, that's right!), and annulled votes are counted as a separate category. Go figure!
I do try to have a wider view of globalization than the usual way we understand it (always useful to try and look at things from a different angle), but let's leave it at that. Just one comment that I can't help making: in today's scenario, we don't just submit and shut up?...
About democracy: so what would you propose instead of it?
J.
Mr Valls … I assume that you feel cool being a part of that world that does not make decision. Or better, you feel not responsible of the actual Government “ untidiness” just because you went to vote and your hand was not able to cross anything. I’m sorry but I think you are wrong. It is wrong shouting to all the problems without giving propose, it is wrong not to be a constructive “partisan” in a way or in another. Have you ever come across Neruda?
I am being constructive Nat. I am saying things are not working out and we are all very comfortable giveing other the burden of ruling and deciding. Thus I am implying to get off your butt and vote, make use of our freedom to choose and not choose at all rather than the lesser of two evils as most of us do. Demand action and results though our vote.
I might have not made myself clear. I agree with Democracy, but you must be joking if you call what we live now democracy. No, I don´t have any other alternatives, I am hereby posing the issue to all of you, agree or disagree and try to make you think and argue about issues that I feel are important.
Danny, on the whole I agree with you as I already said, but I see one problem with this last argument. Of course dissent and criticism are also part of democracy, but isn't voting blank EVERY time also a bit like saying "NO, screw you" to everything, every time, without proposing or at least backing any even halfway-positive alternatives? What actions and results does a blank vote ask for or propose?... Don't you end up leaving the decisions to others anyway?... Isn't it still "consumer democracy", i.e. "I will not express my opinion, and just disagree so long as no-one comes up with the perfect solution"?. I'm not attacking you, these are issues I really struggle with every election time...
Nat, I'm interested: what about Neruda?
J.
Please attack me, I feel honored. No my dear anonymous, in todays world absentee votes are counted as undecided or considered that people are lazy enough to not be bothered with such a nonsense as going to the poll. Politicians love this. They know a percentage of the population will not show up, thus thier struggle is for that small percentage of people who do. An absentee is a gift to politicains. On the other hand voting blank should be (even if it isn´t) counted as an unsatisfied person who took the time to go and stick a fuck all of you note in the poll. I think there is a difference, and the more we do this the more they will realize they no longer represent the majority and probably someday soon, very soon, politics will be a part of all of us.
"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time"
These famous words seem quite appropriate...
They do indeed, lets see how long it takes to the majority of people to wake up.
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