Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Politics, Apathy, & Nothing In Between
I do not believe this blog will change the world. I even have my doubts about its possibility of changing or enlightening me. I have little to say as far as politics go, but I guess the assignment isn't about my political interests. That said, I am not really a fan of any of the candidates; as far as I'm concerned, they are all liars. Both parties provide us with nothing more than ambiguous lip service, promising improbable changes that ultimately won’t pan out. This is where I stand. To be honest, I'd rather leave the country for the run-up to the election than to spend my time putting up with the non-stop pandering offered by both parties. You may as well wake me when it's over.
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3 comments:
That's how all elections work though... and although I share your view on the "changes" that are spoken of and sound great, that will never occur... I feel that politics cannot be avoided. It's almost as if at some point, you are going to have to take the if-you-can't-beat-them-join-them attitude.
Not only are politicians 'political'... so are businesses. That's all the economy really easy - the means of money's use and circulation. And that is certainly something I don't think you want to be "woken up" for, but rather be involved with.
Although I'm not the biggest fan of elections/candidates throughout the years, including this one... I'm realizing that it's a concept that cannot be ignored. It can be made fun of though. Political involvement at its finest.
I'm not sure if you remember... although it would have been hard to miss... all of our Hilary/Obama student supporters that were on campus. They had their t-shirts on... their posters... their love/hate lists of all the fellow students that were asked: Who are you voting for in the election?
There was one day where I was beyond my boiling point of being asked that former question... only because I was asked every five minutes by different people circulating around the quad. Here I am just trying to relax by the fountain and do my homework (a.k.a. be productive)... and here they are with nothing better to do than ask me 30,000 times if I am voting.
I figured I would mess with them a little... just to see how they react. All of these people were diehard Obama fans... clearly spelled out in their 'Will You Marry Me Obama" tees. The 40th guy (suprisingly, with the t-shirt on) asked me if I was voting for Obama/in the election with the intent of voting for Obama.
My response: I actually was planning on voting for Obama, as was everyone in my family. But you see I told my friend here (a stranger sitting next to me) that if one more person came around double checking my own integrity for our country... I simply would not vote and would tell my family of 50 relatives not to vote either. And you (referring to the Obama lover) are that person.
Obamafan88's response: (Slowly backing away with jaw gaped).
My point to you - get involved a tad more... even if you dislike politics. They are the building blocks of our country and countries throughout the world. Even if you choose a cynical, yet humorous approach as I have opted to take... I still realize that somebody: McCain, Obama, Clinton is going to win. Whether their political campaigns actually turn into words of truth... we have yet to find out.
I didn't want to come off as an asshole who cares nothing for politics. Although I do not actively engage in the political process, I keep up with US and world news daily. The point of voting is to get "your" candidate into the White House so that s/he passes bills that will aid you in some way or you feel are important. Unfortunately, here in America, everything is fairly rigid. Nothing gets changed. Nothing gets accomplished. Disagreeing sides (reps and dems) work hard to ensure that this is the case. And when they finally come together on an issue, well, whoever is in office more often than not, will not hinder the passing of a bill.
I appreciate you writing out your comment. I understand the difficulty of saying what you said in a very nice manner, as I'm sure it's not easy when you do not respect the stance that a person has taken. It's not that I want to be naive or that I'm dumb, I just don't like the US political system which achieves nothing. Again, I'm honored that you would share these opinions with me.
I am on the same boat as you are as far as the U.S. political system goes. I believe that it is failing, and I dislike the fact that any of the political candidates are afraid to admit that.
In one of my philosophy classes we talked about how laws and political systems are necessary in order to maintain an "ideal way of life". But that doesn't always mean that any given political system will yield consistent results throughout its (undying) lifespan. The latter part of that statement would be my own philosophy.
To summarize - our democratic system as we know it, needs to change. Or perhaps, a better way to phrase it would be: Our democratic system as we believe it, needs to exist.
One guy in that same philosophy class of mine once brought up the point: How can we put all of our focus into setting up democratic systems in other countries if we can't actually be the same democracy (as our own country) that we try to promote.
I question how much "our" candidate actually listens to us... as opposed to listening to the sound of "our" applause while basking in the sunlight that is his/her own name.
Good old politics, right?
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