No-need-to-spam-your-friends ad
In record turnouts, 40% of eligible voters don’t vote. In other words, 60% of Americans don’t vote (because they can’t or won’t). Was thinking of something cool and snarky to answer that excellent celebrity video that’s making the ’Tube rounds, but really, what need is there?
A lot of people, most on at least one count, aren’t wasting their time already. Some of the best propaganda in the world (the envy of any dictator), none for the cases against voting (1, 2, 3… just imagine if a true don’t vote ad went national — child porn would cause less mayhem)), and yet so many still do what makes sense. Can’t really do anything for the rest. What I’ll do is humor the naive we all carry inside, do the simplest thing that could have some impact, this post, and move over to more productive stuff.
And please, please, were you a democra-zealot (good-natured pun, crazy, get it? :), take this not as a challenge to double your efforts, I’m truly saddened by all the misspent electoral effort as it is. Instead, why not make something you want happen that doesn’t need to (attempt to) change everyone else? As I’ll try doing now, over and out.
2 Comments
What’s wrong with being engaged enough in society, optimistic enough in the decency of people, and talking to your friends about voting?
Yes, well designed systems will incentivize people to do the right thing better than altruism ever will.Pessimists are usually right, but optimists usually change the world.;)
FYI, an interesting community organizing / social networking mash-up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2b1BFyLH3k&eurl=http://exuberantfool.tumblr.com/In Spain in the early part of the 20th century, there was massive electroral boycotting. That was because they didn’t believe in the system that was asking them to vote. Rather than capitalism, they wanted Anarchism.
However this conscious boycott is different to apathy, which is what predominates in USA. In the US, people don’t vote from laziness, not from political conviciton.
Whilst I agree with boycott of the elctoral system, it must be done through turning up to vote, protesting against elections, and casting a vote with the words “boycott” written on it.