Geek Girl Navigating the World-Dragging out my Soapbox

October 26, 2011 · by dragonwomant · in Uncategorized

I’m going to do something in this column that I never really thought I would do, and that’s talk a little bit about politics. The reason that I didn’t think I would ever say anything about them is because I feel that, like religion, politics are a deeply personal thing. I want people to be able to think for themselves and make decisions that are good for them based on their own convictions and ideals. I greatly dislike the idea of anyone trying to influence that, especially by using the “well I’m right and you aren’t” argument. I’m all for open dialog and reasonable, eloquent and thoughtful presentations of ideas, but that doesn’t always happen when political discussions ensue.

I’ve been trying to do some research on the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, largely because I find the whole idea of this massive social protest really fascinating. Watching people banding together to try and evoke a change is a powerful thing to me, because I don’t think that I’ve ever been able to witness anything like it in my lifetime. What leaves me a bit befuddled, though, is how the focus all seems to be on corporations and corporate culture, because it seems to me that an enormous part of the picture is getting left out of what they’re trying to do, and that’s government. There has been a lot of government deregulation that helped steer us very squarely onto the path that we’re on now.

Granted, organized and consistent information is not as easy to come by with this one. There are as many different perceptions of what “Occupy Wall Street” is and what the participants are trying to achieve as there are people participating in it. They are trying to deliberately avoid having official mouthpieces and while I can understand their reasons for doing so, that does make it a little bit harder to figure out who you’re supposed to be tracking down for good, solid information. I understand the whole 99% thing and I can also understand a lot of their anger and frustration. I absolutely get the idea of wanting to be seen and heard, so you can feel like you’ve really got a voice and that, somehow, you’re going to make a difference.

What I’m not so sure about is why they don’t understand that they already have the power to change it all if they’d just go in and exercise their right to vote. Before I get started on this, I just want to be upfront. I am, absolutely, not anti-government in any way, shape, or form. I do not believe in anarchy because I do not believe that human beings in a large group are capable of ruling themselves. The problem is that human nature will always get in the way. A few people are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves but there will always be a few in that cluster somewhere who would much rather have someone else take care of them. I do think that we need government. I do think that it’s important.

They’re asking for change from the wrong people. The problem is that the bodies responsible for regulating all of these institutions are full of people who count on name recognition, spin control, and voter apathy to guarantee them another term in office. They have absolutely no motivation to change because they have no reason to. They are in jobs where they get to take care of themselves in a manner unprecedented in any other workplace. Maintaining what they already have is their chief goal of existence. Of course they have lost touch with the voting public, the voting public doesn’t show up and that makes it that much easier for them to be that much more removed from us.

Only between thirty and forty percent of those who are eligible to do so actually vote on election days during the interim between Presidential elections. On the years in which a Presidential election takes place that number rises to between fifty and sixty percent. This means that between two-thirds and almost one-half of all eligible voters are perfectly content to allow someone else to decide the course of their next two to four years. That’s a horrifying thing to contemplate.

Sure, it’s easier to let someone else speak up for you, especially if you think that your vote doesn’t matter. The whole electoral college thing can be frustrating. However, if a majority of Americans aren’t voting, then that means it doesn’t matter what the majority thinks because they aren’t bothering to stand up for themselves and say it.

It’s also a whole lot easier, if you do decide to vote, to just go ahead and let special interest groups, slick glossy ads, and party affiliations do the thinking for you. That’s a huge part of the problem. If voters are uninformed, it means it’s that much easier for the people who do not want to see any kind of change in this country at all, especially when it comes to spending and how the government works to retain control. They have no reason to worry about getting re-elected. After a certain point, they’re practically guaranteed a spot in office, barring, of course, the imposition of term limits. The longer they stay in office, the more perks they gain by being there. It’s a whole different level of greed, but it’s one that is just as destructive.

It isn’t easy to be an informed voter. Media bias is more prevalent and more obvious with each passing year. Trying to get a clear picture of what each candidate stands for and what they’re willing to commit to trying to accomplish in office means going to multiple sources. Some of those sources are going to demonize that candidate as much as possible and others are going to make that same candidate seem like a candidate for canonization into sainthood.

A lot of the time, to me at least, trying to navigate the political landscape in search of actual information feels like slogging my way through a field of waist deep mud. As I try making my way through the gunk, I’m also trying to dodge a whole bunch of idiots driving pickups jacked up on truck lift kits while their blindfolded. Those aren’t the only hazards, though, I’ve also got to dodge a whole bunch of people standing on the sidelines chucking mudballs packed with rocks at anything that moves in the hopes of actually hitting a target. In addition, I also have to try to avoid all of the other people like me who are just trying to figure out what’s going on without getting hurt or pulled into a fight we never intended to locate in the first place. However, coming out the other side, even with a few bumps and bruises and possibly a little bit of wounded pride is worth it if you can manage to get even
a little bit clearer idea of what is happening.

The more research that a person does to become informed, the more likely they’re going to be to find some debates that are productive and valuable and some that basically end up as either glorified playground fights or a day in the monkey house at the zoo. Not every well-spoken candidate is suitable for office, and not every nervous or awkward candidate is unfit for political office. There are days when I certainly think that the more practiced and polished ones are probably the ones who should not be allowed to run the country anymore.

I think, though, that amidst all of this anger and disillusionment, people are forgetting something very remarkable about our country. We do have the power to change it. We get the opportunity, every election year, to clean our house and set things right. We are the people and we can overturn every bad thing that has been voted in, if we would only get out there and actually say something. If you really want to see things work out differently, then start finding out what your government is doing. Do some research on those politicians who say they’re representing you and find out if they really are. So much of that information is
publicly available with only a few taps of the computer keys. And then, when the time comes, go say your piece in the voting booth.
It’s a simple act that can make all the difference in the world.

Yes, we can change everything if we just put in the time and the effort. I believe that. This is me, not really as a geek (though I did like studying civics and history), but at my starry-eyed sprocket best. Change is always possible. There is always hope. The means are already in place. Now, it just needs you.

Tags: Geek Girl Navigating the World

http://dungeonmanual.com/ Jay Tomio

People don’t vote because they don’t think either party or their representatives gives a shit about them unless they are part of the institutions who put one of said 2 people in office. They are right.
dragonwomant

But you don’t have to vote for the mainstream party members if you don’t want to. The reason those party members keep getting away with not caring about the people they’re supposed to be representing is because the majority of the people are letting someone else speak for them. Mobilizing voters is one of the surest ways to enact change.
Jay Tomio

Thinking anybody else can win is an exercise in futility and not using a vote on an actual viable candidate that has a chance is more damaging than not voting at all.
dragonwomant

And that’s why it’s so important to mobilize more voters. If the people refuse to speak up for themselves, then they’ll never have a chance of being heard. Boycotting elections is not an effective strategy. This has been proven time and again historically. You need only go back to the civil rights movement boycotts to see how ineffective that attitude really is.
Jay Tomio

It’s not boycotting from voting it’s simply recognizing personal ideal from reality. A third party candidate has as much chance as winning the presidency as any random person we drag off the street. The reality is that people better find their ideals in a candidate at one of two parties of relevance otherwise they are just wasting time, much like their candidate is (not to mention a bunch of money that could go to an effort that has a chance of doing good).

Barring a revolution of major proportions, that’s not changing in the foreseeable future, thus non-two party supporters are merely choosing to play the sidelines, which is worse and more expensive/wasteful than not playing at all. This is not to say such people don’t do great things outside of running, they must certainly do, but them running for the presidency is a farce.
dragonwomant

But here’s the thing, if you can get people to start listening and start realizing that they’re capable of instituting change, then it’s possible to MAKE third party candidates a viable running option. Sometimes, you have to start out small and make the majority realize that you have a voice in the first place before you can pick up the steam to revolutionize everything.

Just because it starts as personal ideal doesn’t mean that it can’t become reality. Again, there is much in history to support this. People have to start saying something first before a movement can start and grow and become something else.
Jay Tomio

You keep saying “history supports this” but modern history actually supports that if you’re not something called a Republican or Democrat you’re not getting elected president of the United States. More than that, it’s not even close. The idea of a third party has been around forever, there has been no breakthrough, and frankly there obviously has not been a candidate that means anything to anyone. Look at the jokes being lined up for the Republicans for the next election, even in that sorry field, no third party is even a consideration in comparison. This speaks on a lack of funding, interest, and frankly engaging candidates. Barring an apocalypse, that’s the game that has to be played, if not no one even knows/cares you’re playing. They have to make THEMSELVES matter (relative to the election) before people start caring, NOT expecting the other way around, which is what third-party politics has been forever, taking the “the people will catch up to us one day approach” No, people actually don’t care UNTIL you arrive.
dragonwomant

Actually, what I am saying is that historical precedent supports is small groups of people speaking up and standing up for themselves spurring larger movements into action which achieve amazing results. You’re never going to get a candidate who means everything to everyone, but with voters who actually care and take the time to make informed decisions becaue they’ve taken the time and made the effort to educate themselves, the candidates who ARE in place and who ARE fixtures are going to have to take a real hard look at their track records and start listening to their constituents because if they don’t, they’re going to be out of a job. Right now, they have no fear of the people becuase half the people don’t bother and that’s a huge part of the problem.

Geek Girl Navigating the World-Dragging out my Soapbox

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