Go vote! Or don’t… I really don’t
care. Some people are quite adamant about the participation of others in their
so called “civic duty.” I however, maintain that it is as much your right to
abstain from voting, as it is to abstain from saying the pledge of allegiance
or standing during the national anthem, and it really doesn’t matter your
reason. Now the whole, “I don’t have time, is clearly preposterous, people make
time for the things that are important to them, besides they have plenty of
ways to vote flexibly, so there is really no excuse to not vote if you actually
want to. Rather, I am speaking to those who consciously choose not to vote.
Maybe you are protesting our
republic that is not representative of the population, maybe you have no
interest in either of the two options you were given, or maybe, for a positive
spin, you find either option equally promising. It sounds crazy, I know, but how
hard of a job can governor be anyway. I’m sure none of the candidates will mess
it up that badly. And even if they do they’ll be out in four years and someone
else can step in and fix it. Besides, the same inertia that prevents our
country from improving, is also protecting it from radicals without foresight.
If you need proof look at president Trump. If anyone were going to bring this
country to fiery end, it would have been him. Yet, here we are, more or less unchanged.
And any of the horrors that have happened, that you may have attributed to him,
were really only exacerbations of the problems already underlying our country. Because
the truth is, politicians don’t really bring about change, good or bad.
Society is so much more complicated than
politicians and laws. If you want to see real change, look to parents, teachers,
coaches, celebrities, anyone that might be a role model to children. Hell, even
a role model to adults, though, they are admittedly less likely to change their
views. Real change has to do with individuals and their values. Laws are
meaningless if no one follows or enforces them. Yes, it is illegal to drive
above the speed limit, but everyone does it, because maybe the speed limit on
this road is a little on the conservative side and we can all drive safely even
at five over. And maybe the police officers know and understand that, so they
don’t bother to ticket anyone speeding on that road. And if you are the police
officer handing out petty citations to safe drivers just to generate revenue
for the city, maybe you are the one that should be replaced every four years.
-AMS
