I've often expressed my mistrust of elections. I've paid attention to a few both in my own country and those abroad, and so far, not one has shifted my belief that the genuinely well-intentioned politicians (if they exist) fall off long before they garner mass recognition. To put simply, if so-and-so was actually going to change anything, they would've stopped them from running.
Still, we persist in holding out for heroes. As our American cousins rush out to vote (and brawl over ballots, no doubt), many of them do so with earnest hope in their heart that something better will come. And are they wrong to do so?
Come election time, we all get a little bit like small children waiting for Santa. All wide-eyes and suddenly believing in flying reindeer. Is it as harmless now as it was when we were kids? Maybe. After all, the only alternative would be a revolution so bloody and improbable that it would destroy the foundation of what we've been raised to expect from life. I'm not sure we're prepared for such a thing. Elections work and entice us every time they come around because they're bite-sized, palatable illusions of agency. They get us all tingly and thinking that our inane good intentions actually matter.
Do they?
Probably not.
Add your voice to the choice. But you can only speak one among a select few pre-programmed phrases, in which case, does that still count as freedom of speech? Something sounds screwy to me. Surely, true freedom of speech should've gotten us some actual good guys in politics by now, shouldn't it? Except it's mostly the same crooks it's always been.
Trump's a class-A crook. He seems honest, like all good swindlers. But he's rotten at core. Worse yet, he's all bark. He may talk about all the fine, good-heart things he does and will do, but we already have a term to look back on... and find him wanting. For me, at the end of the day, Trump's the man who could've pardoned Julian Assange and spared that man so much suffering. And he didn't.
Kamala seems like a wonky indigestion dream that you can't wake from. She doesn't seem a serious political candidate to anyone because she's not. She can't talk, she's about as loyal as autumn foliage when it comes to values and policy, and let's be real for a second, she's goofy. Politicians have always been an act, but they used to have some class. Lately, it seems they (Democrats, especially) are churning out one goofball after another. If they were HBO producers, we woulda long switched channels. What do we do if they're in charge of a (still) major economic power, however?
We hope and we pin those little "I voted" stickers to ourselves and pat ourselves on the back if "our guy" wins. We know, of course, that that's a fallacy. None of them are "our guys". Our guy is the honest person next door who helps you out when you run into unexpected car trouble or when you're scared or hurt or in need in some way. Be assured, neither the Don nor Kamala are "your guy" in the long run, but maybe we can be each other's, and maybe there's some hope to be had in that.
Music to watch the elections to:
It is, after all, #threetunetuesday (thanks to @ablaze). And today, all three songs come from the same guy. Brilliant, brilliant writer.
All hail the stumbling child king
Calling for the vanishing light
Now stay with us, as brothers
Through this darkest of nights, oh
This song meant so much to me during the lockdown. It gave me such hope, particularly the beginning. "There is no end in sight" seems, still, an apt reflection of the dire circumstances we find ourselves in.
My brothers in arms
Swords of the legion
Light of my eye
There is no end in sight
Our nation's twisting like prey
And the blood of the ebbing day
Behind these walls of Alesia
Let's pray
Nothing's ever over
There is no closure
No fulfillment nor relief
You'll have to trust me on this
Another pandemic throwback for me, but still very applicable. More so, even.
Not in my name, oh no, not in my name
Don't take me for a fool
Not in my name, oh no, not in my name
For I am onto you [...]
You claim all blades are sheathed now
But you put half a world to flight
For what you want this nation to be
We deem the price too high
I always felt (obviously) deeply about that first line. Not in my name, none of this madness. It seemed evident to me that it should be most sane humans' attitude towards these maniacal, despotic governments. Some people think it's not from a citizen's perspective, though, but from God's, and I think that's a beautiful sentiment, too.
Representative democracy seems to reflect The People's true will less and less.
Other forms of democracy, previously unworkable are now possible with technology.
One thing I like about Hive is the experiment in constant voting and people moving in and out of the top 20 in response to issues and controversies in real time.
Direct democracy is also possible.
Do we need government at all?
In my view only for defence and foreign policy. Perhaps law (vastly simplified) and policing too. But everything else can be provided by decentralised organisations and private enterprise.
Settlement of Mars provides opportunities for alternatives to be explored without the bloody revolution you talk about. Indeed this is why frontiers are so important and Dr Robert Zubrin talks about extensively.
It's all controlled heavily by private enterprises and (at best) dubious interests already. Perhaps if things changed, there would be more transparency.
Elon backing him seems one of the few good things (if he is reelected). I was just listening to him (Musk) on Rogan, there's at least hope with men like that in positions of power. I'm not too familiar with Zubrin. Thanks. I'll look into him.
one thing i would like to see with Musk is will he be able to cut the size of the government. in 2000 we had 17 ministers today we have 30. And in a small country it is hard to run on that idea as a bunch of people work there and would like to continue to work in government jobs. but US doing it would maybe show others how much Tax money is spend (thrown away).
on the music and elections and politicians. one song by Bob Marley, not so known
That would certainly be interesting to see. You're right, a lot of bs departments or ministers...
Still a month to go of empty slogans where I am...gonna need a lot of Bob Marley ;)
Zubrin inspired Musk and provided Musk with his partner in starting SpaceX.
https://peakd.com/elonmusk/@apshamilton/my-personal-connection-to-elon-musk-genuine-crazy-and-brilliant-humans-on-mars-is-his-dream-and-mine
The man who taught Elon about rockets...wow. That's really something. Thanks for enlightening me from the past :)
Left wing and Right wing, all part of the same bird.
I don't believe in voting, it's all a scam in my eyes. So I'm not feeling anyway hopeful for this crazy election in America, it is a circus after all, politics that is xxxx
Ah that made me smile :D
Never voted once in my life. Not in England. Not in Hong Kong. Never ever. All a theatre show designed to give the masses a false sense of hope.
Lets face it, if we don't know by now that all these State actors are groomed by certain big Cartels to play a specific role, for a specific purpose, then we deserve to be played like a fiddle.
Couldn't agree more. However, unless we all change the system, you gotta exercise your right to have at least some say lest the prick you don't want in gets to power because of the poeple who DO vote for them. But to be honest, I'ms aying that as an Australian - we are brainwashed to beliee it's a democrtic necessity and we get fined if we don't vote, enough to send us all the polls for a democracy sausage (yes, we have a sausage bbq at any opportunity). Many of us don't look at where the money is coming from or where the interest lies, or indeed where it goes ultimately. THe whole political system is totally fucked, just as the education system is, and we need change, but don't have the imagination as a whole to do it, and those that do use their imagination to profit and control and don't really care about people like us. How many of us are totally cynical about the whole process?
You get fined if you don't vote? :O That seems like it should be illegal...as for the sausage, a populist party tried to 'bribe' the populace with traditional goodies one time and the intellectual militia snobs never let them hear the end of it. Very calloused making fun of people living in poverty for whom that bribe was valuable, but still, that's the kind of vibe around here.
I agree, if you have someone you specifically don't want to get it, then maybe you should vote. But what if you don't got a preference either way? A lot of people are buying into the whole "vote so that they can't vote for you" type of mentality but I'm not convinced my actions would actually stop them from committing election fraud if that's the plan.
Yeah no one understands the Aussie fine thing. It's about 200 AUD I think but not sure. And you can always draw a penis on the ballot paper which makes it null and void.