Danoff
Premium
- 34,039
- Mile High City
I've been coming to GTPlanet for almost 8 years now and posting a lot of controversial opinions in this forum. I've advocated for abolishing public education, legalizing drugs, and pulling the plug on Teri Schaivo. I've argued that there is no God, and that religion is a control mechanism, and I've even argued a very controversial position on abortion. I've gotten a lot of heat for a lot of these ideas and have been called some nasty things. But none of those positions have been met with as much disgust and animosity as when I claim voters are responsible for the things they vote for.
Yesterday, here in California, we voted on whether or not Marijuana should be legal. A massive portion of the population voted "yes". An even more massive portion of the population voted "no". The result? Marijuana is still illegal.
Now, regardless of whether you vote yes or no, you're not responsible for the independent choices people make after the vote. If you voted yes and the proposition passes - you're not responsible for the guy who gets high, goes for a drive, and kills 3 people in an accident. He's not allowed to kill people in a car accident regardless of whether or not he's allowed to get high. Likewise, if you voted "no", you're not responsible for the murders that the drug dealers will likely commit to stop rivals from selling pot, or to protect their own supply.
What you are responsible for is what must be done to carry out the instructions you give at the voting booth with your little marker. If you voted yesterday to keep marijuana illegal, you're responsible for incarcerating the people who use and sell it. If there's a drug bust in search of marijuana, you're responsible for that drug bust. You asked for it to be done. You asked the cops to bust in the door, guns in hand, looking for weed. You're also responsible for the money that is necessarily spent to carry out your instructions. The guy who sits in jail for a marijuana-related offense is there because of your vote. You put him there.
Some of you will say that he put himself there. That he knew the law and he willingly broke it. This is beside the point - people will break laws. You need to be ok with who you ask to be put behind bars.
If there were a vote on whether or not to keep murder illegal, you would undoubtedly vote to keep it illegal. You would do this because you are comfortable with being responsible for incarcerating a murderer. Yes, he broke the law, he knew what the law was - but he did not put himself in jail, and neither did the cop that arrested him. You put him there by voting to make murder illegal.
This is the power that your vote can have - especially in a state like California where we vote directly on some laws. But the same applies to a politician that makes a campaign promise that you support with your vote. If that politician takes office and does what he promised you he would, your vote mandated that change.
We have a tendency in the US to say that voting is a good thing regardless of what or who you vote for. There are massive pushes like "rock the vote" to get young or homeless people - often people who didn't care enough to register, let alone research what they're voting on - to vote. This is done in the name of "making your voice heard". I've heard many times "it doesn't matter who you vote for, just vote". That's a contradictory statement. If it doesn't matter who you vote for, don't vote.
In theory, in a nation like the US, there is no harm you can do with your vote. You can't strip anyone's rights, you can't oppress anyone, you can't discriminate - the judicial system (especially the supreme court) is there to make sure that no matter who or what you vote for, you can't violate anyone's rights. That's the theory behind our constitutionally-limited republic. In practice, we function more like a democracy. Real oppression is currently taking place in the united states. Rights are currently being violated - and done so as a direct result of voter mandates. If the US were limited the way it is supposed to be, your vote wouldn't mean much at all. But as it stands right now, your vote is capable of supporting a wide variety of injustices - and that makes you culpable in those injustices.
I would like to see a campaign that says "don't vote unless you've done plenty of research". I understand why we don't have limitations on who is allowed to vote, but I want people to understand that their vote has meaning, and it carries with it instructions to use the force of the police and the military. This is not something to take casually. Socially we are emphasizing the wrong aspect of voting. Rather than emphasizing that the act of voting is what's important, and that all opinions are created equally, we should be emphasizing that what you vote for is critical - and that you need to live with the decisions you make in the voting booth.
I think the reason people are so resistant to feeling responsible for the vote is because many others are voting along with them. They like to think that they aren't as responsible because others made the same choice. They like to think that their opinions are equivalent to any other opinions - regardless of how much thought, reason, or research supports those opinions. They like to think that the will of the majority is what is right - and that if most people think it should be so, it should be. But the majority can commit horrible atrocities just as individuals can. Other people agreeing with you doesn't make you any less culpable. And not all opinions are supported equally.
I realize that this is a day late, but I'll say it anyway. Next time you're in the voting booth, visualize what you're asking for being carried out. If you're voting for something to be handed out, visualize who it is being taken from, and at what penalty. If you're voting to strip people of their personal freedoms, visualize the human beings that value those freedoms having their liberty taken from them by force. Visualize yourself as the person that is forcing them. Voting may be one of the most important things you do in your lifetime. Take it as seriously as you can.
Yesterday, here in California, we voted on whether or not Marijuana should be legal. A massive portion of the population voted "yes". An even more massive portion of the population voted "no". The result? Marijuana is still illegal.
Now, regardless of whether you vote yes or no, you're not responsible for the independent choices people make after the vote. If you voted yes and the proposition passes - you're not responsible for the guy who gets high, goes for a drive, and kills 3 people in an accident. He's not allowed to kill people in a car accident regardless of whether or not he's allowed to get high. Likewise, if you voted "no", you're not responsible for the murders that the drug dealers will likely commit to stop rivals from selling pot, or to protect their own supply.
What you are responsible for is what must be done to carry out the instructions you give at the voting booth with your little marker. If you voted yesterday to keep marijuana illegal, you're responsible for incarcerating the people who use and sell it. If there's a drug bust in search of marijuana, you're responsible for that drug bust. You asked for it to be done. You asked the cops to bust in the door, guns in hand, looking for weed. You're also responsible for the money that is necessarily spent to carry out your instructions. The guy who sits in jail for a marijuana-related offense is there because of your vote. You put him there.
Some of you will say that he put himself there. That he knew the law and he willingly broke it. This is beside the point - people will break laws. You need to be ok with who you ask to be put behind bars.
If there were a vote on whether or not to keep murder illegal, you would undoubtedly vote to keep it illegal. You would do this because you are comfortable with being responsible for incarcerating a murderer. Yes, he broke the law, he knew what the law was - but he did not put himself in jail, and neither did the cop that arrested him. You put him there by voting to make murder illegal.
This is the power that your vote can have - especially in a state like California where we vote directly on some laws. But the same applies to a politician that makes a campaign promise that you support with your vote. If that politician takes office and does what he promised you he would, your vote mandated that change.
We have a tendency in the US to say that voting is a good thing regardless of what or who you vote for. There are massive pushes like "rock the vote" to get young or homeless people - often people who didn't care enough to register, let alone research what they're voting on - to vote. This is done in the name of "making your voice heard". I've heard many times "it doesn't matter who you vote for, just vote". That's a contradictory statement. If it doesn't matter who you vote for, don't vote.
In theory, in a nation like the US, there is no harm you can do with your vote. You can't strip anyone's rights, you can't oppress anyone, you can't discriminate - the judicial system (especially the supreme court) is there to make sure that no matter who or what you vote for, you can't violate anyone's rights. That's the theory behind our constitutionally-limited republic. In practice, we function more like a democracy. Real oppression is currently taking place in the united states. Rights are currently being violated - and done so as a direct result of voter mandates. If the US were limited the way it is supposed to be, your vote wouldn't mean much at all. But as it stands right now, your vote is capable of supporting a wide variety of injustices - and that makes you culpable in those injustices.
I would like to see a campaign that says "don't vote unless you've done plenty of research". I understand why we don't have limitations on who is allowed to vote, but I want people to understand that their vote has meaning, and it carries with it instructions to use the force of the police and the military. This is not something to take casually. Socially we are emphasizing the wrong aspect of voting. Rather than emphasizing that the act of voting is what's important, and that all opinions are created equally, we should be emphasizing that what you vote for is critical - and that you need to live with the decisions you make in the voting booth.
I think the reason people are so resistant to feeling responsible for the vote is because many others are voting along with them. They like to think that they aren't as responsible because others made the same choice. They like to think that their opinions are equivalent to any other opinions - regardless of how much thought, reason, or research supports those opinions. They like to think that the will of the majority is what is right - and that if most people think it should be so, it should be. But the majority can commit horrible atrocities just as individuals can. Other people agreeing with you doesn't make you any less culpable. And not all opinions are supported equally.
I realize that this is a day late, but I'll say it anyway. Next time you're in the voting booth, visualize what you're asking for being carried out. If you're voting for something to be handed out, visualize who it is being taken from, and at what penalty. If you're voting to strip people of their personal freedoms, visualize the human beings that value those freedoms having their liberty taken from them by force. Visualize yourself as the person that is forcing them. Voting may be one of the most important things you do in your lifetime. Take it as seriously as you can.
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. It has been a long time since anyone in the US had the option of making murder legal or illegal - it was done during the drafting of our government when we incorporated that part of English common law, and I doubt it has been voted on since (maybe for black people who had no rights for a period of time).
