A different perspective:

My friend wrote this and it's something that just kind of made me step back. Think about it, be objective, let me know your thoughts on this. I begin to think he has a point (found more toward the end), yet at the same time, I also feel the presidential election *still* matters. At any rate, read on:

"You fools! Even if Kerry gets elected, chances are we will be in Iraq for at least another 5 years. Let me say this so that you can hear it...Power does not ever trickle down, it always surges up. Its all setup so you cant have it, its all designed so that you wont take it. You want choice? THEY can give you a million. You want a voice? THEY can deal you in, but its the same fucking game. We know how to think about movie stars and whether Coke or Pepsi, whether Bush or Kerry...but its high school all over again. NObody gives two shits about who wins seats in the house or senate, or that both enjoy over 90 percent incumbency. Nobody cares who gets the judgeships or school boards or any other power position that doesn't give speeches, drive around on buses and kiss babies. We pay attention to what we are supposed to pay attention to - the two contestants with different colored suits necromancing different shades of the same rhetoric. Whoever wins...suits win...business wins...power wins...NOT FUCKING YOU! The last thing they will ever do is act in your interest. Its a joke! A stupid fucking joke that makes us laugh to keep from crying.

But I applaud the gesture that so many young people in the world today are taking an active interest in politics blah blah blah. Move your politics down down down. Unfocus your trance on the president. Unfocus on congress and the courts. Unfocus on the cops. Your true politics happen in your workplace, at your school, at your parents dinner table, at the stop light, at the market and they happen under the covers when the lights are out and no one is watching.

Campaigns are foreplay, gameshows and theatre. I dont want a fucking donkey! What am I supposed to do with an elephant? Keep your goddamn circus!"


Anyway, I think that if there is something to gain from this, we should atleast be more involved in the environment we live in. I am guilty of neglecting activism in my community, but I'm ready to change that.

Please don't flame me, I just wanted to offer a different perspective for you all.

*edited for spelling*

[Edited on Nov 02, 2004 by Swiss_Miss]

oi, maybe i posted this on the wrong board? sorry, it's my first time trying to post on here.

I like the speech... Has a few of the same thoughts that I do, which isn't very common lately. It seems most people are for one thing or another, not against both, but for a third option.

Your friend is deeply cynical.

And wrong.

Plenty of people care about the things your friend rants about.. and many people who regularly post on the Current Events boards know, care, and participate in the sorts of local things your friend describes. Most people who actually know and care about politics are well aware of how interconnected things are from the school board level on up.

Oh, and let your friend know that angrily berating people and calling them fools is not likely to win anyone to your friend's cause. By the tone of the rant, I'm assuming your friend hasn't had much actual experience with community activism or the world at large. It's the same sort of rant I read from 17 year olds who've just discovered politics, and who still use the phrase "sellout" (and mean it).

Don't get me wrong, anger is a good starting point for many people's personal revelations about politics. When that anger is directed at others to try to get them to "open their eyes," it's generally ill-received.

[Edited on Nov 02, 2004 by Shalome]

This guy/girl is ignorant beyond belief. I does matter who is in congress and who is the president.These people make our laws and rules, and dole out the money where it belongs. They truly are needed.

Sure, the american system is one of corruptness, and I think it needs to be totally reworked, but it is doing its job now. Until someone comes up with a better system, I will continue to believe with the one that works.

[Edited on Nov 02, 2004 by euphplayer]

He didn't write this for anyone in particular - so i think the people he may have been referencing are those we are surrounded with in school. I will say, that though you may be active in your community, the majority of people my age aren't. Perhaps its just the location I'm in?

Hrmm, thanks for the input.

And may I just say, you are quite attractive!

You're right, it's easier to criticize and point out negative qualities in our system - but agreeing on a way to eradicate corruptness is an entirely different ballpark.

The system will always have room for improvement. We're probably stuck with iraq for longer than either side wants to be.

But giving up completely in a cynical rage wont accomplish much.

And another thing... your friend needs to realize that the winner of this presidential election may very well have the power to fill Supreme Court Justice slots, which affects interpretation of the Constitution, which affects execution of the law at all levels.. federal, state and local.

It is important.

[Edited on Nov 02, 2004 by Shalome]

Well the main point is that voting for our local reps, senetors, and congressman is far more important then voting for our pres. I have traveled all around the world, yes our goverment isn't perfect but it is much better then most out there. Also don't forget America is still young and we are still experaminting with a radical new idea on how a goverment should work and how people as a sociady should live. Our greatest power is that we can be wrong and fix it, Our goverment is not set in stone, it is always changing. We have a long way to go, but hey we have just started on the path of figuring out wtf.

maybe what he wants is a revolution? is that even realistic? probably not. *frustrated*

When I read this I was just caught off guard. Most people are saying the same old thing about their respective parties - or I hear about all of the candidates are evil but choose between the lesser of the evils. Maybe his point isn't anything new, but it's definitely not what I commonly come across with this election. At least he's not saying screw everything. It just really hit me when I realized I wasn't doing a damn thing to help my community or work to change what I wanted changed. A presidential vote just isn't enough.

[Edited on Nov 02, 2004 by Swiss_Miss]

agreed
the justices held out this four yr term, but with cancer and many pushing into antiquity....the next president will likely appoint 2-4 judges....with current judges having served 15-20+ yrs already...

I do agree with his push to get people involved. Most people I know do try to involve themselves, but I fear the majority of the people out thee don't.

Plus it always pissed me off that the senate is given more attention than the House. But that's a whole other argument, sorry to bring it up.

thank you!

he's gotta point both parties are better at talking rather than carrying out promises. And the potential body of voters in this country are rather caught up in their own lives to spend much time thinking about politics....
so points noted

indeed

I see your point, I guess I should have mentioned that he was probably referencing people who are attending our college, not those on SG. It's like the people who only care about the world series, only it's political. Perhaps a poor analogy, but I think you get my drift.

Game 7 tomorrow, Bush vs Kerry at Wrigley Field! ...and i'm a dork.

Coke or Pepsi. Necromancing.

Sounds like every seventeen year old "anarchist" on the planet. They always seem to think they understand so much more than the rest of us.

my mom did same thing with me at about 5th-6th grade. turned me into political junkie....but the other side....i'm not anticipating any name or avatar changes