Things are a little slow here at the blog, a lot of stuff percolating, but nothing ready to publish. I was stuck in traffic this morning, and thought I’d do a little thought experiment:
Imagine a city with a Town Hall that holds a meeting. Hundreds of people attend. Two scientists debate the nature of the moon, one claiming it is a balloon, the other a hologram. They each give reasoned and thoughtful presentations, and at the end the audience votes. Balloon edges out hologram, 51-49%.
As people leave the building they are asked to press their fingers on an indelible ink pad to prove that they attended and voted.
Later you are having a water cooler discussion when the subject comes up, and hearing the opinions voice your own, saying that the moon is a large satellite held in place by counterbalancing forces. You coworker asks to see your finger, and sees you did not vote. He asks you to leave the discussion and go back to work. You didn’t vote, he says, so your opinion does not matter.
This came to mind because of a tortuous comment from a tortuous person, all names and links excluded, as follows:
“You gave up when you burned your ballot, XXX. What you did, though, is help contribute to an all-Republican PSC, the commission that helps decide our energy future. You helped send a militaristic, fossil fuel loving, anti-choice incumbent back to Congress instead of a Native American woman … then there were the judicial races, legislative races, initiatives … “
That is insane. Not stupid. This is not a stupid man. His thinking is merely muddled, based on reliance on authority figures to do the right thing. He cannot imagine that our leaders are corrupt. He has no way of knowing that the people he voted for are honest, or that the offices they hold have real power. He has no way of knowing if his ballot is even counted. He is going through a ritual that makes him feel good, nothing more.
Just as the Town Hall meeting had no bearing on the nature of the moon, so too does voting have no bearing on public policy. Voting gives us the illusion that we have a republican form of government. It is a psyop.
Continue reading “The machines won on November 9” →