Anyone who really knows and understands me realizes that I don’t talk about politics that much. The biggest reason is that I simply don’t care. American politics have been in shambles for a while now mostly because of the way it’s become a theater of spectacle rather than something that has changed lives for the better. The convoluted rhetoric and levels of machinations are so deep that you eventually grow weary of all the lies within lies. It beats you down to the point where you feel like a dust particle just floating around while these powerful winds blow you in conflicting directions.
I started becoming apathetic partly because of George Carlin’s comedy shows. In one of his specials, he talked about how he was just an observer at this point, someone who lacked a stake in anything and just watched for entertainment. He managed to figure out that the game is rigged and how most people are nothing more than pawns for the true power players (whom he labeled the “Owners”). He mentioned how by not participating, he could not be blamed for the poor choices the rest of the country would make in electing these officials. And the funny/ironic thing is that he’s right.
Prior to returning to America, I had watched the US election from abroad in Japan where McCain and Obama faced off in 2008. I figured that if Obama could win, it would, indeed, spell positive change for America as everyone rallied to his call for change. I even wrote a rare email on his website pledging to work hard if he succeeded in procuring this mystical, abstract change that people were imploring.
Obama/the Democrats won and I returned to America, feeling proud that my country could move forward since his presidency symbolized a huge moment in history for men of color. However, there was something else in the back of my mind that had been bothering me. What if in this election the change that people so badly wanted wasn’t the change in their minds? What exactly did the public want? Things change all the time. But they do stay the same. How do you reconcile an abstract idea if there’s concrete definition? Doesn’t that imply a certain level of convenience?
In my head, the “change” I wanted was more money in pocket. My father had passed away a year or two before and my mom wasn’t in good condition. I think everyone wanted that “change”. But is that really a “change” or just an improvement to our already materialistic and ultra capitalistic condition?
The idea in my head that started to manifest was that in truth neither party would institute the desired outcomes in our minds. I’m dead certain that most Americans wanted things like less violence, pulling out of the global wars, less taxes, more money for themselves, improved lifestyles, being able to download without persecution, going out and partying. You know, all that hedonistic tendencies we’re taught to worship by the players in Hollywood. And I forgot to add, less hours in the office.
Instead, what was the real result? Just more of the same as the past 10 years except more technology. But the technological advances cannot be politically attributable as these changes were being done by individuals in a faster pace technology realm. My money went up only a slight bit but you can nod that to inflation as prices has spiked across the board.
But how about the recessions that came and went. Well, guess what? The tax payers ended up bailing out companies that should’ve went under through the approval of the government. I’m damn sure I didn’t vote for that and people still get sued for copyright infringement in downloading movies, etc. In short, corporation lobbying still hasn’t died out if not become even stronger.
So what gives?
Nothing really. Because nothing has changed.
People are just fools for believing in a very savvy rhetorical environment where mass media and data have formed a symbiotic relationship in being able to give insights into what people think they need to hear. As a result, these candidates use that rhetoric to polarize each other but do enough to galvanize the net into believing that voting is absolutely necessary.
Maybe.
But in my view, when you’re left with a turd sandwich and giant douche, you’re going to lose no matter what. Luckily, we do have a concrete third option which is like my view on population growth: pure abstinence.
Voting to me is a waste of time especially since none of the candidates have your back. The only thing you’ll receive is an eventual court summons for jury duty because of how registration works. But real voting only entails voting for a representative who cast your vote for you; that simply is how the American government works. Thus, the popular vote nor independents will ever stand a chance (with Jesse Ventura being the sole anomaly).
In this year’s coming election, neither side for certain cares about the people at large. The Clintons have always been about gaining power. For Trump, it’s all about ego. Even if Trump loses at the polls, he still wins because he’ll have his name engraved in history books for even being able to make it. How can either candidate be sane for a country like this? How can anyone ever want people like these to represent them to the world or at the micro level?
It won’t matter who gets elected because the real issues have already been drafted. Corporate lobbyists will dictate what laws truly get passed. The high level agenda items that both candidates talk about are just hot air being spewed to get people to side with one. The real agenda items that get executed aren’t ones that the public at large push into the president’s hands to be rubber stamped. The only difference is which items get signed off faster, depending on the candidate. But at the end of the day, the wrong issues will make it through and make the country worse.
At best, either candidate will just be a vocal point for how the rest of the world reacts whenever a global matter is at stake. People might become extreme and point to the president’s ultimate authority in times of war, but I doubt we would go down that road. Even if a verbal nutjob like Trump gets into power in that manner, I cannot see him retaining it. Some extremist(s) would probably put a bullet through his eye rather than allow him to have that much authority. But more likely either the public would demand his resignation or worse yet simply stop following him and do their own version of Brexit if push comes to shove.
But this internet argument I’m having with myself is exactly why I’ve chosen to remain apathetic. We’re at the point where any joke of a person can rise to represent a whole nation just because they have some pull or money. But is that fair?
It isn’t yet my belief is that everything is staged. I’ve read conspiracy theories where Trump is merely a puppet helping Clinton to become president. Even if Trump ends up on the throne, I can’t see his radical ideas being executed. I mean, let’s take Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term as California’s governor as an example. Arnold entered with the people behind him. Yet the politicians were not and he failed to enact many of the policies he originally thought he could enforce through sheer physical muscle and intimidation alone. Trump, if this whole thing isn’t a sham, would still find enough political opponents to make his life hell. And there really isn’t a lot he can do as a president regardless besides talk a lot.
Nevertheless, it’s just going to be business as usual once November clears. We’ll still have inflation, gas prices will soar, food becomes more expensive, health care cost rises, the elderly will need more medicare (coming out of an ethereal bank account), Wallstreet will continue to gamble on the public’s money, America’s debt will skyrocket and no real social change will be made.
That said, I do believe that apathy is a way to kill people. Think to that episode from South Park with the Dog Whisperer. Cartman is rendered nearly obedient because the Dog Whisperer teaches his mom to become dominant and ignore Cartman’s incessant whining. I believe the same principal can be applied to politicians. You can’t physically make them go away, but you can diminish their worth by doing your best to ignore that they exist and affect your life in some way.
Right now, Trump is like a Cartman. If he gets elected, your best option is not to feed him because Trump is the 2nd best troll in the world (I claim #1 spot). Giving attention to a troll is the way they are empowered. The minute that type of person realizes that their spot in history will be erased is the moment that we have won.
Ultimately, my thing is that I have a general distaste for politicians because they really don’t rise from us. They have a career that allows them to move up. It’s not like someone who everyone rallies around because they’ve heard great things that this person has achieved and helped the community at large. It’s impossible for me to respect people who aren’t in the trenches dealing with the issues themselves but managing them from their 10k mile high glass citadel. It’s even worse when the person gains the attention because of the power and money they already possess that gives them a huge advantage over everyone else. But that’s how these people gain any traction here and why I refuse to bend a knee towards this farce.
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