You disagree about me not feeling bad? That's a lotta double negative and mind-reading
I'll always have one scene from my earlier life burned into my mind, July 3rd 1996 when I went with my parents who were wavering in their choice to vote in the run-off of the Russian presidential elections. It looked to be a close call between Boris Yeltsin (aka. perhaps the one politician I've ever actually cursed and condemned), and the communist Gennady Zyuganov. My parents did not support either - but the short, sad story of true liberal platforms (which my parents sympathized with) in post-soviet Russia was at that point coming to a close. So, they got their ballots and went up with me to the table - I was 12 so, obviously, I didn't get one, although I was well-informed about politics for my age (or any age) at the time. After a few moments, they both just handed me their ballots and a pen, and said: "Look, we really don't know who to choose here, why don't you just do it? If Yeltsin wins, we'll be in Canada in 2 years (our immigration process was well along the way by then). If Zyuganov wins, we're probably stuck here."
I thought for a few seconds, and checked off Yeltsin on both ballots.
I don't think I'll ever quite get over that memory. I'm sorry, but once you've been in that sort of position, I don't think you can get over dismissing the ethics of political trust. The idea that I helped elect politicians that stifled my family's will to stay in, or ever return to, a country I love and still miss, is not one that I find easy to stomach, and I refuse to let myself do that again. Even in apparently less extreme Canadian circumstances.
And it's not even that. I've given everyone in Canada a fair chance. I've voted for Liberals, NDP and Green party alternatively in several previous provincial and federal elections - where I thought, naively, that focusing on the one or two issues that were important to me was at least grounds for beginning to build a compromise. For example, proportional representation. But the more I looked at the actual party platforms, the less I felt I could use that excuse. Then two years ago or so I was seriously considering joining the Canadian Communist Party, because it's no secret that at least on socioeconomic policy I'm radically socialist. But the more I familiarized myself with everything, the more I became disillusioned if not outright angry. I'm not even gonna go into details here, but I was disappointed with how un-socialist even the supposedly extreme socialists in this country were, at least in any organized sense. And their PR was, well, frankly retarded and MUCH to their discredit. So I couldn't agree with even these fringe parties, because I felt that they didn't even speak on my behalf in the broadest socioeconomic sense, let alone details.
I gave this election a fair chance to. I actually made the effort to follow the debates, learn the candidates, examine the party platforms, consider the promises and records of all the main parties involved. They didn't make sense, none of it added up in the details and none of it reflected in any substantial details the changes and non-changes that I would want to see. The campaigns run by all parties - major and minor - were moronic and offensive to me. They aimed at the lowest common denominator and exploited ignorance. In the end, this election was about NOTHING. When I realized that my vote isn't going to make the inkling of a difference no matter how many people agreed or disagreed with me, I quit. I don't blame people for feeling differently, but at this point I would sooner vote with my feet and leave Canada (if shit goes down, which let's face it, is not terribly likely right now) than again see myself as culpable in my own marginalization. I'm not standing here waving some anarchist flag, really - it's just that I will not give anyone with whom I have fundamental disagreements license to speak on my behalf. That's it. If I had an option to vote against everybody (in a way that would have been meaningful and would have sent a real message of non-confidence), or against a particular party, I would. I didn't get that option. So now if I'm going to be subject to a government I'm not happy with, you can't say it's my fault. Because noone offered me one I would be happy with. So I may not have a voice in government, but at least I'm at peace with my own conscience for the moment.
Again, if others feel differently, I'm not gonna make a point to get into arguments and attack people's reasons for voting. They were probably good reasons. Mine are good reasons too.
The Birds are using humanity in order to throw something terrifying at this green pig. And then what happens to us all later, that’s simply not important to them…
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