Voting is a false positive
Lots of people seem to believe that “If you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain.”
I’m not sure if that’s evidently true, because even if you do vote…
Our government will likely still be in gridlock.
Our voting system will still be corrupt.
Society will still be overrun by rich morons (and people with stock options just ‘doing their jobs’).
People will continue to do things that compromise our collective welfare.
Worldwide crises (global warming, unchecked capitalism, water scarcity, world hunger, etc.) will still run rampant.
People will continue to disagree about politics, religion, taxes, tax dollars, and ‘real’ news.
Real problems: inequality, student loans, the 1%, climate change, poverty, COVID-19, neo-nazis…these things won’t be going away.
Big corporate offices in your town will still leave their lights on at night. (And you’ll probably keep your gas-guzzling car.)
In four years time, we’ll be back to doing it all again.
Oh! And lets not forget that most people will likely do nothing to change any of this. After all, they voted (it’s not their fault the wrong candidate won).
I'm not saying don't vote. But it seems to me that voting is continuing to buy into a (antiquated) system of promises that doesn't work as well as we’d like, and (as we've seen) isn't sustainable. Voting for the 'right' candidate won't solve all of our problems any more than winning the election will.
Political activism is not the same as political upheaval. Which is to say that if you’re unwilling to not only support the causes you care about, but take an active stand in your corner of the world to champion them, you’re doing yourself as much as disservice as the folks who refuse to vote.
Having said that, one the best things you can do to support a cause you care about is to have a good-natured conversation with someone who doesn’t fully embrace your worldview. Because, after all, the cultural needle moves when people change their minds and their postures and their habits, not when we work overtime to amplify dissension between people with opposing views.
We’re not going to change things this election year any more than last if we’re not also willing to put in the hard work of having conversations (not arguments) with people who don't fully agree with us, while being open to being wrong, changing our own minds, and treating those people with respect. And guess what? Voting for the ‘right’ candidate this time around won’t do any of that.
Voting doesn’t absolve you of your responsibility to make a difference any more than not voting absolves you of your right to complain.
So, if you care to vote, vote. If you don’t, don’t. Whatever the case, be prepared to make a sizable impact in your community this year. Otherwise, you’re just gabbing. And nobody, not you or your parents or your family and friends, prospers from that.
*Worth pointing out: Greta probably made more of a ruckus this past year than any of us, and she’s too young to vote.