Democracy isn’t a game


“Democracy is not a spectator sport, it’s a participatory event. If we don’t participate in it, it ceases to be a democracy.” – Michael Moore

It really sucks that it’s hard to get people really involved in politics now. I really think our obsession with entertainment and consumption has driven people away from their own realities. We all fall victim to it- it’s not like I’m reading and taking classes in all my leisure time. That’s mostly video games. But hey, I’m trying here.

The mainstream news is terrible; they hardly fact check and they rarely challenge even the worst in presidential candidate lies. Social media is a bad source of news- you only get exposed to what you ‘follow’ or what your little circle of people ‘follows.’ There is no single place to get all your info, so you have to diversify. That’s too much work; people are busy!

So unfortunately, people aren’t aware of many things going on around them. If they do participate in the political process, chances are they stick to party lines because it’s much more convenient and practical than really knowing all of these different politicians. At least they are participating. I’m at the point where I am just sick of people who have no problem “sitting out.”

How can people who have families, children, responsibilities, NOT go out and vote, or contribute to the democracy in some way? It blows my mind, *especially* when I see my own family or community acting like they don’t care about any of this. We have to get involved in local politics just as much as we get involved in the presidential debate. If not, we end up with places like Indiana, where they are still desperately fighting against women’s and LGBTQ rights despite the fact it’s the year 2016.

If you are going to vote, you owe it to yourself and your country to make an attempt at being informed. Actually, try to figure out if your candidates can be trusted… well, I guess if you CARE about your candidate being trustworthy. But you know what I mean: actually do some reading or understanding or fact checking, or whatever you need to do, to honestly compare your options against each other.

Don’t listen to any single news source. If you only watch CNN or MSNBC, you only get Clinton bias. If you only watch The Young Turks, you get more of a Bernie lean. If you watch Fox News, I think you get a Trump or Cruz or something? Rubio dropped out so I’m hoping Kasich picks up steam over there.

Anyways, the point is, get involved. Please think about the future. If you have children who might need to still live on this planet after you die, think about climate change and whether you think someone should do something about it. If you care about Soldiers and you want us to stop sending them into wars for profit, think about getting involved in elections that might influence how they are used. If you would rather spend your tax money on building better roads and bridges, act like it!

To overcome the incredible amount of crony capitalism and corruption that corporations have established, its going to take a lot of us. A LOT.

-G