Voting

An odd experience. I am not as cynical as I thought: it really had some impact on me. Let me set the stage:

Jim is playing a football (soccer) game in the background. I've just eaten breakfast and showered. Been thinking most of last night about my script for 1984, thinking that my tasks for this morning, after voting, are to read the first 2 chapters of Plato's Republic and write all my Chinese vocab in one place. Somehow, all of these become relevant in the light of voting. I put on the Colbert Report, then think of the wonderful irony of voting while listening to him. It's "The Word", about how whoever the next president is they will be a POW: Prisoner of W.. Not bad.

So, thoughts:

1. Oh god, it's a multiple choice test. Oh God. I guess school has....prepared me well? Or maybe just disgust that it never, ever, ever ends. Ever. I also note that the voting options are slightly more incoherent than your typical multiple choice test. The numbers are arranged up-to-down, making it hard to find things as we read left-to-right. This is further confused by the fact that each section seems to have different rules for how to fill in bubbles. You mark one box by party for president and vice president, one of two to vote for other positions (given things like the persons occupation and occasionally political affiliation...to be honest I didn't vote on several of these offices because I'd never heard of the person or what the position actually did...yeah Democracy!), and then a bubble for "yes" or "no" for each of the state measures, where you are provided with a general statement of aims and costs.

2. I am an adult. I am putting in my voice to choose how the US fucks other countries and masturbates itself for the next four years. Sorry, it was too good a metaphor to resist. But it did feel like something special. Like having some sort of a voice, making a difference. It felt like being out of school, like having the decision what to do with my time at all times, like living on my own. It felt adult and powerful.

3. I can't even drink legally in the United States.

4. The whole "An Historic Election" thing, the race/gender/etc shock that we've been bombarded with feels insignificant when you're filling in bubbles for little black-and-white names on paper. Even so, before I sat down I had the thought: This is the first election I've voted in. This will be my standard, and the standard of my generation. And perhaps it's just being Californian, but if this is our standard, then I think we have come a long way. Democrats are voting for a black-ish man, Republicans are voting for McCain and something that resembles a cross between a woman and an iguana. Whichever way this goes, this election has re-defined the office of president in the US. No matter that most other countries did this 50 years ago, it might--just might--be our time. Policy change seems nigh impossible, but if attitudes start to change it's a step.

5. Colbert has been my main political advisor for the last 4 years or so. His humor expresses a rejection of politics and media so complete that rather than provide commentary it attempts to imitate it, as if to say, "is this even possible?" He tries to transform himself to enter the world of current politics and in that transformation shows how over-the-top yet overly-serious American politics have become. It's an anthropologist gone native. And about as much American politics as I can stomach (at least British MPs actively make fun of each other).

6. The state measures are interesting. Lots of green stuff, public transit creation/improvement stuff. The interestingly conservative "oops gay rights are a mistake" and "teens should definitely have unwanted babies!", though some nice breaks for druggies. And standard school/law enforcement/veteran stuff. This was actually the section that made me feel best to vote for--actual policies which, while I'm sure I have the understanding of a retarded chipmunk about most of them, will make a direct difference that voters can actually control. Lets have this kind of ballot on wars and stuff in the future, mmkay?

Done. Just got to pop it in the mail. Took a lot longer than expected...The Republic may have to wait a bit to be read. It feels special though. I've inherited my white middle-class American birthright: caring about politics. I can see where people say the ballots are shittily confusing and where people never even register to vote. There's just nothing to make you. I hope Obama wins, there'll be a brief surge of international friendliness toward the States and he'll look good on magazine covers.