I Vot'd

I don't know why, exactly. I don't pay very close attention to politics in the first place, and prior to arriving at the polls and staring down the barrel of a stubby golf pencil at the ballot, I had no idea who was even running in my riding.

I think that, as I grow older, something in me is changing that makes me want to care/participate. I still think that most politicians are sleazbags that I primarily interested in maintaining their sleazbag status. They all end up being the same, scandals and all, to the point where I'm not sure if it really matters voting for one party over the other.

But I voted. Not so much for a particular party, just against one. In doing so I came across two biases.

First, Justin Trudeau. Should I vote for him? I mean, is he old enough? Can he handle the responsibility? Wait a minute. Does that someone even ten more years of age away from myself would magically be a more logical choice? After all, the likes of Elon Musk and Larry Page seem to be doing alright at the head of their respective mega corporations. If they can change the world, why can't someone of their age lead a country? The thing is, I think I'd have infinitely more respect for one person that knows how to surround themselves with specialists and listen to their opinions, rather than one person that knows all and acts on his own accord. One's a leader, the other's a meglomaniac. Sure, maybe you can accumulate more knowledge with age, but I'd like to think we generally learn to listen to and work with others from a much earlier age.

In the end, I think we're just used to seeing 50-60 year old presidents. They win elections, so that fuels their image/stereotype in the media, which influences voters in the next election. It's an infinite loop that isn't really based on much.

Not that I'm necessarily saying a 20-year-old should run a country, but I don't think someone should be retirement age in order to qualify for the position.

Paying so little attention to politics, on the lead up to the election I spoke with everyone I knew to see how they'd vote. I got a pretty uniform answer. "Whoa," I thought, "this party is going to win by a landslide!". So I voted in line with my peers, only to discover that the party of choice lost in my riding. By 2% of the vote. So while I was absolutely certain that it'd be a landslide victory, it turns out that every other person I pass on the street where I live voted for someone else.

It's a bit of a rude awakening to realize that your world view doesn't necessarily match everyone else. Not only that, but all those statements of opinion you make with confidence turns out to only shared with a minority of the public. Straaaange.

Too often I think that people cry foul and declare that the world is coming to a certain end because their political party/candidate of choice didn't win. In reality, those people just need to realize that they don't represent the majority of their fellow country members. It's not that the country is headed to hell in a handbasket, but that you opinions and interests are more specialized than you thought, and therefore aren't necessarily worth catering to when keeping in mind the benefit of your average citizen.

Democracy, man. It's a helluva thing.
-Cril