Jersey has asked me to write a brief essay concerning the
election. Even if he had not asked for
something “brief”, I can’t honestly say that I have a great deal to write about
the election. For me, the election has
the feel of sporting event, something like the Super Bowl. There is a side which I have chosen as my
favorite, I root for that side to win, which is fun for a time leading up to
the event and during the event itself, and then, the next day, I am left
feeling slightly let down.
For some
reason we build the election up into this massive marker of whether or not the
country is fucked, and depending on which side you agree with, you either think
its time to leave the country, or you spend the next 2 months fantasizing about
how much better the country is now that someone who you think you agree with is
in power.
Not only is
the presidential election an undertaking in ego masturbation for the
candidates, it is likewise for voters.
It is a time when people allow themselves to say, “see, I am right, you
are wrong, the majority of the people believe what I believe.”
The greater
reality to remember during these times is this: it is hardly ever the president
who makes the biggest social changes.
For sure, there have been good presidents who have done good things, but
it is hardly ever the ones we “elect” to do good things who end up being the
ones who do the greatest things.
So, for
those who voted for losing candidates, relax, your day-to-day reality remains
unchanged. For those who voted for
candidates that won, congratulations, you were on the right side of what is
essentially a 50/50 bet. Sorry to be so
cynical, but both sides seem to have neglected honest discourse and
sound reasoning during the campaign, little seems to have
really changed.
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