It’s Every American’s Duty… Not to Vote.
As we run up to the impending U.S. presidential election, I would like to take a few moments to pay tribute to a great American poet, George Carlin.
George was a genius of social commentary and political satire. Rolling Stone magazine voted him the second best stand up comedian of his generation behind only Richard Pryor. To this day, his material stands as true as the day he spoke it. If he were witness to the shit show that is the U.S. Presidential election of 2020, he would surely be wagging his finger and laughing at us.
I thought it important reiterate some of his teachings because there is a whole new generation of young people now of voting age who likely do not even know who George was. I will highlight some of his best political lines.
“I don’t vote. Fuck’em. If you vote, you have no right to complain. If you elect dishonest and incompetent people, you are responsible for what they have done. I, on the other hand, have every right to complain about the mess you created for which I had nothing to do with.” — George Carlin
President Donald Trump is a narcissistic psychopath clear as the color of my white ass. Of this point, there can be no doubt. The only thing Donald Trump cares about, is Donald Trump. If your political or economic interests are aligned, well then it’s lucky for you. If not, well I guess you are just shit out of luck.
As for the other candidate, Joe Biden, I wouldn’t trust him to escort a group of five year olds to kindergarten. He has a long history of preferential political dealings for himself and his family, while his medical history and age is a serious concern. But I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what bothers me most about Joe Biden other than just saying, he’s creepy. Selecting a candidate like this for the presidency of the United States merely because he is less of a psychopath than his opponent, is just simply wrong.
“It’s all meaningless. This country was bought, sold, and paid for a long time ago. The politicians were put here to give you the illusion that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. They own you. They own everything. It’s a big fucking club, and you ain’t in it.” — George Carlin
It makes little difference who or which party is in the white house. It all comes down to the same story. The minorities and the poor get screwed, while the powerful, rich, and predominantly white people, get as much as they can extort. It has been this way for centuries. Only by breaking down the political systems that allow these conditions to endure, can we possibly change it. Voting the other party in will only create more of the same.
As a Canadian citizen, obviously I am not allowed vote in American elections. But the Canadian system is only marginally better. I did not vote for Prime Minister Trudeau or any of his rivals. Doing so would only be an endorsement of that political system. Our federal governments are corrupt and incompetent institutions. It is time to start treating our federal governments with the respect they deserve, indifference. If you do chose to vote, it should always be at the municipal or community level. To me, this is the only way you can promote true change.
I watched a documentary recently about the right to vote on Netflix. It was an interesting show narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. It told the story of minority groups struggling for the right to vote over the past two hundred or more years. It was inspiring and I fully support their efforts. However, having the right to vote will not solve the inherent segregation and injustice in the system. Neither party has the power, nor the will, to make significant change.
“The owners of this country know the truth called the American dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it. They don’t give a fuck about you, they don’t give a fuck about you, they don’t give a fuck about you, at all, at all, at all.” — George Carlin
The first (and likely only) presidential debate held between these opponents could be summed up best in just two words, ‘shit show’. It was a complete and utter embarrassment for both candidates.
Now it has just been announced that Trump has contracted the Sars-Cov-2 virus. “Of course he did”, I thought when I heard this. I call complete and total bullshit on this story. Nothing short of the president dying from the virus would convince me otherwise. By most accounts, Trump lost the “debate” and contracting the virus now will give him an easy excuse to avoid any further debates. It will also ensure the full attention of the media will stay directed at him and garnish him sympathy. It surely was a predetermined decision of the campaign for him to contract ‘The Covid’ just weeks before the election.
“Garbage in, garbage out. Maybe it’s not the politicians that suck. If you have a selfish ignorant citizens, you’re gonna get selfish ignorant leaders. Where are all the bright people of conscious who are ready to step in and save the nation?” — George Carlin
This entire story to me points directly to the sickness plaguing our society. Collectively we have the emotional maturity of six year olds. We are obsessed with social media and consumerism. We are fat, lazy, and stressed out, making us vulnerable to disease. The food we eat is poisoning us and our media lies to us. Is it any surprise our political systems are so fucked up?
The good news is it does not have to be this way. You can chose to be one of these bright people of conscious. The only way to save and restore sanity to the chaos is from the ground up. Start by improving yourself and raising your own health and frequency. If you are then able, help a family member. If you still have more to offer, start reaching out to those around you. Only once the collective consciousness of our society is high enough, can we begin to hope for change.
On election night, stay home. Peak in on the news late at night to check who won out of curiosity, if you must. Be resigned in the knowledge that the results are unlikely to have any significant impact on your life either way. Remember, peace and love can always be found inside of yourself. It matters not who the president is.
#defundthegovernment
Jason Grad
October 5th, 2020