Tuesday, November 02, 2004

an open apology to nina

In a comment to my last post, Nina asked:
I want you to quash a third reason offered [for voting for Nader]: they often say American politics are all about voting your conscience, that this is what democracy is all about, not this succumbing to political manipulations. [C]oming from Poland, I am more familiar with succumbing to political manipulations than democratic ideals, so please knock the s*** out of this argument too. Thanks.
Sorry, Nina, I can't. I can't type a post arguing against the vote-your-conscience argument for voting for Nader. I can't not because it is a good argument, but because, of all the various arguments out there for voting for Nader, it is the one I hate so passionately as it completely robs me of my capacity to respond reasonably to it. Seriously and literally, it enrages me. Not because of its irrationality, which is plenty and relatively easily demonstrated, but because the argument is so unbelievably freaking selfish. Yes, I want to shout, democracy really is all about giving you a smug pious self-satisfied warm glow when you leave the voting booth.

I mean, if you believe that there really is no difference between Kerry and Bush, despite the various incisive arguments that can be made to the contrary, then, fine, vote for Nader. If you believe that the next four years wouldn't be different/better under Kerry than under Bush, then, fine, vote for Nader. If you believe your vote doesn't actually matter, then, fine, vote for Nader (or, more rationally perhaps, stay home). But don't freaking tell me that you recognize that Kerry would make a better President than Bush, but that Your Precious Conscience won't let you vote for Kerry and so you voted for Nader. Don't try to enlist me in your stupid little Delusion of Nobility. I mean, really, who the hell do you think you are? Who do you think you are, that the ephemeral ease of Your Precious Conscience is more important than the fates of those people who you believe would be directly affected by the different policies of the potential Kerry vs. Bush administrations?

Here at JFW, we are not fans of selfishness generally, but the most infuriating selfishness is the kind that tries to pass itself off as being The Honorable Thing For Those Who Care About Others. I'm sorry that you gotten yourself in the psychological bind where you will feel a little bit worse if you vote for Kerry than you would if you voted for Nader. Three words: Suck It Up.

Ugh. Now I'm stomping around the RV all agitated. Thanks a lot, Nina.

20 comments:

dorotha said...

you are my fricking hero!

nina said...

Thank you. I needed that. Oh what a relief! We are permitted to take into account the immediate fate and well-being of others (rather than obsessing about our true ideals). Democracy and I are just fine then. The edification of the immigrant continues.

Anonymous said...

you rock!
i'd kiss you if such things weren't frowned upon.
but not on the lips.
-tlb

dorotha said...

not on the lips, TLB? why then, one might suspect you of being an ass-kisser!

Anonymous said...

only one who believes that Jeremy consists of naught but a mouth and an ass, Ms Dorotha.

dorotha said...

well, he is either talking out of one or talking out of the other.

jeremy said...

Stop talking about my orifices, please.

Anonymous said...

An excellent argument, Jeremy, though I hasten to add that while the die-hard (or, as I would prefer if Bush wins, just plain die) Nader supporters bitch and moan about what they perceive (wrongly) as the lack of a progressive voice and force Democrats to look farther to the right for votes, they also empower Democrats who are farther to the right and diminish true lefties like Dean and Kucinich into the sorts of caricatures that the rest of the world recognizes the Naderites to be themselves.

jnsys said...

Wow! Such fire, such passion... fabulous post! Absolutely dead on assessment. You rock, Jeremy!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Be still my heart. I never knew how wonderful sociologists from Madison could be. But now I do. Wow.

Anonymous said...

You can, and you did, Dr. Freese.

Anonymous said...

If it makes you feel better, I voted for Badnarik. Why vote for a candidate who has no chance of winning? Because voting for the lesser of two evils still gets you evil. Because I have zero confidence in either Bush or Kerry.

Maybe if more people voted *for* candidates instead of *against* candidates, our country wouldn't be in the increasingly sad state that it's in.

That said, fools have always been in the majority. Probably too late to start changing things now.

Tonya said...

I like this post a lot and I love to see Jeremy unleash his liberal fury, but I am wondering who TLB is (see above comment). Just want to set the record straight that I didn't write that post about kissing Jeremy.

Tonya Lynn Brito

jeremy said...

Tonya: You mean it wasn't you??? Really?

Um, you know that "Pucker Up!" bouquet that was delivered to your house yesterday? The one with the card signed "JF"? Those flowers, um, weren't from me.

jeremy said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Tonya said...

Well, if you really want a kiss all you have to do is learn to play the guitar, front a rock band, and tour around the country supporting liberal presidential candidates. When you can play "Crash Into Me," give me a call.

jeremy said...

I often wonder how my romantic history would be different had my parents, when they realized that I was going to be neither particularly attractive nor athletic, put a guitar in my hand and forced me to practice many hours a day, possibly while growing a mullet.

dorotha said...

i think you'd get more play WITHOUT a mullet. but keep the guitar.

jeremy said...

This depends on whether I ever would have made it out of rural Iowa or not. Back in rural Iowa, I guarantee you, you want your guitar with a mullet.

dorotha said...

maybe you should invest in some wigs.