Thank God the Chickens Are Free

I have to say I’m pretty bummed out by a lot of the outcomes of this election. In general, I’m supportive of the idea of democracy. That we all get a say in what happens to us and the nation we live in is a powerful thing. That we shape the environment for future generations is a humbling and awesome responsibility.

But I begin to wonder, how many people take that responsibility seriously? When candidates are placing ads in video games and on myspace and dazzling us with a killer smile and polished orations, I have to ask: Are we making our decisions based on subliminal messages and spin-doctored responses? Do we buy into charm and eloquence or real content and value? It’s hard to tell anymore.

I had a hard time getting to the bottom of a lot of issues this election. I feel like we’re so rarely fed the truth anymore that it’s nearly impossible to make informed decisions. Or the truth that we are given is presented in such disguised packaging that we don’t know what we have when we have it. I felt that the only responsible thing to do in regards to several ballot measures was to abstain from voting. I do my best to research the issues, discover a candidates character and understand the long term impact of propositions, but there were a few where I felt it was impossible to tell.

Do my fellow Americans approach their ballots with the same integrity? I’m sure many of them do. But I come from a very apathetic generation. A generation that had higher voter turnout this election than any other. I wonder what time they put into researching the issues? Or did they make their decisions with only their own self-interest in mind based on the text messages they received, myspace bulletins and whatever adds popped up between episodes of Gossip Girl and The Hills? If they are, then democracy can be a very frightening thing. I fear that all of us run the risk of being lambs led to the slaughter if we don’t take the weight of our one vote seriously and put some real mental effort behind it. I guess time will tell.

I realize the alternatives to democracy could be much worse so I don’t mean to sound like I’m whining. I would rather live here, under this government than almost anywhere else. But it’s an imperfect system and the reality of that bums me out at times. Of all the propositions Californians had to vote on, they seemed to care about prop 2 the most. We’re building a train we can’t afford and teenagers can continue to get abortions without the guidance of the adults that care about their well-being most but thank God the chickens are free!