This is going to be a repost from my first two lengthy posts, turned into diary form with a bit of tweaks.
Part 1-2: The introduction; combating burnout, change/choice and fighting for something, not being against something; hope, not fear.
Hey everybody. First time ever commenting on the morning thread (and posting a diary). I’ve been thinking on how we can combat burnout, apathy and despair. It’s often easy to feel that way with our current porked congress and if people lost friends and loved ones over this huge FUBAR situation that shouldn’t have happened, I empathize with you; I lost my older brother due to this crap (Spare Orange Plague voters; you had your chance.).
For those who have buyer’s remorse by voting Orange Plague and the Rethugs, you have a chance to repent and atone for your actions by voting Democrats and if you cannot do that, do yourself a favor and sit on the sidelines; tell your Rethug voting friends to do the same as well.
It’s not enough to take a side anymore; you also have to be on the side that is trying to do the best for the world and not for themselves. Siding with the objectively wrong as well as staying neutral is just against you,I and everybody’s best interest.
Times like this, we need somebody that stands for something, not be against something. Someone we can be proud to backup that serves our interest, not to do it as a protest vote or to vote for the lesser evil (when there’s a distinct difference between two candidates.) We need more hope, not fear to motivate our base or anybody wanting to vote for the candidate that has the best interest.
If you’re feeling burnt out or close to it, then tune out for a while to regather your strength; even the best of warriors has a limit to them. Just be ready to vote accordingly when the time comes. Bring your friends and tell them the potential best outcome if our side wins and tell them to bring their friends too. (Or in certain states, vote by mail and whatnot.)
I feel that everybody can change for the better; I have. I wanted to adopt my late brother’s mindset, which I will not go into due to it being against the rules and to respect his wish. Nobody is born evil; they have to be taught to be evil. They can be taught to be good too; there is a choice.
As much as I don’t like having to use rewards to motivate people to vote, I think some incentive to get to the voting booth should be in order, such as a small tax reduction or if you want to get choosey, making to where you’re free to go vote if you have a job, but to get your payday, you HAVE to vote and when you come to work in the following day or during it, you have to have you “I voted” pin or badge or sticker or stamp or whatever on you; failure to do this equals no pay for you. That way, it’s not going the way of Australia, which would do more harm than good for us; poor and middle class that is shrinking after all; adding to this, it would just give incentive to throw their vote away to bypass the tax rule, so ergo, doing more harm than good which equals punishment isn’t the way to go. Besides, what works for the Aussies won’t exactly work for us. We need a better and effective way of mobilizing and empowering our base and non-voters, given the situation we have.
Another thing, Bombarding and annoying people with donations and having doom, doom, doom and more doom isn’t the way to go; it just makes people, donating or not, feel hopeless, like their efforts arn’t enough and that we’re getting a surefire loss. Yes, I know it’s an automated thing, but that is little to no excuse. Maybe connect with your voters and ask them some questions, both political and just everyday life; that would help them connect and maybe spread the word about you. Having solid credentials help.
This is a personal one for me, but honestly, I think the ‘poll’ numbers should be a thing of the past and mainly, it’s going to either tilt it to complacency, meaning people will think this is in the bag when there’s still work to be done or it’ll tilt it to apathy, last year is all I will say if you want the short story. Long story is that it’s a hopeless fight and that no matter how much we dig deep, nothing is going to change and we’re going to lose. Strike a balance so that the threat of loss is there, but so is victory.
Also, with the poll numbers gone, this would mean both sides, for better or worse, will have to dig deep, get in touch and tune with voters, help spread the word and for the love of all thing Vault Boy, making it EASIER for people to vote! Failing that, at least limit the damage anyway you can.
Another way of framing it; focus on the game, not the scoreboard.
I maybe named ‘Jadedonall’, but I am not entirely jaded and apathetic. If we can pull through, work hard and win, both grabbing the Senate AND the House, the nightmare maybe over, but ONLY if we win immensely and only if we work hard. Little hint as well; use the internet to help get your name out. In the digital age, if it can be used against us and democrats, it can be used for us in equal measure; the tool is neutral, those using it, are not.
I think that’s it from ‘A JadeGreen’s mind’. I may do this more often for the Evening threads. I would like it if you spread the word around so it can reach potential to critical burnt out/apathetic voters in key elections.
TLDR; Reducing the mindset that it’s in the bag as well as feeling hopeless is the first step to changing the downward spiral, as well help turn the tide in making it easier to vote + granting incentive to do so. Ridding of the poll numbers of any kind equals fighting the good fight until it’s all called; a winner and loser declared.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------—
Part 2-2: The ‘Jaded’ theory of why people either throws their vote away, don’t bother or vote against their interest, reducing complacency and apathy and how to solve the issue, in my eyes.
I have a theory. A theory about why people want action, without going to the voting booth and it’s not entirely on laziness, silence, content, or jaded; all of those have a factor. People just think it’s pointless since either nobody is running in their home town or maybe they’re tired of hearing about politics constantly and want to tune away. Yes, I’m very much aware of voter suppression, a direct counter to that is voting by mail. No such thing as “lines” with that method.
Perhaps it’s people wanting to see instant progress when they send their preferred candidate and not have to constantly wait to see the changes. If it takes time and vigilance, they’ll either peel out and find greener ground, regardless if it’s their best interest to stick around or sleep behind the wheel, trying to get some energy back. Impatience is another thing as well. It takes time, as well as more than one person to get the changes you want.
However, the long lines, being around people you have never really met as well as waiting for hours on end while holding down a job to get to the voting boot means that our side, provided they have a job, risks losing it just to vote for a democrat isn’t worth losing their job, especially since their vote may end up being in vain. I know this site is fired up, more or less, but in Virginia? Word on the street is that the burn-out is being reported there. I think there has to be a better way without treating our side like voting numbers and instead, look at them as people; ask question on why the want to do anything, especially making progress without voting. That, in my eyes, is the first step. Everybody’s case is different however, so take the time to ask why. You could try to tough love them, but that’’s a flip of the coin at best, at worse, that’s an instant shutdown and they’ll just move along. As much as we want to win, in my eyes, we have to try these four steps:
One: evaluate why our voters either do not bother with the vote, throw their vote away or vote for the wrong person.
Two: If they have no means of getting there, find some mode of transportation to get their. Maybe the buses, if you’re voting is free, but only free if you’re voting and It’ll ONLY take you to a place where there’s a voting booth.
Three: Get their side of the story and stop treating them like voting numbers and rather, treat them, or at least, our side like human beings. The other side, more or less, may have this locked down to an extent.
Four: For the voter: if your preferred candidate didn’t win, maybe try to see some merit in the other democratic candidate and go from there; You’re not going to get everything you want, but at least you’ll have a foundation. For everybody else, you want to win, then encourage them to get down to the polls. Don’t berate them. Name and Shame highlights those at fault, but at the end of the day, we’re a team; if one fails, we all fail. So if some wants to Name and Shame just to get a vote, then what’s to say the other side won’t do the same? It’s the perfect catch-22; vote and you won’t be shamed to a degree, you’ll be an enemy against one side. If you don’t vote, you’re a fault and your peers will continue to hound you until you vote accordingly and we want to avoid that as much as possible. They are some justified and valid exceptions to the rule, but in this case, just like with the tough love approach, is a flip of a coin at best and instant shutdown at worst.
With the way I see it, people would just vote and if our side doesn’t win, it’s a pointless endeavor and the magic is gone. This builds apathy and hopelessness as well as giving the perception that their vote did not matter. People would have to refrain from being too content and continue to work. Complacency, followed by a rude awakening because they thought they had it in the bag and celebrated too early, followed by complaints, followed by apathy, followed by not even caring anymore. This is why the poll numbers needs to be abolished for good, since they cause one of the extremes like I stated back in the morning post. With no poll numbers, we’d have to fight the good fight, from start to finish, so if something like the poll numbers were to be gone, (sadly, 538 is done, politics wise) then it’s about the fight and end result.
The media is a problem, but the solution is getting out there + plus using the Internet in synergy and the best part? Once it’s apart of the internet, it spreads like, sorry to say fellow Californians, fire.
Personally, I’d rather address the ‘instant result’ crowd and bring them back down to reality gently and get to the root on why people, or our side at least, doesn’t bother to vote or at least vote, but throw it away, whether it’s for a protest or for the enemy.
In closing : I would like to close out and say this: Compromise. This is never a bad thing. This is how both sides get something, without one side or anybody overstepping. A little bit of good for everybody involved; funny that it’s also a solution to a divided America and potentially, the entire world too.
So, if we do get a lot of PRs to the states, let them recover first and help them anyway you can first, don’t just see and use them as voting fodder; people will feel the were used and yes we want to win, but not by taking their votes for granted and treating them like Stormtroopers, just with a voting ticket instead of a blaster and horrible aim. When you care for someone, they’ll get your back sooner or later.
TLDR: The poll numbers and this might cause a controversy, either has to be taken with a huge grain of salt from hear on out or ideally, be abolished. It’ll just cause apathy and hopelessness on one end and smug complacency on the other, both in which hurts progress; despair and blind optimism. Yes, do get people registered and do canvassing and all that good stuff, but remember: They are still human beings at the end of the day and we help them, they’ll come back and help us and who knows; they might be that ace in the hole in the future. Above all else, as human beings go, compromise when it’s within reason and if everybody else is willing to compromise and debate and not sit in our thought special bubbles.
Agree? Disagree? It’s up to you. Feel free to drop your own thoughts and solutions to the problem.
This has been the first ever ‘Thoughs and Suggestions of a Young Jaded Man Going Forward.’ If you like it, dislike it, then feel free to leave a comment and who knows, I might continue to write up stuff like this and maybe, in the even if the Night Thread for Night Owls doesn’t pop up, this could be a temporary fill in.
Jadedonall, signing out!
Take a deep breath and clear your mind, Positive Warriors of all backgrounds and factions.
Link to Vol.2