Well, today Canada had their election and the party that I voted for won.
I'm not here to gloat - it's not that I really LOVE Stephen Harper or that I associate myself with being a Conservative. But it came down to the fact that I liked his plan a Hell of a lot more than I liked the opposition's plan. And that comes down to my own personal opinion.
Funnily enough, aside from my bf and me and very small handful of other people our age, we aren't actually in the majority with our thinking. We are in the minority - and our "friends" don't seem to have a problem with telling us how wrong we are for voting the way we did.
Look, politics (like religion) are tricky subjects but in the end it all comes down to what you believe in and NO ONE has any right to pass judgement on you for your beliefs. NO ONE.
So I voted Conservative? So what? Does this make me a bad person? Does this make everyone who votes for the party that you don't like a "bad person?"
I can understand why young people vote Liberal and NDP...maybe they want to "fight the man" or do it because all other young people are doing it. Hell, maybe I would have voted Liberal too if they had a different leader (Trudeau) and a different plan. Anyway, all the parties have good points and bad points and good reps and bad reps and I think as long as people are voting for what they believe in then that's great - democracy at work. After all, a lot of countries out there don't even have this choice.
Even down in the States...I mean, it's great that people get so worked up for the country but just because someone is a Republican doesn't mean they want to shoot you and send you to Hell, just as being a Democrat doesn't mean you're gonna waste a lot of money and "pall around with Terrorists." People just vote for what they thinks works for them and their country. Yes, sometimes its obviously not a good choice (ahem Bush) but you can't fault people who have the best interests at heart (though of course this isn't always the case).
Anyway I'm just tired of people who don't respect your views or start basing your character on how you vote. Yeah I voted Conservative - but so far I think the government has done a good job. I believe in abortion rights and gay rights and thus far we still have all of those too - and yeah I probably would vote differently if those things were on the line and maybe that will come to fruition at some point. But I still think my country is doing great, considering what's going on right now in the world and I think our re-elected leader will continue to do what I consider to be a good job. At least I can hope so.
After all, that's all we really have, hope for our country and the future. Sometimes...well, most of the time, that changes as politicians are all big fat liars anyway.
But we should at least support each other's choice to vote for the big fat liar of their choice.
11 comments:
I agree with the majority of your post, but I do have to comment on this: "NO ONE has any right to pass judgement on you for your beliefs. NO ONE."
If one's beliefs (with the assumption that beliefs leads to action) are clearly unbalanced enough to wish oppression/harm/violence upon a certain peoples, then I think judgment is deserved, and should be shouted from the rooftops.
If people are going to deny gender equality, racial equality, any equality of any sort, on the basis of their scripture (e.g. religion), or inherent discrimination (e.g. "Barack Hussein Obama is a terrorist because his name sounds like Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden!") then they deserved to be called out on their bullshit.
When such beliefs are made on factual, moral, and conscientious judgement calls however (e.g. I'm voting with this candidate because I believe in their tax plan), judgement should be withheld. :)
I voted Conservative and have been getting the same slack from friends who support NDP/Liberals. Great post.
Amanda - well up in Canada we don't have anyone running who will potentially inflict harm on our country or others. Yes, Canada is in Afghanistan but both main parties promised to withdraw by 2011 making the war more of a non-issue. I voted for what I believed in which was a plan that did NOT involve more taxes and an experimental economic plan and which gave tougher punishment to violent youth criminals (which in my opinion was something that needed to be addressed a long time ago).
As for the States election it may be more of a different story though I would like to believe McCain really does have people's best interests at heart (though the VP is another story) but perhaps he's just not best for the country at the moment. And unfortunately I think there are a lot of Republicans out there who DON'T have their country or other people's interests at heart...and they ruin it for the rest of them.
Meghan - what I don't understand is why people who consider themselves so "Liberal" are so quick to jump down your throat. I respect and understand why THEY voted for that party, how come they can't extend the same courtesy to me?
While I'll admit that I find the Conservatives a troubling party (beliefs, ideas, people), that's the great thing about democracy...
You get to vote for who you want.
No one can or should question that - because you exercised a democratic right.
I think people questioning how you voted has more to do with an unhappiness with the result...
Oh How I do understand! I did not vote Conservative THIS TIME. But that is more based on my notion that Harper broke his own promise to legislate elections every four years, that he has no plan to help all those affected by the collapse of the manufacturing economy (and in turn combat the sharp rise in unemployment in the blue-collar sector) in Canada and that he really never laid out a specific plan to boost the economy.
I fear that in this election there really was no "right" way to vote. So good on you for voting for the candidate you felt would best represent your interests! I for one agree that no one has the right to tell you how to vote and let's face it, it is our right to vote for the candidate that WE choose! That is why the vote is confidential.
Many of us "young people" can vote liberal because we believe in things like environmental policy, and social programs Not all of us vote the way we do to "stick it to the man" and in implying so aren't you kind of judging us the way that so many of "us" seem to have judged you? I think that the fact that people even went out to vote is amazing (10 million registered voters didn't even bother!) You have every right to vote as you like and those that told you otherwise are wrong. If they have a problem with the conservative platform (or lack thereof) they should be bitching at the conservatives, not at you. Just as they should be angry at the liberals for not coming up with a more sound economic plan and an environmental mandate that doesn't lead to more taxation!
Realistically no one knows how the next party will or will not follow their campaign promises, but as long as we make an effort to vote for some one that we believe will represent us then democracy will not be a total sham. Tell those granola crunching liberals (lol) that if they don't like the way that you voted to go live in a authoritarian dictatorship, where no one gets a choice!
Sorry this was way longer than I intended it to be, but hey I was a poli sci major and this stuff makes me feel all warm and fuzzy! :P Great post!
You vote for who you believe in...that's how democracy works. Simple as that.
All great points - like I said, maybe I would have voted Liberal had the plan and leader been different. It's really just trying to pick the lesser of two evils and hoping for the best!
But honestly I felt just as much judgement BEFORE the results came in. It's probably from shock that people that I voted Con since I'm quite Liberal-minded. Meh.
I think you nailed it on the head with your last line!:)
Personally, i think people are too caught up in labels - liberal/right-winged/conservative/democrat, etc. LISTEN to the ISSUES. UNDERSTAND them. EVALUATE. THINK (for yourself). THEN make your decision.
The conservatives are trying to turn this country into another United states. The concervative patry stands up for the upper white class and forgets the rest. Harper is sitting to the right of Bush and look what hes done to the states. It kills me that I can't vote here.
Countries like canada are super powers and have influence over other countries not just their own. I don't think we should vote on a basis of what makes the world better for ourselves but in the hopes that we can all have equality and sadly the conservative party doesn't respect that.
And that was my two cents.
_KIWI_And that's fair that you believe that, a lot of people do (esp everyone that I know). I don't necessarily disagree with all of it but again I found this option better than the other ones "this time around."
After all, I'm a writer, I went to film school - does it bug me that he's going to cut funding to the arts and film? Yes, and MAYBE if I actually was working in film like I was supposed to, I wouldn't have voted that way.
But I don't work in the arts and at this moment I believe that the economy is more important right now. It's sad that you sometimes have to choose between two evils.
On the bright side, the USA is most likely going to get Obama in the White House and then maybe being too "American-like" won't be such a bad thing. I think a lot of things are going to change come next month for both countries because of that.
I really wish we had elections like you do in Canada. Four weeks, no mudslinging, quick and efficient. Our election has been going on for over two years and quite frankly I am sick of it. I just want the thing to be over and that is a bad thing for the candidates. Because now I am not listening to what they stand for but deciding who to vote for based on who annoys me the least.
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