Day Eight : Bonus Essay!
katherine_tag initially volunteered to write the essay for Politics and Political Action. Through a series of crossed wires (on my part, no blame to her!) this essay was not posted yesterday.
Many, MANY thanks to tassosss for the pinch-hit yesterday and many thanks to katherine_tag for this amazing essay. :)
There are so many quotes about how a 'group of concerned citizens can change the world', that it seems like a cliche. However, I really do believe that this is true, especially for any society that purports to be democratic. A democracy simply cannot function without the participation and involvement of the majority of its citizens.
Honestly, this is why I'm quite concerned about the state of American politics. Although voter turnout in the 2008 election was the highest since 1968, still only about 57% of the eligible population voted. This is a sad state of affairs. Partially, I think it's because we've come to believe that our votes don't truly count, and in the so called American democracy, that is in part true. That's why I'm not going to talk about national politics, because to a certain extent we as individuals, and even as groups, don't have any effect on policy on a federal level.
This is, however, absolutely not true on a local level. It is becoming increasingly important to be active politically in your community. If we want to create a community that is fair and just, with equality for everyone, we first have to start close to home. Who is on the school board, who the judges are, and who is on the county board of supervisors (or your local council) can be vital to furthering our political goals, whatever those may be. If we elect officials whose goals for the community are the same as ours, we can potentially effect a great change relatively quickly, and that change will have a direct and discernable effect on our lives. These changes on a local level can also spread to other areas, or the elected official could go on to serve at a state or federal level because of their previous position in local government. This is how we can push social change through up to the federal government - by becoming politically active on a local level.
Noam Chomsky, unsurprisingly, has thought a lot about democracy and has volumes of quotes on the subject. Something he said in the 90s, in an interview with David Barsamian really drives my point home:
"Of course, if you abandon the political arena, somebody is going to be there. The somebody who is going to be there is the missing element in the entire discussion - namely, private power, corporations. They're not going to go home and join the PTA. So they're going to be there and they're going to run it."
Boiled down, this means, if you don't vote, someone will - and you may not be happy with the results. Different countries deal with this in different ways. I'm not sure those in power in the United States would really like to improve voter turnout. Many of their policies and goals (namely monetary gain) depend on our society remaining remote and feeling that their participation in political process is meaningless. In Australia, a country with a similar standard of living and social values as the United States, the population is required to vote. Everyone must vote in every election. If you don't vote, you are fined. This comes with a different set of problems than the political apathy in the US, but the same results - ignorant people who have not bothered to educate themselves about the motivations and nuances of the politicians and measures on the ballot are casting votes.
Because that's the crux of the matter, isn't it? Your vote is meaningless unless you understand what you're voting for and the possible outcomes of that vote. Voting is hard work. It requires research and sometimes heavy reading. It requires finding more than one source of information and critically thinking about the information that is being disseminated.
However, I think that all the hard work pays off. It's worth it, in the end, especially in local politics. So give it a try next time there's a county or city election. You might find that your vote does count after all.
Links:
I wanted to give a variety of organizations that were concerned with the representation of women politically, but were non-partisan.
National Council of Women in New Zealand
As the first country to give women the vote (in 1893), I would be remiss to not include an organization from New Zealand.
NCWNZ was founded in 1896 by the suffragists. They believed that despite having gained the vote for New Zealand women, there was still a need for a forum in which women could debate the issues facing society. Their goal, under the leadership of the first President Kate Sheppard, was to achieve a free and just society in which women could share equal rights and responsibilities with men. NCWNZ continues to work towards this end.
Women's Foundation of California
The Women's Foundation gives grants to women's organizations in California, advocate change into law, and run the Women's Policy Institute, training women to be the next leaders and agents of change.
For over 30 years, the Foundation has been not just a money giver but a relentless prizefighter for social change - a dynamic network and a force for justice that finds dedicated leaders and grassroots organizations working on the front lines in geographically diverse areas throughout the state.
Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA)
With a chapter in Oakland, BWOPA is a much needed organization for one of the most marginalized groups in America - black women.
Founded in 1968, BWOPA understands that everything that affects the quality of life is in most ways political. Therefore, BWOPA’s primary goal is to educate, train, and involve as many African American women as possible in the political process.
Many, MANY thanks to tassosss for the pinch-hit yesterday and many thanks to katherine_tag for this amazing essay. :)
There are so many quotes about how a 'group of concerned citizens can change the world', that it seems like a cliche. However, I really do believe that this is true, especially for any society that purports to be democratic. A democracy simply cannot function without the participation and involvement of the majority of its citizens.
Honestly, this is why I'm quite concerned about the state of American politics. Although voter turnout in the 2008 election was the highest since 1968, still only about 57% of the eligible population voted. This is a sad state of affairs. Partially, I think it's because we've come to believe that our votes don't truly count, and in the so called American democracy, that is in part true. That's why I'm not going to talk about national politics, because to a certain extent we as individuals, and even as groups, don't have any effect on policy on a federal level.
This is, however, absolutely not true on a local level. It is becoming increasingly important to be active politically in your community. If we want to create a community that is fair and just, with equality for everyone, we first have to start close to home. Who is on the school board, who the judges are, and who is on the county board of supervisors (or your local council) can be vital to furthering our political goals, whatever those may be. If we elect officials whose goals for the community are the same as ours, we can potentially effect a great change relatively quickly, and that change will have a direct and discernable effect on our lives. These changes on a local level can also spread to other areas, or the elected official could go on to serve at a state or federal level because of their previous position in local government. This is how we can push social change through up to the federal government - by becoming politically active on a local level.
Noam Chomsky, unsurprisingly, has thought a lot about democracy and has volumes of quotes on the subject. Something he said in the 90s, in an interview with David Barsamian really drives my point home:
"Of course, if you abandon the political arena, somebody is going to be there. The somebody who is going to be there is the missing element in the entire discussion - namely, private power, corporations. They're not going to go home and join the PTA. So they're going to be there and they're going to run it."
Boiled down, this means, if you don't vote, someone will - and you may not be happy with the results. Different countries deal with this in different ways. I'm not sure those in power in the United States would really like to improve voter turnout. Many of their policies and goals (namely monetary gain) depend on our society remaining remote and feeling that their participation in political process is meaningless. In Australia, a country with a similar standard of living and social values as the United States, the population is required to vote. Everyone must vote in every election. If you don't vote, you are fined. This comes with a different set of problems than the political apathy in the US, but the same results - ignorant people who have not bothered to educate themselves about the motivations and nuances of the politicians and measures on the ballot are casting votes.
Because that's the crux of the matter, isn't it? Your vote is meaningless unless you understand what you're voting for and the possible outcomes of that vote. Voting is hard work. It requires research and sometimes heavy reading. It requires finding more than one source of information and critically thinking about the information that is being disseminated.
However, I think that all the hard work pays off. It's worth it, in the end, especially in local politics. So give it a try next time there's a county or city election. You might find that your vote does count after all.
Links:
I wanted to give a variety of organizations that were concerned with the representation of women politically, but were non-partisan.
National Council of Women in New Zealand
As the first country to give women the vote (in 1893), I would be remiss to not include an organization from New Zealand.
NCWNZ was founded in 1896 by the suffragists. They believed that despite having gained the vote for New Zealand women, there was still a need for a forum in which women could debate the issues facing society. Their goal, under the leadership of the first President Kate Sheppard, was to achieve a free and just society in which women could share equal rights and responsibilities with men. NCWNZ continues to work towards this end.
Women's Foundation of California
The Women's Foundation gives grants to women's organizations in California, advocate change into law, and run the Women's Policy Institute, training women to be the next leaders and agents of change.
For over 30 years, the Foundation has been not just a money giver but a relentless prizefighter for social change - a dynamic network and a force for justice that finds dedicated leaders and grassroots organizations working on the front lines in geographically diverse areas throughout the state.
Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA)
With a chapter in Oakland, BWOPA is a much needed organization for one of the most marginalized groups in America - black women.
Founded in 1968, BWOPA understands that everything that affects the quality of life is in most ways political. Therefore, BWOPA’s primary goal is to educate, train, and involve as many African American women as possible in the political process.