Voting, Politics, and Japan
Hello everyone!
Recently something's been echoing in my mind since my trip to the US.
Yossi and I were fantasizing about living in the US and he said if he lived there he'd definitely change his citizenship. I was startled! I have never been interested in becoming a Japanese nationality. I have permanent residency, and my American passport will get me into the countries I fancy visiting some day. My heart, deep down, is still American no matter how long I live here. If I was from a country that didn't have a good passport, or if my visa was dependent on my workplace or marital status, I might reconsider. But as things are now, I can't come up with any reason to go through the hassle of changing from my own nationality to another one that doesn't quite fit me, just because I happen to be living out my life here.
I couldn't imagine Yossi feeling any differently from me, living abroad.
So I asked him why.
And he said, "I want to vote."
So I wanted to ask all of you on my mailing list, no matter what country you're from, no matter what you stand for, please vote. Please vote because some people want to, and they can't.
Please vote because one of my friends is an immigrant raising two kids in the deep south. Their visas are dependent on the husband's work status. Every sway in policy changes their lives, but they can't vote. They aren't citizens. And they care about policy. But they can do nothing but bend in the wind. Please vote, because some people want to, and they can't.
When I was young, and I heard that a country was "democratic" I used to think that meant it was "just like the USA." It means everyone votes fairly, right? And the majority wins, right? I was naive and knew nothing about things like how poverty, status, location, and bribery means that many countries are a long way from "fair". I knew nothing about how just because a country was democratic didn't mean that the system was comparable to the US in any way, shape, or form.
Japan is democratic, but people vote for the party, not the person. When I learned about that, I realized that's why there isn't that big emphasis on "who" in politics here. In the US, politicians are almost like celebrities. Characters. Whereas in Japan, you aren't voting for a person so there isn't much emphasis on how many babies someone held in a campaign photo, or whether they go to church or not, or what their personality is like. I honestly know nothing about Mr. Kishida except that he's the prime minister.
My husband has a certain party he likes. But there are such a multitude of parties in Japan. And the one that wins every year is the Liberal Democratic Party. Why's that? Well take a pie and cut it into a million pieces, and make the LDP's slice slightly bigger. That's the ones that's going to be eaten. In the US, we think of things as Red and Blue. You cut a pie in half, but one side is going to be slightly bigger than the other. And I like that much better. It means sometimes you lose, but sometimes you win. It makes you feel like your vote matters. My husband doesn't vote for the LDP, so his vote just goes to fund his party a little and nothing else ever comes of it. Imagine being a politician, campaigning in a race you know you'll never ever win.
Of course, it's not so simple. The US has more than 2 parties. And half the people in the USA aren't voting. But when I talk to Japanese people, it's hard to get them to realize it. "Oh, he must have won because everyone in the USA likes him." Some people even just assume I must like whoever the president of the US is. He won, right? So I must have voted for him, right? Majority equals "almost everyone" right?
Everyone please vote, please vote because it matters to me. I wish I could tell my students that everyone I know voted. I want to point at my friends and say, "These people stood up against Mr. T." I want to know you stood up and participated. I want to know that you cared enough to take that little time out of your day.
For some people, it's not a little time. Like us overseas voters. And it's not for Japanese people either. My husband can only vote in his home city. So when we lived in Kobe, he had to spend election weekend going back to Okayama to vote. Luckily it's always on a weekend, but what if you work weekends? And the expense of traveling all that way to vote. . . Or else you have to go to your home town, request all your documents at city hall, and physically bring them over to your new city, and re-register where your hometown is. We managed to do that, so now my husband can vote in our city.
But imagine you're poor, and you can't afford the trip.
Imagine you're in a country where you have to drive to a polling booth, and they conveniently outlawed female drivers.
Imagine you can't get the day off, and Mr. DeJoy has systematically reduced the postal services in your area, so that even if mail-in ballots are allowed, it's impossible for you to do so in your town.
Please vote, because some people can't.
Some people say, "I'm not interested in politics."
I could never really say that, because my family always talked about politics, and my high school had a requirement to take a class on politics, and I've been interested ever since. But I do understand that feeling. It's not about ignoring the things going on in the world, it's about being happy, focusing on your family, prioritizing your free time. And the things happening in the government feel big and far away, out of our control.
I felt that "out of control" feeling for a while until I started watching other people change things. I can't save the rainforest with my own two hands, but I can talk to people I care about about the fact that I do care about our local forests. I can ask my friend who's on the local committee, if there's more we can do to preserve our nearby forest park, and if I donate a bit, could it go toward that end. I can write a letter to the railroad asking them to plant more trees in front of the station instead of filling it in with concrete. That's what politics is to me. It's not being angry at Putin and Netanyahu, it's trying to heal things around my own little neighborhood first.
I saw something online recently, "When people travel back in time they worry about one tiny action having a butterfly effect and ruining the future. But they don't want to take one little action now because they say it won't make a difference."
Please take that little action. If it's not big enough alone, then please tell me about it. Let me know what difference you wanted to make!
If, "I can't make a difference" is on your mind, consider donating to these people
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ifvap-2022-weekly?refcode=logo&amount=10
Voter Action Project
If I can help 100 other people vote through this project, then my own vote means so much more to me.
Or if you know another local group enticing people to vote, please give to them. Make a difference. Cause a butterfly effect.
If there's anything I can do to help. Link to a site, help someone fill out paperwork, kick people in the butt, write an email on your behalf, let me know! I want you to vote. I want democracy to mean the voice of the people, not the voice of "The people who had enough free time to care" or "the people who didn't feel overwhelmed."
Even if you leave half your ballot blank, which I have done before, at least check one box. Some people would love to have your privilege, and they can't.
Jennifer