From: bam@bnlux1.bnl.gov (Bruce A. Martin)
Newsgroups: alt.politics.elections
Subject: Abstentions (was Re: Vote for Hitler, Stalin or Marrou
Date: 15 Apr 92 15:48:44 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: (none)

In article <1992Apr09.205526.8553@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu> jliddle@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Jean Liddle) writes:
>In article <1953@ra.nrl.navy.mil> ghost@ra.nrl.navy.mil (G. Host) writes:
>>Keywords:  Tough Decision
>>
>>> Article <6483@shodha.enet.dec.com> From: berenson@cookie.enet.dec.com (Hal Berenson)
>>
>>> So, does that mean that you'll wait until the day before the election and
>>> check the polls, then vote for whoever is in the lead so it's "your
>>> {wo}man" that's elected?  Does it mean that you'll blindly vote for
>>> whatever candidate, no matter what their views, based on party
>>> affiliation?  If your choices were Hitler, Stalin, or Andre Marrou would
>>> you vote for Hitler or Stalin because they represented the two major
>>> parties?
>>
>>Gee thats a tough one .....
>>
>>Thats like choosing which of the four plagues are your favorite.
>>
>>In this case the best vote would be "None of the Above";  I would
>>feel very guilty about electing any of them.
>>
>Funny, most americans feel the same way.  NONE OF THE ABOVE today means 
>don't vote, an unfortunate trend which is becomming more and more wide

Utter nonsense!  NONE OF THE ABOVE is NOT at all the same thing as DON'T VOTE.

None of the above is a conscious rejection of all the (offered) candidates.
Not voting is a (conscious or unconscious) ACCEPTANCE of whichever of the
candidates is chosen by others.

"None of the above" is a PROTEST.  (So are write-ins and some 3rd Party votes.)
Not voting is in no way a protest -- it is the exact opposite of protest:
it expresses acquiescence, acceptance, contentment, 
or perhaps (at best) it might be said to express lazieness or ignorance.

To stay home is to "ABSTAIN" (as in saying neither Aye or Nay in a voice vote).
An abstention means that you find all of the choices EQUALLY ACCEPTABLE (or 
nearly so) and don't think it's worth distinguishing between them.

Those who claim that NOT VOTING "sends a message" are sadly mistaken!
Never has low voter turnout been interpreted by press and public as
any sort of "protest" -- it is always interpreted as apathy or contentment,
and never as discontent.

People who are sufficiently discontented, dissatisfied, or disgusted to do
more than grumble must GO TO THE POLLS either to vote for "Donald Duck" or
maybe to burn them down!  Staying home does no such thing, and their grumbles
if any are unheard and not taken seriously.  If you don't like the menu,
open the write-in slot and write "Fuck youse all!", but DON'T stay home!

spread.  Perhaps it is less a sympton of apathy and more of a realization
>that, regardless of who is elected, the government really doesn't give a
>flying fuck about any of us, unless our gross income tops several million
>dollars.

I, for one don't trust the governmnet to give "flying fucks" or anything else
to me or to anyone else.  Mother, please, I'd rather do it myself.
(To "give" anything, a government must first TAKE it from someone who 
produced it in the first place.  Even so, by the time bureaucrats get
through handling it and taking their cuts, there's not much of it left
for the recipient.)

>
>Jean.
>
>BTW - This is only a comment on what is going on.  I DO vote and encourage

I'm so glad you do.

>others to do so, but abstaining and effectively saying NONE OF THE ABOVE
>is a tempting alternative.

Abstaining is NOT an "alternative" to NONE OF THE ABOVE, or 3rd-party, or
write-in, or protest voting.  Abstaining is EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE.  
Don't abstain unless you really mean it.

If you like the choices (and are more or less equally content with them),
the please DO stay home -- we wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.
DON'T cast a protest vote this year unless you really are dissatisfied.

>-- 
>Jean Liddle
>Computer Science, Illinois State University 
>e-mail:  jliddle@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu
>         jliddle@katya.acs.ilstu.edu


BAM  /|\Master of the Tripods of Haephestus./|\    -/s/-  Bruce A. Martin
[My opinions are my property, belong to me only, and represent no one else!]
# include discaimers.h     /***** Marrou/Lord in '92 *****/
# delete BUSHLIPS          /***** CALL 800-682-1776  *****/