Few people like confrontation. Granted, there are those that seem to thrive on it. But I’m not talking about those people. (They also generally tend to speak without thinking or reasoning first, which makes things very difficult for the rest of us when we try to have a conversation with them.) And this is probably why I’ve been looking forward to this day for a few weeks now. The other day the only things I could find on the radio while I was out running errands were political ads or music I wasn’t particularly interested in. It was very disappointing. So after today the voting will be over and we can go back to regular bad commercials instead of confrontational political ads.
Some of the ads have been rather amusing though. The house race here has been real heated. And watching them has made me laugh a few times though. Some of the ads have been very clever.
I recently found this quote about our political system that I found particularly thought provoking.
American political institutions cannot work as intended unless they are inhabited by citizens who possess what Alexis de Tocqueville called democratic “habits of the heart.” Today we are in particular need of two such habits: humility and chutzpah. “Humility” means knowing I must listen to others – especially to those who seem most alien to me – in order to understand and feel at home in a diverse world. … “Chutzpah” means knowing my own voice and having the courage to speak it – with respect for others and in confidence that my voice counts. … Too many Americans allow the tensions of diversity to tear them and their communities apart. They retreat from the public realm to the foxholes of private life, from which they lob rhetorical grenades at “the enemy,” producing more psychodrama than social change.
P. J. Palmer, “Humility, Chutzpah, and the Future of Democracy.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 29 Aug 2010.
There are several issues right now where it seems the majority is lacking a little chutzpah. They become the silent majority. And because they are silent it is easy to believe they do not exist. And that can be very dangerous. If you do not share your opinion or act on your opinion, does it matter that you have it?
Today you can share your opinion by putting it in a ballot box. Vote! Be heard! Show some chutzpah and get a sticker. Do not fear your voice.
I am an educator and PhD. I quilt, belly dance, run, read, and try to grow things. I am a Mormon. I am infertile. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, grand-daughter, friend, wife, and mom.
Brett L. Dennis
Mama g
Giggles
AmandaStretch
If it’s all the same to you, today when I go to the polling place I plan on being seen but not heard. The last time that I went in ranting and screaming and threatening the old lady who was trying to make me sign my name in that book, it did not end well. :brett:
I voted! 😀
We voted too!
The elementary school where we vote at scheduled their second grade program for tonight too. Kind of have to wonder what they were thinking when they scheduled that. The parking lot was full! And not with voters.