Voting & The Paradox of Choice
October 24, 2006
I read an article today that talked the idea that people will usually choose what’s easiest or most convenient over what’s best (however best is defined). This probably explains why people don’t vote.
I think that most people that do not vote don’t do so because it is easier to not vote and not care. Caring, and in turn voting, means that you have to think about what’s going on, think about what you like and don’t like about your current situation, think about the future. Really thinking critically about the status quo is something people are often afraid to do because not only is it difficult, but because they are afraid that they may like what they see. People often surprise themselves when they analyze what really makes them do the things they do and not do the things they don’t. It’s often easier for people to live in a state of denial.
My challenge to myself in others is to refuse to live in denial. I do not believe that “ignorance is bliss.” I think that’s a lazy-apathetic-cop-out-a$sed way to exist. That’s not even living. It sounds like the Matrix to me.
We need to re-think our concept of ‘relevance.’ If we applied the same ‘how does this effect my situation?’ test to everything that we said/did, things would be a lot different. The question is, why do people so readily apply this to voting and don’t apply it to watching Desperate Housewives?
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