An Election is coming. Universal peace is declared, and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry. George Eliot
I’m tired of feeling helpless about this hell-on-earth we’ve created. So much entrenched hatred, so little tolerance, so many taboo subjects.
The Right wants to stifle education to protect children from our nasty past. The Left wants to stifle free speech to protect children from our nasty present. And those of us in the middle want children to learn from all the nastiness—past and present—so they’re better prepared for the malice just around the corner.
No matter who wins in 2024, no matter what proposals are passed or voted down, we all know it’s gonna be a mess.
So I cannot help thinking we need to focus less on the young’uns right now, and more on our own voting habits. After all, my brain’s boot program is Creative Analysis, aka Analytical Reasoning, aka Critical Thinking/Debate Protocol/Abstract Reasoning/Focused Ingenuity. I just gotta explore both sides of every coin I write about or vote on.
And with so many voters addicted to their party’s platform—real, imagined, or foxy pretense—I just gotta nudge other people to do the same.
To not just vote, but to make informed decisions about their vote.
To not just accept whatever headlines generate the most clicks, but to see the spin of those stories.
To not just watch the absurd spectacles playing out in government bodies around the country, but to recognize how those spectacles are designed to divert our attention, normalize aggression, and subtly prepare us to accept forceful repression.
Ergo, I propose we educate each other. Let’s tackle the big ballot issues together and bring civil discourse and informed decisions into the most important election in American history.
I challenge you to join me.
I challenge you to take a step away from your familiar-and-comfortable position and see the other side.
I challenge you to think about the effect your vote will have on our country’s future, for better or for worse.
I challenge you to make two lists—five positive points, five negative points—on major issues. One list will be easy—it’ll be the one you already support.
But here’s hoping the second list will excite your gray matter. Make you look some stuff up. Explore media with different slants. Talk to—listen to—people who disagree.
Maybe your needle will move. Or maybe you’ll just come away with a few better retorts than, “Oh yeah? Well, you’re wrong and I’m right!”
Perhaps together, one by one, we can create our own subtle wave, away from hostility and toward civil discourse.
If nothing else, our combined insights and research might make it easier to decide which, among the hundreds of candidates and ballot propositions, we actually want to support.
Yeah, yeah, I know—it’s a crazy idea. Like declaring independence from England was crazy. And ending slavery, the undeniable foundation of the South’s economy, was outrageous. And giving women—the first, always, and ultimate chattel—the right to vote was ridiculous.
And holding a mini-computer in our hand that gives us instant connection to every corner of the globe was absurd.
All crazy ideas start the same way, with a small group of people saying, “Hey, let’s make things better.”
I challenge you to join me in exchanging honest, non-partisan information with the sole, crazy goal of bringing about a more responsive, by-the-people, for-the-people government through a thoughtful, informed electorate.
My plan is simple:
Take the weekly challenge. Do as much research as you need, talk to friends, work with a study buddy or group, bring your kids into the process—whatever it takes—but send in your answers. I’ll upload the strongest ones each week when I post a new challenge.
Spread the word. Share this post and every R U Smart Enough 2 Vote? challenge with everyone you know. Not just friends, family, and co-workers—ALL your networks. The more voters who participate, the better chance we have for a civil, stable election.
Submit your own challenges. Let me know what issue or candidates you want our collective intelligence to explore.
I’ll post a new challenge every week starting next Thursday. Go to R U Smart Enough 2 Vote? for Details, Rules, Rules, Terms and Conditions, and a sample challenge.
The only effective response to chaos is education. Let’s make this “the thing to do” for the next twelve months. Let’s reassert “for the good of the people” back into our national mentality.
Are you with me?
This is a free public service. No fee or credit card required.