Status quo, ad infinitem

Sian

Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring, and because it has fresh peaches in it. - Alice Walker

Quote of the Day/Week/Millenium:

I would rather have a nod from an American, than a snuff-box from an emperor. ~Lord Byron

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

About me

Name: Sian
I paint, write, and dance. Also cook vegetarian food.

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Sunday, 18 September 2005

Status quo, ad infinitem

My whole political philosophy can be summed up in one word. Ennui. It's possible that I used to have more constructive, or at least more optimistic opinions on the subject, but certainly in the last couple of years, I've managed to boil down every thought, every remote impulse toward activism that I ever had into a sort of restless boredom. My landlord (who lives upstairs) has put out his mayoral candidates sign. Ho hum... Not only have I not heard of the guy, I don't care. Not really. Not enough to actually get up and go do anything about it, either way.

I think maybe the main reason for my ennui is the fact that no matter who you vote for, it always seems to be a matter of balancing the good with the bad, the desirable with the undesirable. I've never seen a candidate with whom I agreed on enough to jostle me out of my complacency. I've never seen someone declare his or her candidacy, and thought to myself, "Oh, good, here's somebody who can really get something done." "Now things are really going to change."

For me, politics has always been a matter of the lesser of two evils. Is it worth it, that this man will do this, knowing that he will also do this other thing? What if we vote for three really liberal congressmen to balance out the one conservative president... what if...

So, I don't have a flock of political signs about to land in my windows and lawn. I can't vouch for anyone, really, because there's always something unpleasant to be weighed in the mix.