Dear Random Facebook Friend,
So tell me. Did you vote?
I'm not particularly interested, really. But I'm sure you'll tell me anyway. Through your slick media campaigns, maybe through a radio show, maybe you'll get Bipasha Basu on-screen to grab my attention or maybe you'll just inundate me with random Facebook messages about how you've exercised your franchise. Well good for you and I'm sorry I don't look more excited.
What's with the whole voting shebang anyway? What makes you feel like I care? Stop sending me random Facebook messages because you voted. Free speech be damned.
And before you can screw up your face and cry "Arm-chair critic", here's why. You did not exercise a franchise. You did not make a statement. You performed a fundamental duty through your exercise of a fundamental right.
I've talked about this before - while we have been taught that the individual’s greatest freedom in a democratic state is the right to vote, there is another freedom that is perhaps as significant as the right to vote. It is the right to refuse.
When your only choice is the lesser among evils, why exercise the power of choice at all when you can refuse? Who would you rather choose? The mass murderer, the mob-boss, the Hindu fanatic, the lunatic leftist or the bumbling puppet?
Seriously. Choose to not care. Choose to abstain.
I did.
Love,
Sahil
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
A campaign you won't see Tata backing
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3 little bottles of beer on the wall:
No choice there. But we had Tharoor. I'd have voted.
Awesomely written...as usual. :)
One question though. Does your country not deserve to have one of her few truly aware citizens make their choice of the lesser evil count? (I know, too many verbs.) Just a thought.
I am sure what you felt has been d sentiment of some more. And, hence the need for a 'none of d above' option or a negative vote. I came across it's current state at http://www.indiatogether.org/2009/mar/gov-negvote.htm.
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