The Right Side of History (Why I am NOT voting for Bernie Sanders)

Today we discuss this.

For those who don't have time to watch the whole video, I have included a transcript of the section that struck me most below:

Now, before we get into it, a DISCLAIMER:
I know nothing about politics outside of what I have gleaned through one bleary eye at eight in the morning in US History I/II AP prep course, which I totally passed by the way, and Howard Zinn's life changing novel about social justice in American History and how everything I learned in AP History was wrong.

I do not intend to cite facts, figures, or really do any research at all. This is an editorial, which means I get to shout ignorantly. Just like the politicians.

Point being, this bit isn't about facts and figures. They aren't discussing that in this clip.

They are talking about story. The narrative of modern politics and what it might mean. I want to discuss the prejudice. Now, it is important, so see if you can spot it.

In it, Susan Sarandon:

Is interviewed and asked this line of questioning.

Q: "There is growing concern that the folks that are into Bernie Sanders, have come to despise Hillary Clinton, that if she is the nominee, which is as yet undetermined they will go away."

A: "That is a legitimate concern because they are very passionate and they are very principled-"

Q: "But, isn't that crazy?"

Did you catch it?
Right there.
That is the mentality that I cannot stand in contemporary politics.
There is a growing "concern" that if Bernie Sanders doesn't get the nomination, the Democratic party will not rally behind Hillary Clinton and therefore, what?
Because voters packed up and left after their horse was booted from the race, what was the question again?

Isn't that crazy?

Just that simple statement says a lot about politics, the view of voters and mental health in this country.
Let us unpack it then:

• mental illness...damn it, I said I wouldn't do research. Okay, I am not a medical professional, but if I were to define mental illness, it is an impairment of the reasoning/emoting capacities of the brain to such a degree that a medical professional would be able to call it atypical.  Promised I wouldn't look anything up, this is hard. Point being, mental illness is mental illness. It is a thorny problem because it is difficult to define, it affects a lot of the population (1 in 5 I believe) and cannot be pointed to as fact: look at their amputated limb/happiness! It just doesn't work quite as easily does it? So now we come to our next point:
• This is used to describe the voting public. On a broad scale. More importantly, it is contingent on something. Let us see what that statement is.

Chris Hayes said, in asking "Isn't that crazy?":

If the Democratic voters do not vote for Hillary in the coming election and instead abstain from the presidential election because they simply 'do not believe in her brand of politics', then that is an act of madness, of insanity on their part.

I am exploding a simple, offhand comment, but that is the narrative. That is the question at hand. Are these people crazy for not voting for Hillary Clinton?
Let's watch and see:


A: "These are people who have never come out before, why would you think that they would come out now for [Hillary Clinton]"

Q: "You really think that?"

A: "I think it is a good possibility."

It is like Chris Hayes can't even fathom the possibility!
Like, HOW COULD THEY DO THAT?!
Because it is their right to abstain from a vote. From a system in which they do not believe.
But, that is insane. Right?
What about Susan Sarandon?
Is she one of these people?
Let's watch and see:

Q: "How about you personally? [would you vote for Hillary if she were the nominee?]"

A: "I don't know. I'm going to see how it goes."

Q: "Really?!"

A: (smiling) "Really."

boom.
With joy and aplomb, Susan Sarandon drops the bombshell. She is a Bernie Sanders supporter all the way. She would have to seriously consider her options in the coming election. And why?
Let's watch and see:

Q: "I can't believe that, with the Rise of Donald Trump."

A: "A lot of people feel that Donald Trump will bring the revolution IMMEDIATELY"

Q: "Oh, you're saying the Leninist model of Heighten the Contradictions."

A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Some people feel that.

I dig it.
Donald Drumpf will bring on the revolution.
Things will get so bad so quickly that we will have to act.
So here we hear: THE RISE OF DONALD DRUMPF.
The Boogieman, the creature under our beds, the thing to scare voters into action.
Bernie Sanders cannot win this election is the pervasive narrative that I have to slog through every time I log onto social media.
So, what are our options? Because Drumpf will win the nomination, I have little doubt of that.
What next?
Bernie loses according to the story.
And now we have Hillary Clinton v. Donald Drumpf.

And you thought Batman v. Superman was the only shit show to come out this year.
It becomes an unwinnable scenario.
And voters are CRAZY for getting the hell out of dodge?
It becomes fear and scare tactics of the realest sort.
If the candidate you believe in doesn't win, should you abandon the vote?
Hell if I know.
But, I don't believe you are crazy for doing so.

Because the alternatives feel like a Zach Snyder film.
Again, I am not interested in the actual politics at this moment.
I am more interested in the stories and narratives.
Hillary, doesn't matter what political fact find checkers say, is believed to be untrustworthy by a large constituency.
Likewise, a lot of people believe Drumpf is either the messiah or the anti-christ.
Personally, I think his policies sound like the Joker:

The point is, we are creating a sense of fear and danger in the actions/choices we make in American politics.
That is no longer okay.
What we do/vote matters.
More importantly, what we don't do/vote matters.
They each have equal weight.

Too often I hear things like (and here I would normally post a lot of wonderful articles)

THE YOUTH VOTE IS FAILING BERNIE SANDERS IN (insert state)

The youth vote is failing its political leaders. 

That is the narrative that upsets me more than anything.

I have been consistently told, since a child: 

"IF YOU DON'T VOTE, YOU DON'T GET TO COMPLAIN"

My dad, ladies and gents.
To be fair though, he wasn't the first to say it. Just the first to say it to me.
And people have been saying it ever since.

So I am coming out. Again.
I am an Anarchist.
In the truest sense of the word.
I believe that small communities should govern themselves with agreed upon laws/regulations.
I believe that humans are social creatures, capable of incredible love and tenderness.
I believe what science has demonstrated: THE 300 APE THEORY

• That we, as primates, have a limited number of other primates which we can and do care about directly. That number is limited to cranial size and we, as primates, can only care about 300 other primates. That is the maximum size of our social group

I believe to expect a politician to care about 300 million primates as if they were individuals and not grossly large and sweeping demographics is unfair.
Due to the above statement, I believe federal and even state governments are incapable of caring about the needs of their base unit: the single voter.
Therefore, I believe communities of a certain size should govern themselves.

Now, let it be known, I have no idea how this could happen and have no immediate plans of joining a commune of 300 persons to live and laugh and love till I am room temperature.
But, that is why I have never registered as a voter.
That is why I have never cast a vote in any election.
And it is also for these core beliefs in the political structure and its inherent flaws that I have been called

• LAZY
• ARROGANT
• PRIVILEGED
• SELFISH
• ENTITLED

So now we come to the big question:

Q: Don't you think that is dangerous?

It is actually dangerous to abstain from a presidential election involving Hillary Clinton and Donald Drumpf...think about that for a second.
What does Susan Sarandon respond with?
Let's watch and see:

A: "If you think it is pragmatic to shore up the status quo, then you aren't in touch with the status quo. The status quo is not working. I think it is dangerous to think that we can continue the way that we are with the militarized police force with privatized prisons with the death penalty with the low minimum wage with threats to women's rights and think you can't do something huge to turn that around because THE COUNRY IS NOT IN GOOD SHAPE"

And there it is. We have been forced into a narrative that is based in fear.
"Fear based dialogue" that politicians have been using lately in order to bolster their votes.
It isn't worth it as Susan Sarandon suggests.
We cannot abide it any longer.
It is time to realize we are worth it.
Whatever your beliefs.
Whatever way you vote.
Or don't.
That is okay.

Follow the story and the narrative that you trust, that you believe in and it will be okay.
But, don't let anyone tell you that you are wrong simply because they are afraid of your position.
We have to understand the positions and our place and our function and our rights.
I am guaranteed the right to vote.
I am guaranteed the right to exercise that right.
And to not.

I choose to exercise that right every time I don't vote.
It is an active process.
That is why I am not voting.
Because even though I believe and trust Bernie Sanders as a politician, I still trust my impressions of this unwieldy machine more.
No single person can change the whole machine.
But, it is a start.
I hope he wins.