When I walked into my local gym this morning, the last thing I thought I’d be hearing over the next hour would be a heated discussion over electoral politics.
I go to a no-frills, local gym frequented by those who spend time actually working out, not just taking mirror-selfies. Rarely, oh so rarely, do I hear discussion outside the norm – comparisons of lifting techniques, supplement use or competitive banter. Today, I expected no different. But in the world of modern politics, even this safe haven has been sacrificed to the gods of rhetoric.
As I was proceeding through my routine, two regulars – and exemplary models of the gym bro persona – began to have an open dialogue about the inherent value of an individuals vote. I’ll spare you the full content, but it went something like this:
GB1 – “Bruh, I’m not happy with either Trump or Biden, I think I”m going to vote for _______.”
GB2 – “You serious man? That’s just throwing your vote away.”
GB1 – “I don’t know. Neither of them gets it, and I think _______ has better ideas.”
-AND THEN ENTERS GYM BRO 3-
GB3 – “You can’t do that man. That’s just guaranteeing a win for _______.”
HOLD UP – Time to hear why this is under my skin today. I think we can trace a lot of the frustrations of modern politics back to the mindset embodied by this conversation. And it boils down to this: When we buy into the zero sum mindset of partisan politics, we abdicate our own responsibility to own the value of our vote.
Major political parties are massive machines, and in modern times they are highly driven by data. The minutiae captured by their voter tracking would astound you. And while impressive, it has led to a mindset wherein party operatives make a massive assumption over whether you, an individual voter, are one of their voters or the other party’s. Defaulting to this us vs. them mentality is dangerous enough, but more insidious is the laziness that it instills in us, the voting public.
Your vote does not belong to a political party or a candidate. Your vote belongs to you.
Don’t take me the wrong way. My entire adult life I’ve been engaged in party politics. Parties help amplify your own voice. But in that time, I’ve tried to keep perspective on the value of my vote. When you select a name on a ballot, you are – albeit privately – putting your name beside theirs as a representation of how you believe the government should be managed.
If neither party’s candidate in a given race aligns with your vision of the role of government, they should not be rewarded through zero sum analysis.
We have to move past the mindset in politics that a vote is for our guy or against the other guy. We have to move past the guy period. Your vote is your values; act accordingly.
So, to my gym…er…politibros this morning – I hope you’ll take ownership of your vote. It will be one step closer for all of us doing the same. And maybe, just maybe, we can bring a little more responsibility and civility back into the mix.
Part of the Possible 