October 31, 2016

My Personal and Non-Professional Assessment of the American Voting Public

An Opinion Piece, by

Marcia La Vine

Individual people aren't dumb... but groups of people are not only dumb, they are dangerous- utterly incapable of independent thought, let alone capable of exercising the critical reasoning necessary to make competent decisions about anything. I wouldn’t want most voters to decide something even as meaningless as what type of sandwich I should order for lunch.

Members of political parties/ groups are capable of the simultaneous belief that as a voter, they are both responsible for any positive outcomes and yet are totally blameless for negative outcomes. This isn’t even the worst part. Consider this: political party members and pretty much all voters either deny or are completely ignorant of their having taken part in electing either another mentally impaired person, someone suffering from criminal insanity, or a rational but amoral, narcissistic, and sadistic psychopathic personality and gave them the job of running the nation.

My assessment may seem harsh, of both the candidates in question and their supporters, but let me explain.  
Why do I think someone running for president is so clearly mentally ill or evil? Look at it this way:  These people are TRYING to get a horrible-paying job that has the highest level of responsibility in our nation, the highest level of stress imaginable, entails perpetual sleep deprivation, constant surveillance, constant public and international scrutiny, and they instantly become a clear, specific and desirable target for all who are disgruntled- both nationally and internationally.

They know that they will be recognized by millions if not billions, and varying numbers of people either will revile or adore them, depending on what this person can manage to deliver to individual citizens. The job applicant, in my set of memories, always believes they will only get and then retain the position if they succeed in placating, duping and/or subduing or subjugating most of those they supposedly "serve", then strive to do well in this regard, rather than going with the job review given when being judged by each citizen’s honest, objective and unbiased assessment of how well they believe the candidate could do or may be doing to fulfill the actual duties of office. 

First, why would any sane, rational, thinking human being WANT this job? And why would any sane, rational, thinking human being trust anyone who not only WANTS the job, but wants it so badly that they are willing to do and say what virtually all politicians I have observed proved themselves willing to do and say to get that job, no matter how despicable, lowdown, vile or corrupt? And why do people keep voting the same type of person into office, while simultaneously bemoaning the levels of corruption, greed and lawlessness in government?

I believe this is because people in groups are nearly always twice as dumb collectively as the least intelligent member. They are lemmings. More specifically, I think the American voting public are lemmings, incapable of intelligent, rational thinking. It is true that individual persons are intelligent, thoughtful, bright, amazing beings capable of astonishing, brilliant and profound things, but the voting public is nothing short of a mob- a creature with anywhere from dozens to millions of eyes, ears, arms, legs, and mouths… but absolutely no brain whatsoever to prevent them from joyously dashing towards that cliff. Party members, or members of most groups, remind me of people at a hockey game afterparty that suddenly shifts from a limited local celebration to an angry, and violent throng, leaving devastation, destruction and losses impossible to calculate in its wake. No one ever knows why. Because they are brainless while acting as a group.

Groups of people also seem to be populated by individuals who believe that being a member of a group is an automatic, appropriate, adequate and acceptable absolution of guilt. We see it all the time- membership in group activities is always used to completely deny an individual's own portion of responsibility for the consequences of the actions of the group/mob. Even worse, most members truly do believe that they hold no responsibility because of their low-ranking group membership status, and lack of understanding of their own group dynamic which led to negative consequences.

I've never heard a single average voter- the least involved and least invested member of the political system- say they were personally responsible to any degree for what happened during their candidate’s presidency. No voter I’ve ever spoken to has admitted that even a small fraction of what may follow could possibly be their fault. Instead they all openly and adamantly deny their small but clear and undeniable culpability for the consequences of their individual voting decisions. I’m positive that I never will hear an average voter admit to having a share of blame for any political mess, because no one believes they ARE responsible. Not even the candidates themselves. Why? Leadership lays it on the members, and members on each other, leadership, the opposition, anyone but themselves. Because as a member of their political party, or any group, they see themselves as an unidentifiable, anonymous, insignificant and a minuscule part of a whole that no one of importance could possibly lay blame to for anything.

They see no cognitive dissonance when, though they have admitted to varying degrees of involvement with their group, they behave as if they have no real connection to their chosen congress of baboons or murder of crows, except maybe an admittance of agreement with that party’s foundational ideologies or stated grievances, or perhaps they buy into the rhetoric. But the consequences of supporting those things? Here is what I hear almost daily: “Oh, heavens, no. It wasn’t my fault! I didn’t: [vandalize that building/trash that park/increase taxes/support an admitted criminal/cause the deaths of tens of thousands both here and abroad]. All that happened in a place whose name I can’t even pronounce let alone point out on a map. I just [partied with/camped out with/voted for the mandate/voted for the candidate/demanded action in the form of revenge from our leaders] in retaliation for them attacking us.”

I swear, it makes me want to throat-punch someone sometimes. So instead, I smile and either change the subject or exit the conversation. I at least happen to be aware that of ALL my actions, large and small, have consequences. Besides, I was brought up to control myself like a big girl without collapsing into hysterical violence or uncontrolled weeping whenever things don’t go my way.

People need to realize that group membership always stipulates they are not merely passive observers, but are instead agreeing and accepting the position of a legitimate, active, and representative member of a specific group – and the higher order mammals are not only aware of but have a willingness to use their own portion of individual power and the responsibility that comes with it for the group they align with and work to elevate.

The lemmings are literally every group of people which gathers for a cause but identifies themselves as a group, rather than identifying themselves as a collection of individuals with separate identities, with individual names, who choose to gather to support a common cause. This type of coalition has united for a defined purpose, and the responsibility for all consequences which flow outward from the actions of the group are shouldered by every individual associated with it. Responsibility is not shrugged off, passed on to the next guy, or weaseled out of. No blame, no abdication after the fact. They are willing to pay the freight, so to speak. These are rational, thinking, higher order humans. But most are lemmings.

Why do people join groups without accepting the often-unspoken obligation which comes with membership in a group? I’ve had it explained to me once: This person said it was fantastic to be able to feel safe, anonymous, belonging, important, justified and yet, still blameless and able to deny knowledge of and responsibility for what the leadership decided to do and say for the group.

I must point out that the empirical evidence seems to indicate that she wasn’t the only one, by a long shot.
And it doesn't matter WHICH party or ideology those lemmings agree with or which group they choose to march toward the edge of the cliff with, because they all march while insisting they are not a member of the group and instead are merely walking the same way, to the same place, at the same time, for the same goal, together. But it’s not their fault.

The general voting public is not interested in accepting personal responsibility or accountability for even this smallest yet most important action the American people can do to participate, determining the direction and subsequent actions which our government will perform in our name for the next four years. If anything goes wrong, it is always the other guy’s fault. To me, this qualifies most voters as being "dumb.” And dangerous. And doomed.