Today, the fate of America will be sealed, for better or worse.
Election Day is today, Tuesday, November 8, 2016, and it will undoubtedly be one of the most important elections in United States history. This election will pivot the trajectory of United States politics and international affairs in an irreversible direction for the next generation and probably beyond.
The 45th President of the United States will either be Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, two candidates who represent the stark political contrast dominating the voter zeitgeist. Hillary Clinton’s domestic policies are center-left while she remains a neoconservative regarding foreign policy. Donald Trump’s foreign and domestic policy positions are “alt-right” and represent a significant diversion from orthodox conservative politics.
As the election cycle reaches its thrilling climax, the current political climate is hostile and bitter, hysterical and neurotic. Left-wing ideologies clash with right-wing ideologies. The few remaining Bernie-or-Bust supporters clash with the Never Trump crowd. The anti-immigration, anti-PC, alt-right nationalists spar with the multicultural, PC Social Justice Warriors and democratic socialists. In most cases, political discussions between these opposing groups divulge into a profanity-riddled shouting match infected with fiction, not facts, manipulation, not conversation, and in some extreme situations, physical violence.
Considering the strong emotional salience this election evokes in most people on all sides of the political spectrum, Americans should take some last-minute considerations into account before casting their ballots. These non-ideology-specific considerations are tailored to everyone, voters and non-voters alike, and do not endorse a candidate; they are simply helpful tips in navigating the often stressful situations that are present when talking to people about charged topics like politics.
Here are three tips to help you on Election Day:
- Vote your conscience
- Don't feel ashamed if you choose not to vote
- Engage in thoughtful discussion; disengage from dysfunction
Vote your conscience
Regarding the first point, voting your conscience is important because you should vote for whom you feel is the best choice, no matter what others say. If you are a Trump supporter, vote Trump. If you are a Hillary supporter, vote Hillary. Voting your conscience doesn’t mean your beliefs can’t and shouldn’t be challenged. Perhaps someone will convince you to switch your vote. Maybe they will you convince you that your original choice is still the best. They should sway you with facts and evidence, not rhetoric and intimidation.
Someone shouting obscenities at you and calling you a racist, sexist, bigoted, transphobic, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-progressive “deplorable” for voting Trump is not engaging in fruitful conversation. They are using manipulative tactics to control your actions and stifle your confidence in your (hopefully evidence-based) beliefs. Similarly, people who condemn voting third party by saying you are “wasting” your vote or say “a vote for (insert third-party candidate here) is actually a vote for (insert Trump or Hillary here)” are manipulating you to conform to their own beliefs rather than opening a constructive dialogue.
No vote is wasted. Vote your conscience. Vote third party if you want. Freedom of expression involves allowing the uninhibited use of that expression, which includes the freedom to vote for candidates whose chances of winning are practically zero.
Not voting is okay too
Most importantly, freedom of expression allows the ability to abstain from expressing yourself. All voluntary interactions work this way—free choice implies freedom to choose the action’s diametric opposite. The act of consent implies the act to dissent. The freedom to vote for anyone concurrently includes the freedom to vote for no one, and a vote for no one is as valid as a vote for anyone.
If you don’t feel any of the candidates are worth voting for, then stay home on Election Day. No one is forcing you to vote, and you shouldn’t feel ashamed in not voting. Don’t let anyone shame you into voting for someone with whom you cannot reconcile your beliefs.
Engage in discussion; disengage from dysfunction
Although the third point is intertwined within the previous two, it is still important to mention that it is extremely important to disengage with people once the discussion has turned from constructive to dysfunctional. It is unfortunate that many people are emotional reasoners that believe in using sophistry to spread their messages, and these people need to be combated and discredited whenever possible.
Some people are more reasonable than others. Engage with those who are decently tolerant of opposing viewpoints and know how to participate in a thoughtful discussion/debate. Ignore those that cannot uphold these standards.
Time is a valuable, limited resource. I cannot fathom the number of lifetimes it would take to engage with every person’s stupidity. Many battles are not worth it. You have to allocate your time and intellectual resources accordingly in order to make meaningful progress in your discussions.
And lastly, don’t allow their sophistry to overwhelm you. Unreasonable people who can’t respect your views will do a variety of nasty things to you: they’ll harass you, swear at you, slander you, unfriend you from social media sites, threaten you with physical violence, etc.
You may lose friendships, relationships, and even family members by sticking firm to your resolve. The verbal abuse and detachment from others is the price we pay sometimes for keeping our moral and intellectual integrity. The price is worth it. You can find other like-minded individuals who will treat you with the same respect and integrity with which you treat others.
The future of America depends on direct action
If we are to entertain the notion that America is still a liberal, secular democracy, wherein the First Amendment guarantees its citizenry the freedoms of speech, expression, and assembly; wherein the 14th Amendment guarantees its citizenry equality before the law; wherein the Declaration of Independence advocates for the citizenry’s right to abolish dysfunctional government-governed relationships and replace them with healthy ones, then we have to behave as if this is the system we want to have.
The Constitution isn’t a “living document.” It is a tattered piece of parchment. The individualist, freedom-orientated principles within its text need to be expressed through the actions of its people.
So get out there and vote. Or stay home and refrain from voting. Either way, a new president will be elected, and you will have to bear the burdens of your life without his or her help. Stay true to your own principles, and things will work out positively for you, even in the midst of such uncertainty.
