Why I Won't Vote
I was a little hesitant about sharing these specific thoughts,but became encouraged when I happened upon an essay of Dr. Dubois in The Nation 1956 called,“Why I won’t vote.”
There is a quote in the essay that resonated with me, and further illuminated my intellectual and political devotion to this man, whom I see as prophetic.
“I believe that democracy has so far disappeared in the United States that no "two evils" exist. There is but one evil party with two names, and it will be elected despite all I can do or say.”
I share this because I stumbled into a conversation one night with the president and her husband of the progressive foundation I work for, whom I'm also living with (until I find permanent housing), where ultimately I expressed these same sentiments(prior to seeing this quote), and felt like maybe I over shared.
The president of the foundation was respectful, but said that ultimately we can not have someone like Romney in office. I agreed, of course, but I can’t in good conscious support the presidency of President Obama. He has committed crimes against humanity that are unconscionable that we would never have accepted if he were a white president.
During the conversation, her husband shared that while they were on vacation in Maine,they attended an event where Senator Barney Frank spoke and shared, despite the many critiques on Obama’s presidency we have to vote for him, and then the next day, hold his feet to the fire.
I appreciate that perspective and I’m glad that this will be the course of action for those who identify themselves as liberal or progressive, but it is not a stance I seek to take.
Like Dr. DuBois there is a need to express, live and fight for what is right, and evil is evil, lesser or not.
I’m not seeking to preach or take up a soapbox, I’m just sharing the thoughts that have dominated my mental space.
After reading Dr. DuBois' essay I feel a sort of vindication, a solace that I am not alone in my disdain for this system, and more importantly that this is not a new analysis. That this country's downward spiral is more in free fall then at it's beginning momentum. We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in history where we can pull the strings on the proverbial parachute or we can propel eyes open unto the flat surface of annihilation. Initiating an open and intentional conversation about what life looks like in this country not dominated by a capitalistic model is necessary and immediate. Serious analysis from a black perspective must be infused into the national conversation about where we are to go from here. And I know no other voice that should lead this inquiry other than Dr. DuBois. He is the greatest intellectual of the 19th and 20th century, and the evidence is proven every time you engage his work; the relavance of Dr. Dubois to the 21st century provides further proof that there is no one white or black who hold a candle to his genius.
I can go on for days about my allegiance to Dr. DuBois, but will stop here for now.
The fellowship is progressing well. I am making hedge way in this data collection process, although I am feeling in my body a type of rebellion for sitting at a desk all day. It's been three years since I've been confined to a desk; I was so much more active teaching yoga and gallivanting around the city, that now with most of my daylight hours glued to a computer screen and my body ill contoured to a desk and chair just feels real icky and achy, but oh well, I will adjust. It will be the excuse I need to find a masseur and acupuncturist.
I’m moving into my new apartment next weekend, and will need to go back to Philly next weekend so I will stay put up here in New England and go exploring for the holiday weekend. I found what looks to be an interesting festival called Stone Soul Festival in Springfield that I am going to; they serve free eggs, grits, and bacon on Saturday morning!!!
I feel my acclimation to this area is happening slowly but surely. My adventure to Maine this weekend was much needed!!! My former landlady in New Orleans, Liberty Rashad, who I’ve adopted as my godmother has a family home in Maine. It sits on an island in the middle of a lake;it was a humbling experience to wake up each morning and be completely at the mercy of natures most powerful, yet peaceful asset, water.
I’m not completely sure why water has such a presence in my life right now (Proteus is named after a water deity), but I am very willing to sit and be open to what it has to reveal to me.
Please remember the people of the Gulf Coast in your prayers. Liberty was sharing before Isaac hit, that this was a very rainy summer. So the ground in NOLA is already quite saturated, and they are getting up to 30 hours of continuous rain with this storm. It’sso weird that Katrina happened 7 years to this day, and now this. There is something to say about the resiliency and love of a people that choose to stay in a space that nature seeks to destroy. Not sure what that is; eitherthey’re crazy or so committed to maintaining the sanctity of that space (after living down there, and wanting to eventual settle there, I know it’s the latter).
I'm rambling so I'll end here. Enjoy the breathe; until next time...
Peace and love
P.S. If anyone is interested here is the link to Dr. DuBois’essay, Why I won’t vote.
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/298.html
Labels: capitalism, Dr. DuBois, Obama
posted by Love's Revolution | 6:50 AM
4 Comments:
My Sistar...
We agree that President Obama has done some things that are not in the best interest of our community, or in the best interests of disenfranchised communities across the world. I do, though, consider his years of work for our commmunities, his skill as a progressive politician and leader and the measures he has taken to raise the level of life in our communities domestically and worldwide, within this broken and corrupt system. Please understand: Barack Obama is the President of the united states of america, an OFFICE that has an american agenda. Waiting on a president who shares and enacts our revolutionary ideology will be a perpetual endeavor.
I know of NO Black leader with whom I completely agree. Shaka was known to be brutal to some of his own people and eliminated the spiritual aspect of his peoples' adulthood/warriorship training. Malcolm X, though a briliiant organizer and loving Pan-Africanist, was a Muslim- a religion with whose treatment of women I do not agree (though toward the end of his life, he began to embrace a more altruistic ideology).
We are all learning who we are and our place in existence, and that learning process sometimes comes with unpopular or poor decisions and mistakes. I do not believe in the War on Iraq, but I appreciate President Obama's work to extract resources and troops from those land-, culture- and resource- grabbing efforts aboard. I do not believe that we should be mandated to have health insurance, but I appreciate President Obama's work to provide more affordable health care and bring insurance companies (to whom I am diametrically opposed) to task.
Until our people and communities develop a fully self-sufficient way of thinking and living, we will live within this broken and corrupt system. There are people within it who are not as politically aware and revolutionary as us, who need relief, and who are members of the communities we are raising with our work. These are the people who benefit from our intelligent and caring votes from within the system, and strategies and tactics we create from our Afrikan culture (from without the system) to completely topple it and reestablish an orderly way of living.
It is very difficult to reach the disenfrancished people within the system outside of it. That's why is important to fight on both fronts, and support our people who are doing the same.
A few weeks ago I was having a conversation with some folks (my sister, her beau and others) and I proudly proclaimed "I am not going to vote!" They went in on me hard (of course) and gave me all the reasons that was the dumbist idea I ever came up with. One of the main reasons I gave them for not wanting to vote was I want to vote FOR someone not AGAINST someone. If I cast a ballot this November I would Not be voting for Obama but against Romney. Esentially the lesser of two evils.
Since that conversation I've kept my voting feelings to myself, went ahead and updated my voter registration (my ballots are still going to England) and now I sit on a fence. In some ways I would feel guilty not voting. It's a "right" not afforded to everyone. But at the same time I want to stand up against a system that makes me want to vomit. If I don't vote I loose my pretend voice in this country and if I do vote I feel like I have bought into the lies.
[Then enters Love's Revolt post why I won't vote]
J.k. you make my heart sing! You really hit the nail with this one. All the things I want to say, wish I was brave enough to say, all said. You know I am stuck between my reveloutionary self and my conformist self. I am just starting to catch the Dr. Du Bois wave even though I have been hearing you preach it for a long while. Things are really starting to make sense on so many levels!! Sometimes I think/feel my thoughts are too far gone but you always confirm they are right on track. Thank you for this post. I'm pretty sure the fence I was on just fell and I didn't land on the left or right side.
Tina Marie you are a phenomenal woman and intellectual, and it has always been my distinct honor to support and witness your development!!!!
I agree with you 100%. I value my right to vote, but I too do not want to basterdisze it by voting for the lesser of two evils. I've recently accepted the reality that in this two party system, there is representation for the rich (republicans) and representation for the middle class (democrats), but there is no political party on a national level that has stood out to proclaim representation for the poor and working class. There then lies, our task, to support the establishment of a political party that represents the worker and the poor.
I look forward to joining you on the battlefield!!!
Peace and love!
RisingLight, I appreciate your perspective, but I am curious as to why you precieve that I see President Obama as a black leader?
I hear the arguement that he is the leader of the United States, not of black people exclusively.
I seek to hold him responsible for his actions domestically which include the Defense Authorization Act, the Transportation Act that gives access for drones to be used commercially and on domestic soil, for his free market welfare to insurance companies, and his turning a blind eye to the busting of unions that is happening all over this country; and I won't get into his international foregin affaris, but simple say, he killed a pan-Africanist,and that's enough for me.
and lets not talk about his position of a non exisitent black agenda. (all boats will rise with the tide????)
Obama represents far more a conservative pro-Reagan agenda then his predecessors.
I am not disillusioned, nor am I suggesting that you are, but this is far greater than what he can do and has done for black people in America.
But I will end with this. I do abhor the suggestion that we as black people we should not expect anything from this president that addresses the issue of race and the continued istitutionalized racism in this country that he is the president of. Are we not American citizens; do we not pay taxes, hell do we even acknowledge our own humanity??
The issues black America faces today are indicators of ethnic genocide. How we cannot see this is mind boggling to me.
It reminds me of the boiling frog theory, vice-president Al Gore shared in his documentary, the inconvenient truth.
Again I respect your rights to your opinion, but I also respectfully disagree. Thank you for reading my post and I look forward to a contiuned dialogue!
Peace and love!
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