An equal voice?

December 29th, 2023

I scared myself today. It was only a fleeting thought that went through my head, but it was enough to make me uneasy and furiously question my morals and ethics. And my beliefs as well — a simple thought made me seriously and deeply search for an explanation of my values. And that thought was — maybe the universal right to vote shouldn't be so universal…

I feel dirty just writing those words. I believe in democracy, I am a lefty liberal with a globalist bend and a proponent of universal suffrage. Voting, as in having your voice heard in the polling place, is the most basic human right and should be expanded to more people and not curtailed. It should be cherished because even as we in the Western world can take it for granted, in many places in the world people cannot either vote or their votes are predestined to be counted in a particular way and as they were cast. And I wouldn't be surprised that, even in Western democracies, the right to vote can soon be eroded or made obsolete.

On the other hand, when I look around me and listen to people talk — in person, at work, in the streets or the supermarket, or online under the cover of anonymity — the fact that those people can (in many cases do) vote, disgusts me. People can vote (or not vote) for a variety of reasons, even the most stupid ones — I get this. But seriously seeing and hearing people who vote or will vote in the future for the wannabe tyrants and dictators as an answer to the problems that surround us, is beyond stupid. Especially when those recipients of votes make it clear that they will demonize, hurt, and kill other people — like in the case of Netanyahu or Trump. That makes me question my commitment to democracy at large, and that is a scary thought.