Vote

I just did my early vote for the WA state election yesterday and it got me thinking (as I often do) about politics. If you've ever had a conversation with me about politics then you will know how stubborn and passionate I can get talking about each issue. I don't really have something in particular about politics that I want to talk about in this post, just it as a whole and individual people's interaction with it. Well the news media bargaining code has been stirring up a lot of conversation in Australia lately but that topic is so painfully obvious to me that I struggle to even entertain it.

All that being said I really do encourage everyone who cares about their city, their state, their country or society in general to look into at the very least the different political parties through unbiased sources and see what they each stand for. Literally just a Wikipedia search is often enough to get a good baseline grip on each party or person. I understand that it is overwhelming to a lot of people, that we are kept busy and distracted from even simple thoughts and decisions as these at times. But at least look into where your vote could go for your kids, for the marginalised or minority members of your community, the teachers and doctors that aren't getting the wages or benefits that they want. Do not waste your vote for selfish reasons, do not vote for a party that does next to nothing and then bashes other parties for threatening to do something, do not become subject to the venomous bias of various news media outlets, or your friends who have already fallen to these traps. This all sounds quite dramatic but it is very subtle in day to day life, I do not blame the people close to me who have made what I perceive to be irrational points about political topics, I know that they have heard it from somewhere else, as have I. It is with that criticism of self and of information from prejudiced sources that you can derive some original opinions. Now this is not to say that you should be questioning everything from the 5G network to the flu vaccines, and completely trusting an anonymous Q character on the internet who tells you to support a violent racist.

I recommend establishing a general baseline of what is important to you and how you interact with the world, and then applying this framework to the deciphering of political agendas, making sure as to not get bogged down in topics that require more reading or research unless you have the time for it. A kind of general baseline that I use for myself is that I want equal opportunities for all people, no matter where they were born or who they are. This translates into; access to education, water, food, shelter, fair work, immigration. Another baseline that I care for is the preservation of the earth, and the reduction of suffering. This translates to a lot of things politically; climate change policies, renewable energy, recycling, sustainable materials and foods. The prevention of violence, physical or mental abuse against each other and animals, forced labour, and abusive conditions in the workplace. Assistance for those struggling without a job or with any disorders or disabilities, assistance for those who are socially marginalised for their race or gender or status.

All of these thoughts can go further and further into real life policy examples but that would be an extremely long blog post to read. Simply by establishing for yourself your own baseline of morals will help you to apply it to the world of politics and help you to understand how your community is affected by each party or personal decision. Voting is not the be all and end all though, in my mind it is the easiest way to have a very direct impact on society but other great things to do are; speaking to local politicians, emailing them, asking them questions, attending protests relevant to your values, helping your community through direct action in the ways that you value, whether it is by volunteering, giving to charity, working in public office, or working in other fields for the benefit of your community, considering where your products are purchased, how they were made, and redirecting your funds to more ethical choices if that is what you align with.

Kind of a random blog post today but it was nice to write a bit about something that isn't a horror novel, if you want to talk about any of these things further then I am always interested in such conversations, somehow I do not easily tire of it so here are my socials and thank you for reading this far.