Tuesday, August 31, 2004
The Downfall of Modern Society
Well, after some slightly less-than-competent tinkering with the template, I have beaten it into a form that I find more pleasing. Once I actually learn a little about the whole 'web publishing thing' I hope to improve upon today's effort. Don't expect that any time soon.
Politics is funny business, and to be honest, I haven't really given much attention to any given election back home. However, with the first Australian Election since I turned 18 (legal voting age) looming large, I have started to give it a lot more thought than ever before.
The fact that I am not registered to vote, and don't plan on changing this situation while I am living here in Japan is of little consequence.
Now, my problem with the whole situation is this:
I would consider myself a relatively informed voter. I follow the news, read about the policies of the various parties and feel that I am well enough educated to use this data (should I register) to cast a fairly valid and informed vote.
I would however, seriously question the ability of a majority of Australia's voting population to do this. One thing that we have, that many countries like the USA do not, is mandatory voting. If you do not register and vote, you are breaking the law. (There is a convenient loophole for those living abroad). What this means is that there is a large number of uneducated people, with no real understanding of the voting process let alone what they are voting for participating in every election. Ideally, you would want an election to include everyone's opinions. Ideally of course, everyone is informed and understands what is going on. This is clearly not the case.
What's more, the situation won't improve by itself. Think about the people you know who will be turning 18 over the next 10 years. Do many (any) of them seem like the sort of person that should have any say in the way an entire country is run?
I am of course, not going to propose that only people with IQs above a certain level, or tertiary educations or any other particular trait are eligible to vote, that is clearly unfair. Instead, when you cast your vote it should also be mandatory to supply a short (verbal or written) reason as to WHY you are voting the way you are. If your submission meets basic criteria (acceptable grammar/spelling, logical, coherent argument etc.) your vote will count, if not it is simply nullified. Thus the relatively informed votes are the ones that matter, and the opinions of the uninformed, which would only negatively affect the election process are discarded.
It's bad enough that stupid people seem to be breeding faster than everybody else. We should do all we can to curb their power now, before it is too late.
Politics is funny business, and to be honest, I haven't really given much attention to any given election back home. However, with the first Australian Election since I turned 18 (legal voting age) looming large, I have started to give it a lot more thought than ever before.
The fact that I am not registered to vote, and don't plan on changing this situation while I am living here in Japan is of little consequence.
Now, my problem with the whole situation is this:
I would consider myself a relatively informed voter. I follow the news, read about the policies of the various parties and feel that I am well enough educated to use this data (should I register) to cast a fairly valid and informed vote.
I would however, seriously question the ability of a majority of Australia's voting population to do this. One thing that we have, that many countries like the USA do not, is mandatory voting. If you do not register and vote, you are breaking the law. (There is a convenient loophole for those living abroad). What this means is that there is a large number of uneducated people, with no real understanding of the voting process let alone what they are voting for participating in every election. Ideally, you would want an election to include everyone's opinions. Ideally of course, everyone is informed and understands what is going on. This is clearly not the case.
What's more, the situation won't improve by itself. Think about the people you know who will be turning 18 over the next 10 years. Do many (any) of them seem like the sort of person that should have any say in the way an entire country is run?
I am of course, not going to propose that only people with IQs above a certain level, or tertiary educations or any other particular trait are eligible to vote, that is clearly unfair. Instead, when you cast your vote it should also be mandatory to supply a short (verbal or written) reason as to WHY you are voting the way you are. If your submission meets basic criteria (acceptable grammar/spelling, logical, coherent argument etc.) your vote will count, if not it is simply nullified. Thus the relatively informed votes are the ones that matter, and the opinions of the uninformed, which would only negatively affect the election process are discarded.
It's bad enough that stupid people seem to be breeding faster than everybody else. We should do all we can to curb their power now, before it is too late.
Monday, August 30, 2004
It Begins...
In what promises to be an interesting (to me at least) multifaceted experiment, I have chosen to go down the path that many have trodden before me and start a blog.
For the most part, this will provide me with another way to kill time whilst at work. I imagine that eventually it will also remove the need for me to type lengthy, regular emails to family and friends. The amount of posting that goes on here will probably reflect in a very accurate way, the amount of time I am wasting and work, and I daresay the content of my posts will probably indicate just how I feel about the whole situation. Over time it may even inspire me to learn a bit about HTML and I might have a tinker with the barely customised template I am using.
As I said, it should be interesting. If only to me.
For the most part, this will provide me with another way to kill time whilst at work. I imagine that eventually it will also remove the need for me to type lengthy, regular emails to family and friends. The amount of posting that goes on here will probably reflect in a very accurate way, the amount of time I am wasting and work, and I daresay the content of my posts will probably indicate just how I feel about the whole situation. Over time it may even inspire me to learn a bit about HTML and I might have a tinker with the barely customised template I am using.
As I said, it should be interesting. If only to me.
