elected

There are two strong candidates vying for the most powerful position on Earth with bold proclamations. Despite my hopes, the victor will most likely be old and white. The liberal media is a myth, both candidates mislead and manipulate and we don’t have power to control the outcome. But that’s not why the old one wins.

The mainstream media is impressively conservative, the most influential voices being too rich for objectivity. There’s no sense of context or rationality within the commentary. One candidate’s words are painstakingly dissected, the other claims our economy is strong while banking giants fail. The liberal whispers are easily generalized, disregarded or mocked and the progressive voice of the nation is muted. But that’s not why the old one wins.

One candidate claims the other will raise taxes while proposing the same programs. He doesn't explain how he’ll fund them but emphatically claims he won’t raise taxes. Both claim they’ll solve the same issues. One pushes advertisements that distort the truth, smearing the character of the other. The other runs on a wave of optimism that can’t possibly make it to shore. But that’s not why the old one wins.

We’re under the assumption we have control over our representatives while some would argue otherwise. Multinationals move off-shore, cutting off new money to the economy, and receive subsidies. The money invested in lobbying and candidate support is astronomical. Health care, suddenly a hot-button issue, was not a federal concern until large corporations saw their bottom lines effected. But that’s not why the old one wins.

We are content in being uninformed. A wealth of knowledge sits at our fingertips but we’re still fed opinions through radio and television. Some still believe one candidate is Muslim and that the other is a maverick, even with ample evidence to the contrary. We believe one candidate can do the same as the other without raising taxes or cutting essential programs because we’re told he can. We don’t exert ourselves learning about the candidates’ stances or policies.

The old one wins because we’re voluntarily ignorant and competing against interests with more resources for influence. Our media enthusiastically fails us, feeding us opinions as fact. We fear an ambiguous other and don’t hold our leaders accountable. We don’t vote in large numbers and let media ignore us. We view politics as boring.

We’ve failed to be vigilant and cynical. The old one wins.