Sunday, October 27, 2024

Choices and the 2024 Election. An Observation.


It's a real oddity that in a nation which adores choices, we've chosen not to have very many in politics.

You can go to the grocery store and find an endless number of option for bottled water, and I don't mean the mineral waters from far off regions.  Just regular old water.  Water comes right to the house at a cheaper rate through the municipal water system, but people still buy it contained in plastic bottles from the store.

And yet we have only two political parties we choose to take seriously, no matter how much they've failed us, and are failing us.

Not only that, we seriously listen to those who argue we must not consider any other options.

Indeed, it's sort of an interesting example of the Adam Sandler Effect.  That is, everyone agreeing to something because everyone else seems to agree that we should agree with it, combined with the Jo Jo Rabbit Effect of only hearing those right around us.

Everyone has had the experience of something being heralded in a locality with no real reason.  "It's great", they all say, even though it isn't.  

American politics right now in that sense, are like two restaurants in the same small town strip mall.  They're competing against each other fiercely, and even have their adherents, but frankly neither is very good.  Basically, you can go into one and have the crap sandwich on white bread, or the other the sh** sandwich on rye.  Out in the parking lot, however, there are food trucks with different menus.

Both restaurants agree you shouldn't go to the food trucks.


Well, if you live in a state where one of the two restaurants seems to be permanently closed for renovation, you can definitely go to one of the food trucks.

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