I dislike discussing politics with people. My views on the subject are… unpopular, to say the least. I make it a point to respect other peoples’ opinions, for two reasons: I believe they believe whatever it is they believe for a reason, and I don’t believe that it’s my place to try to supplant their existing beliefs with my own. This becomes a hard policy to maintain around election time, especially over the past 6 years, since, while the actual and practical differences between the two “sides” have dwindled, the fervor of their supporters has increased exponentially.

I do not vote. I am 25 years old. I have been able to vote in 2 presidential elections, 2 senate elections and 4 house elections, yet I have never even bothered to register to vote. I am not a stupid or ignorant person. I keep up with politics as far as my tolerance for idiocy and posturing will allow. I am aware of the issues. I am aware of those running for office in my state and nationally. I read up on the issues that will be decided at each election. I listen to talk radio now and then. I do this so that I may make an informed decision as to whether there is any point in voting, and if so, who and what I would be voting for.

The problem, dear Americans, is that there is no one worthy of my vote. Our government is fucked. I live in Virginia, home to one of the more heated races for a seat in the Senate. What are my choices here? A guy who most likely is a total fucking racist, and a guy who writes dirty novels. Both of their campaigns have centered around telling us the alleged depravity of the other. The rest? What hope do they have of winning? What kind of choice is this? I don’t want someone petty enough to run a smear campaign, but such a person would never win, because the public is fickle, ignorant, and stupid.

And then there are the referendums, the biggest of which would prevent not only gay marriage, but rights for any kind of “couple,” straight or gay. This is not an issue I care about. If gay people want to get married, let them, but in my opinion, marriage is such an unbelievable joke in this country, I really don’t see any reason to fight for or against it.

Beyond my lack of interest in voting for the lesser of two evils, I dislike the idea that my mostly-well-informed vote can so easily be canceled out by the idiot in the booth to the left of me who has no idea who the vice president is and is simply pressing random buttons, or the Christian fundie to the right of me who doesn’t care what else is tacked onto the referendum against gay marriage and simply wants to keep those “dang queers” from “destroyin’ marriage,” especially considering he’s been married 11 times in 5 years.

Now, normally, I would not volunteer such opinions. I have no interest in debating with you over things I know I can’t persuade you to believe, nor do I have any interest in attempting to do so. What you think has no bearing on my life. I avoid discussing it because I have found precious few people in this world who are capable of discussing something rationally. I have decided to post this because, yesterday, I was attacked for these beliefs, and subsequently lost a friend, all because she held a very arrogant, closed-minded view on the whole thing.

This person, who I will not name here, asked me if had voted. I let her know that I was not registered to vote, so no, I had not. I gave her the abridged version of my reasons for abstaining. She then proceeded to let me know that she did not “acknowledge, understand or respect [my] position” and let me know that I “disgusted” her. Her line of thinking was that since her ancestors had been denied the right to vote, every person who is able to vote should always vote, regardless of who or what they are voting for. I can respect her reasoning, but I’m not the type to do things just for the sake of doing them. Normally I would have accepted her suggestion that we not talk about it anymore, but she had crossed a line by saying “So for you and every other person out there who chooses not to vote I feel disgust.” So ended the friendship.

This exchange has weighed heavily on my mind. The irony that someone who had joined me in making fun of ignorance many times before now flagrantly displayed her own made the whole thing seem more ridiculous. I do not see the point in voting just because, nor will I ever do so. She seemed to be under the impression that I was just too lazy to bother doing it, which is not the case at all. I simply do not have a viable ballot to cast. If ever there emerges someone or something worth voting for, I’ll be first in line to do so. As long as my only choices are between a giant douche and a turd sandwich, I’ll be at home or at work on the first Tuesday of November.

Oh, by the way, I hold this opinion as a centrist with ever so slight conservative leanings in some areas. I do not count myself among the numbers on the Right or Left. I would vote for Christopher Walken for president in a heartbeat, because, come on, he’s awesome, and the president is little more than a mouthpiece these days anyway. Kind of like the Queen of England.