I have heard some dumb reasons during my past two years at Hampton U. for not doing things but when it comes to voting, there is no reason, I think why one must not vote. I was sitting in Political Science one day and some one made the comment that they did not register because they did not want to be called for jury duty. I can understand if you are not a citizen of the US or you were disenfranchised but jury duty. Naw. Have any of you heard reasons on why people have not registered?
"There's no point b/c my vote doesn't REALLY matter anyway"...
"Wouldn't make sense if I did b/c I'm not informed/educated on the issues and people running."
"I don't live here - I just go to school here/live on-campus here, so I shouldn't really vote since I don't permanently reside here for the year." (<--mostly applies to local elections)
"I'm registered in (my hometown), so I can't vote here at school." (<--not a dumb reason, but isn't that what "absentee" ballots are for?)
those four (especially the first two) are the biggest ones i've heard...& i'm not saying any of 'em are necessarily 'dumb' (although, I'd best classfy the first as ignorant b/c that popular belief is a misconception)...but those r some reasons i've heard...
what about dumb reasons that some people DO vote
"im only doing it because its cool this year"
"i dont know anything about the candidates and im going to eenie meenie miney mo"
"puff daddy is doing it"
stuff like that
even tho u probably won't hear anyone admit it:
"cuz I don't feel like it"
Don't act. we all know it's really the most common reason. I can't stand lazy ppl.
People truly do take voting for granted, especially black people. I know soon as I turned 18 I registered to vote. Too many people before us died for us to get the rights we have now and we just throw them away. I mean damn I bet if most of them were still alive now us being so naive and ignorant would be what kills them. I mean watching the election race this past year made me realize that some of us are truly ignorant even toward our own culture. I mean most people don't even know that Dr. Charles Richard Drew was an African American that created the idea of the blood bank and saved many lives. Most people only know George Washington Carver for creating peanut butter. I mean potato chips were made a by an African American chef, most people don't know that, or that the street mail box was created by a black inventor Phillip B. Downing, Alexander Miles inventor the elevator and safety devices for the elevator and the list goes on.
And I mean I'm guilty of really not knowing this stuff either but it makes you think how from the time you're born most of us are brain-washed in schools, even urban schools to not really know the contributions of "our" people except maybe the Harlem Renaissance and Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Harriet Tubman, what about everybody else? We learn all about Christopher Columbus, and George Washington, and Nixon, and this one and that one. But I'm going to finish cause I'm rambling again.
Parents that don't vote raise children that don't vote
Mums took me to the polls while I was still in a stroller. I can't vote yet, but we do discuss issues and candidates.
I know I'm voting as soon as I turn of age..otherwise...momma gonna knock me out.
No since of complaining about your station in life if you do not exercise the only means of actually being heard as a Black man or woman.
-Peace
