If you’re a boring guy like me with a little interest in the running of our school and a lot of time to spend on the internet, you’ve by now run across the VisLupiGang. Their topics are usually boring and their writing has that turgid feel of a first year law student trying too hard to impress the teacher whose office hours they have memorized (though I must admit, their last few posts have been enjoyable reads), but their comment sections are practically guaranteed to be flame wars of the lowest intellectual caliber.
And when you’re a boring guy like me, what else is there to do but to sit and smugly read those comments with an air of political superiority. Sure, we all like to think we’re smarter than other people when it comes to politics, but it is rare that any of us get to see this first hand.
Discussing the ASUN one anonymous poster quoting (and then responding to) another anonymous poster: “if you are not in ASUN, you are not doing anything for student government.” So I guess the $60 I paid to ASUN this semester was me doing nothing.
A sound, logical rebuttal to the tired “if you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem” fallacy. However, yet another anonymous poster responded with:
yes it was doing nothing you paid $60 dollars and just watched it go to people wanting to get involved, as you sit here and read about all the things they want to do with your 60 dollars. Get involved, because thats the only way your going to get your moneys worth.
Ahh, The Second Great Flaw of Democracy, you rear your ugly head again. [The First Great Flaw of Democracy of course being that the majority is not always right.] The SGFD is that in order to do anything with this system it necessitates that your must work within it. Hence, if you think working within a democracy is a corrupting process, how can this line of action be of any use to you? It is like your house is on fire and someone claims you’re at fault for it burning down if you don’t rush in and turn your shower on.
This flaw is just another example of a “Red Queen” effect wherein “it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.” As Anon #3 said “Get involved, because thats the only way your going to get your moneys worth.” But that’s such a load of bull. Why is that the only way to get my money’s worth? What gives them the right to take money from me and then say they have the exclusive right to “giving it back” to me through their flawed system? That’s right, no right.
Oh democracy, the most likable of untenable systems. Unfair and unjust enough to go unnoticed by those willing to run as fast as they can to get nowhere. Once people clear the sweat from their eyes and realize you’re just a tyrannical treadmill that goes round and round, maybe, just maybe, they’ll have strength left to step off and walk away. All they need to do is stop trying so damn hard to keep up.
