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Why I Didn’t Vote for Kamala or Donald
Can We Reimagine Politics in an Era of Grotesque Tribalism?
“You don’t listen, you dumb f**k! You think you’re so smart. You didn’t even vote so you have no right to speak about politics. Kamala lost and it’s because of people like you!” I was recently accosted with these words by someone I used to look up to during one of their angry tirades (of which there have been plenty since I’ve known this individual). Our conversation began cordially enough, until after being coerced, I began to define my political position and provide my reasoning for never having voted in a U.S. election.
Immediately after I began, this individual moved to cut me off and commenced to insult my intelligence. I attempted repeatedly to state my position but was continuously shut down. And then, I heard the cold decisive *dute-dute* of an abruptly ended call. I was frenetic, my pulse racing. Though in disbelief that someone I saw as a friend, and even mentor, could treat me like this, I wasn’t angry. My thoughts about our current political milieu were simply confirmed at that moment: humans are deeply polarized into their own tribalistic echo chambers of dogma, and everyone is sure they are right.
