Are you in a popularity contest? I am sure that this question has been asked of not just me, but many other prefect nominees as well. The term “popularity contest” has been thrown around far too much for anyone to be comfortable with and for the words themselves to hold much meaning. And to answer this question, we must be certain exactly what “popularity contest” means, and not just leave it as two words with negative connotations that the prefect elections have been labeled with. In a way, all elections are based on popularity. An election is, after all, people pitching in for who they like the most, whether it is for the candidate’s policies, ideas or person. And, taking this idea further, it is also justified, after all, to have popularity as a criterion for being a prefect. If one is unpopular, he/she will likely not have traction amongst his/her batch mates, which makes for a less effective prefect as prefects need to inspire and lead others; secondly, it says something about that person’s character and how he/she deals with other people (There are exceptions to this too, however; a good person could be bullied for an irrational reason, but the first statement about traction is probably more important.) But this is not what “popularity contest” means, does it? I don’t think that this is the problem those people who throw the term around really want to point out. To give voice to the simmering resentment I have sensed for the past few days, this is what I think is meant when people accuse the prefect elections of being a “popularity contest”: the irrational choices made by people in the school community to vote for unfamiliar prefect nominees based on superficial reasons; e.g, the campaign slogan, the nominee’s face, etc. In the end, these people are saying, it boils down to who can attract the most attention; who can wave their arms around and convince that irrational group of people lurking amongst us to vote, unfairly, for them. To this, I have one thing to say. The root cause of this problem is this irrational group of people; and this irrational group of people exists everywhere, even amongst our actual society, and can never truly be stamped out. But this is not what my post is about. My post is not to accuse those who complain that the elections are a “popularity contest” of being unreasonable, or to claim that the problem can never be solved. There is another cause to it as well; the nominees themselves hold fault, especially those who do wave their arms around. This then, brings me to the disturbing notion that I am probably one of those nominees waving my arms about. And this is what my post is about for today. I cannot stop what I started when I posted Barbie up. Because of my campaign’s nature and many who have spoken to me, I think it is quite safe to claim that the idea is indeed attention-grabbing. What I can sincerely say, however, is that my original intention was never so ignoble as to convince that irrational group of people to vote for me. I was, instead, actually more sick of all the name puns, and wanted to troll the system for once, because good trolls are sorely needed these days. But, as with all the statements made by most nominees, this kind of claims are hard to prove. Instead, I am more of a practical person and would like to make a point with all those who are reading this. To all the RI guys (not the people from other schools, who are on this page like super-ovulating guppies breeding in an overcrowded fish tank), do think before you vote. My belief is that whatever happens during this stage, (campaigning, speeches, promises etc) is secondary to the person himself. Why? Campaigning and speeches and promises consists of a series of asserted statements that nobody can be sure is truthful, or know of the true intentions that lay behind. But if you know the person; if you understand him; if you have proof from somewhere in the past two years that he is of prefect caliber, then can you vote for him rationally and fairly, or judge if the statements he made during his campaign/speech/promises are true. Do not vote for me because you think my Barbie campaign is cool. (At least read the freaking page description -_-) In the same way, if you know me on a personal level, then you may judge for yourself, then, if I truly started this Barbie campaign with the purest of intentions, or not; and thus will the sanctity of the vote be upheld. So this is my message to the voters – look beyond the cloud of words to the person behind, and how he has conducted himself over the past years in order to make the rational judgment, and make sure that you have solid proof beyond superficial illusions that he is worthy of being a prefect – I am sure this message holds true for every voter, regarding every nominee. This is my answer, then, to the question above. I am not sure if I am in a popularity contest; it depends on the voters, and on how they interpret my campaign, or the campaigns of others. But I hope not. Thank you for staying with me throughout this overly long post, and I hope that it has been meaningful.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 10:20:12 +0000
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