This whole brouhaha between John Lydon and Russell Brand is kind of amusing. Ive never been a fan of Brand, although Ive admired Lydons musical career. I cannot speak to the level of sincerity in what Brand is peddling or anything of the sort. I also know very little about politics in the UK (except that Tories are evil and Tony Blair squandered the credibility of the Labor Party). That said, I heard Brands rebuttal to Lydon and it sure sounds to my ears that Lydon created an epic straw man fallacy in his critique of what Brand had actually said. When I heard Brand clarify his position with regard to why he personally does not vote - he vehemently denies he called upon everyone else to not vote - (something Lydon accuses him of), I respected his position entirely. There is only so much change that voting will be able to affect. Grassroots, populist movements, struggle, struggle and more struggle is what brings about real change. Ive never accepted the old canard that If you dont vote, youve no right to complain - screw that. If youre not active, youve no right to complain. Voting is the minimum-level political engagement a citizen can engage in. If youre walking around all peckerwood-proud that casting your ballot on election day was some sort of magical ritual thats going to save the USA, well, I respectfully disagree with you. That said, I DID vote, so you can kiss my ass sideways if you were fixing to bust my chops about it.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 19:48:15 +0000
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