On Mar 13, 2012, at 2:59 PM, Eric Beck wrote:
> My point would be similar but with a different emphasis. To me, the
> relevance of voter nonparticipation is not trying find the ideology
> that lurks behind it but reckoning with the refusal/nonparticipation
> as a political act itself. Why dig beneath the surface when the
> surface is the most relevant fact.
I suppose we could follow Oscar Wilde on this ("People say sometimes that Beauty is only superficial. That may be so. But at least it is not so superficial as Thought is. To me, Beauty is the wonder of wonders. It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances."). There are worse models for life. But isn't it tempting to do a little analysis? Like, maybe, what are they saying with their refusal? It could be, "Fine with me," or "Carry on," or "I'm busy," or "You all suck," or "I don't give a shit," or "I'm too drunk to find the polling station," or "Bourgeois democracy is a sham," or any number of things. Probably, when it's half of society, they're saying many things.