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| Trust
But Verify - Look Beyond the Hype this Election |
© 9-10-04
Amy Denton
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Warning: This piece is going to be somewhat political
in nature but this is the editorial section, so,
I figure I can do this. You may think I'm simplistic
or naive but, at least I know where I stand and
what I stand for, do you?
In this year of politics and campaigns, conventions
and protests, I would ask one thing of everyone
who reads this article to stop and think before
going to vote. When you see a campaign ad on tv,
when you hear about the debates, when you listen
to the candidates or even when you read about them
in the newspaper, take a moment and think about
what you just heard. Whatever you do, don't just
blindly accept what you see or hear. Take some time to find out what the truth
really is. Just as you did not blindly follow the pack and buy a Windows machine,
don't blindly follow conventional wisdom because conventional wisdom is often
wrong.
As Apple users, we know how to look beyond the
hype and see the truth. We had to learn, in order
to get the truth about our choice in computing systems.
We learned what tricks the media uses to make one side look better than
the other. We have seen it all before. Think about
it. How many articles did you see or hear or read
about 'the beleaguered Apple Computer company'?
But did you buy into any of it? Did you just accept
what the media told you? Did you buy a Windows machine?
No, you did not. You bought a Mac. You went for
substance over style. You did your research.
That process is what needs to happen in this upcoming
election season. Everyone needs to think and not
just 'buy on faith'. Am I comparing buying a computer
with voting for our leaders? No, that would be insulting. We all know
how much more important voting is and yet, people
put more thought into buying a computer then electing
the leaders of our country. Why is that? Why do
people give more time and thought to buying a computer
than voting for the mayor or the governor or the
president? I don't know. Maybe the average person
thinks that there is too much to sort through or
that it is too hard to figure out who to vote for.
Maybe the average person believes that their vote
doesn't really matter. A mindset like that would
probably explain the dismal voter turnout of previous
elections and that, my Apple using brethren, is
one of the most depressing ideas of this entire
election season.
Unfortunately, in today's political climate, rational
thought, research and debating the various strengths
and weakness of each candidate had gone by the wayside,
only to be replaced by mindless bickering, name-calling
and, my personal favorite 'I-don't-like-this-one-so-I'm-voting-for-that-one.'
If this what we have come to in this country, then we kind of deserve
what we get. Folks, I have to tell you, that while the above approach
might work for picking a movie to watch or something to wear but it
doesn't work when it comes to picking the people
who will run our country. And don't tell me that
nothing will be changed and that voting is pointless,
it is that attitude that created the mess the government is now. A lot
of our elected representatives have nothing to fear from us because
they know that the people they represent are, for
the most part, too lazy to do anything to them.
Why do you think that term limits for the U.S. Congress
are always popular no matter the political party in power?
In the end, it comes down to this, use your brain,
trust your instincts, vote your conscience but above
all, VOTE!! People all over the world die for what
we throw away every election day. Don't be a lazy
American. Don't be like all those people who are
just too *busy* to go vote but complain bitterly
the rest of the year. Don't be like the people in
Apple's famous '1984' ad, just sitting there, waiting to be told what
to do. You are far more intelligent than that. You use a Mac after
all. And to bring this column fully back into Apple
terriotory, consider this.
Some of the mud slung by users of both computing
platforms makes this political year look like a
Sunday School class but we accept it. Why? Some
of the mud is of the good-natured, poking fun at
the other side kind but a lot of it is just plain
vicious. And both sides are guilty of this. Just
as we should not accept the lies and mistruths from
the politcal campaigns this year, we should not accept this kind
of behavoir from either side of the computing aisle.
Indeed, common sense would have us avoid the messes
in both areas, but, as a teacher friend of mine
is fond of saying, 'Common sense ain't all that
common.' How true that is.
Ronald Reagan is credited with saying 'Trust but
verify' in regards to discovering what was true
in, and on, the world stage. In this polarizing
political year, it is more important than ever to
'trust but verify'.
