YOUR VOTE IS A WEAPON. THE QUESTION IS WHO'S

Usually, I strictly write about the music industry, discussing releases, industry issues, and music. However, other issues have been taking over my thoughts lately. Trump’s election, the UK’s voting in favour of Brexit, the perpetuity of the Syrian conflict, the foreseen victory of the National Front in France and the prophecy of the European Union’s dismantling, are only some examples of the alarming selfishness that we have accepted as a principle.

It is not that the world as we know it is changing and that causes us to be afraid. The truth is that the world has always been in continuous change. It is true that finally, we are blaming politicians for being devoted to their political careers rather than governing in the sake of common good, and we have held some of them accountable in one way or another. An although it is easy, though unsustainable, for them to blame a third party (someone from the exterior) as the cause of our problems, we are the ones who ultimately make the choice with our votes.

Marine Le Pen is gaining support amongst LGBT voters by promising to ban the Muslim community some of them increasingly fear. 26% of Trump voters are Hispanics who selfishly decided to ban fellows from entering the US. Many other citizens from the interior of the country felt dissed and disregarded as uneducated by trendy cosmopolitan citizens from bigger towns. More importantly, millions of Americans needed a way out their tough financial situations. I could keep going. And naturally, all of these reasons are understandable, but have not been processed favourably.

The problem is that when you make the choice of protecting your interests over other people’s interests with your vote, you are not the only one doing so. Your neighbour’s interests might be opposed to your own. Eventually, your votes will cancel each other out and things will get out of control.

If you belong to the ‘working class’, don’t choose one of the richest guys in the world as your president. Whom do you think he obtained his wealth from? Please, do not admire him just because of how wealthy he is.

If you are a ‘middle-class’ worker, you might reconsider your fear for a more ‘socialist’ candidate. Are they really going to try to steal your money? Firstly, try to get over the Cold War for once. Secondly, don’t you realise you have a mortgage? Do you really think they are going to raise your taxes before a billionaire’s?

If you are a ‘billionaire’ there are probably not that many people in your situation, so your vote is just your vote and your few billionaire friends’. What you shouldn’t do is sell the promise to middle-class families that they can reach your situation if they work hard in order to gain their support. Remember you are not better than anyone, you were not put where you are by God’s will. And the truth is everyone has to pay taxes, unless they don’t have money to pay them with.

Who is going to protect your interests? Is it your own single vote, which only represents one figure in an ocean of millions? Is it the politician you are voting for? So far, history has shown that is unlikely to happen. It is the community that is going to stand by you, and that still includes you as part of it, and your neighbour. It is only that community that is going to have the negotiation power necessary to keep governors from going off the rails.

Please, do not forget that your vote can be turned into a weapon for those who have more power to defend their interests than you do to defend your own. Make the best out of the power of our community!