I know a MILLION people probably disagree with me, but that's never stopped me from speaking my mind before.
I think this video is stupid:
Yes, it's very important to vote. If you have an opinion on ANY political, economical, or human rights agenda, you should definitely research the stance of each nominee (be it for the Presidency of the United States, your hometown Mayor, or any elected official) in order to see where your vote should go. So, so, so important. Voting is perhaps the most direct way to make yourself heard. Right on.
BUT, this video is stupid. I get that its main purpose is to get people registered to vote. Or, actually, to get the youth to vote in case they have never registered before and/or don't realize you have to actually register in order to vote. But the message is two-fold. It's then asking for you to vote--"you" the people who, subsequent to watching this video, actually register and then stupidly cast an uninformed/uninspired vote (that could potentially cancel out my informed/inspired vote) only because a celebrity told you to do so, not because you actually cared about anything that goes on in this world until the very moment Jennifer Aniston eluded to polar bears drowning. Perfect.
This sad type of educational campaign has been done a million times before, I get it. Everything is cooler or at least makes more sense if a celebrity is on board. Does the more you know ring a bell? Yes. Instead of listening to our parents tell us not to do drugs, we watched the egg and frying pan bit once and then thought, oooh drugs are bad!
But, back to my point, what this specific message doesn't say is, hey idiot, before you vote, read a newspaper or look online to research where each politician stands before casting a vote that could potentially put his or her agenda into effect and absolutely change (or reinvent) the way our country works.
What it does say is, hey, if you give a damn about anything, go out and vote. I'm sure you've heard at least one of those topics brought up in conversation before, right? No? It doesn't matter. Vote for whomever you want. It really doesn't matter. Just vote. Voting is cool and fun! Heck, vote for whichever name sounds the best. Go on, do it! Vote! Just please VOTE ALREADY! And then send this to five of your dumb friends so they too know the importance of just voting.
My stance (and I'm no celebrity, but hear me out): the election is not about simply voting. It's not about how many people vote. It's not about pulling the lever, filling in the circle, touching a screen, or poking out a chad. Voting is not a cool thing to do. Voting is a not celebrity-endorsed product. Voting is not going to make your hair shinier or get your picture in the paper.
Voting is a responsibility. You are responsible for making a very important decision.
It's also about WHO you are voting for. It's about who these awesome votes go toward. Voting is about carefully selecting a qualified person to serve as an elected official. It's so extremely important to vote for the right person, not just to vote.
To me, voting is not just an action, but an insanely important responsibility.
This stupid commercial, however, suggests it's insanely important to do an action. Vote! That's all you have to do. It's like chewing gum. No walking required! And to get the point across, the clever producers of this video use reverse psychology on us (tricky!) to get us to want to vote...and I only thought that worked on 2-year olds! Wow, I'm going start using this trick on my parents!
Don't send me money. I mean it! Don't! I don't want any money! Money sucks!
I might as well quit my job!
Too many people have simply "voted" in the past two presidential elections. Too many people thought, oh hey that George Dubya is a good old boy, I'll go down to the local library and vote for him, after all, it's my civic duty to vote, albeit uninformed! And now look at where we are today. Because people just voted, since that's what they just do every four years without rhyme or reason, is why we are where we are in 2008.
And really playing up to how dumb some people are, thanks Sarah Silverman for reminding me that I can register to vote while pooping. Such a time-saver! I hope they send out a public reminder on Election Day to get off the toilet and get to a booth. But please, please wash your hands first.
(Oh, but the herpes line was actually really funny, I must admit.)
Also, come on, am I the only one sick of celebrities acting like heroes? They're not. At all. But, because our nation is OBSESSED with all that is celebrity and its nuances, the media strategically uses them to educate us morons/every day citizens on a regular basis. The whole "You do know you have to register first, don't you? You know that, right?" was really eye-opening.
Um, yes, I do know that. Thanks Leonardo DiCaprio for reminding me, I was well aware.
YES, there are tons of IDIOTS in this world that probably didn't know you have to register to vote, but do you want those same idiots to somehow get registered and then show up at the voting booth to vote for McCain/Palin because Sarah was on the cover of US Weekly and she looked totally rockin!? That's exactly who this video is created for and exemplifies its overall purpose.
WHY?!
Quite frankly, I really preferred if those specific uninformed, unintelligent people didn't vote. Sorry, that's my opinion. In the meantime, can this video be taken down so its no longer hailed as being amazing and informative? Yes, it's sometimes funny. But, if humor is a requirement for you to want to vote or if that's your only vice for forming a political opinion, watch the Daily Show or Colbert if you're so inclined.
And, I'm sorry, many celebrities are insane idiots. Many, many. Yet, here they are telling me (Leo even waits around for me to register, how sweet! Very I won't let you go Jack, I won't let you go!) to vote. But wait, are they registered to vote? I don't know. Should we make a commercial reminding them? You know they already forgot the relevance of what they just said since, most have to make a beeline for the exit in order to get to their TRESemme' commercial next door. That shampoo won't sell itself! Ooh la la... I mean, last time I checked, acting doesn't necessarily require a lot of brain power, does it? It's more or less a talent, no? And I appreciate that talent, greatly. I'm a horrible actor. But is acting academic? Since you're an actor and have millions of dollars more than I do, does that make you smarter than I? Should you Courtney Cox and your new big lips be schooling me? Or, should Eva Longoria be told not to vote in hopes that she gets all riled up and actually votes just to show up Ashton Kutcher and his stupid hat for repeatedly telling her not to? It may just work! I hope she votes for Barack, keep your fingers crossed though because Wysteria Lane is a pretty conservative street.
Ugh, this video just comes across so offensively elitist and eludes that us citizens have no intelligence or common sense whatsoever. That's so very untrue...for most people I know.
Overall, it kind of makes me sick. And sad.
People, vote if you care. Vote for who represents you. Vote for who you think will fix this country. Vote with purpose. Vote with a conscience.
Don't just vote.
...the more you know...
