Reply #48: That is a reactionary attitude [View All]

Saying something like "if he likes it, I'm going to vote against it" is wrong. That's not voting with your conscience, that's knee-jerking. I believe this attitude to be the wrong one, but it is certianly not a new one.

For example, from Booker T. Washington's autobiography, he writes about voting:

http://www.bartleby.com/1004/7.html



At the time I went to Alabama the coloured people were taking considerable interest in politics, and they were very anxious that I should become one of them politically, in every respect. They seemed to have a little distrust of strangers in this regard. I recall that one man, who seemed to have been designated by the others to look after my political destiny, came to me on several occasions and said, with a good deal of earnestness: "We wants you to be sure to vote jes' like we votes. We can't read de newspapers very much, but we knows how to vote, an' we wants you to vote jes' like we votes." He added: "We watches de white man, and we keeps watching de white man till we finds out which way de white man's gwine to vote; an' when we finds out which way de white man's gwine to vote, den we votes 'xactly de other way. Den we knows we's right."

I am glad to add, however, that at the present time the disposition to vote against the white man merely because he is white is largely disappearing, and the race is learning to vote from principle, for what the voter considers to be for the best interests of both races.


If you vote against the private ownership of weapons on moral or philosophical grounds, that is an entirely different matter than saying "I don't like that LC character. I think he's a racist and I am going to vote against anything he supports." This is the very definition of reactionary thinking. You may believe that stronger regulation of firearms may be in the best interests of everyone. That would seem to be your position, COL, and I respect it. But to simply vote against one group or another approaches factionalism that the founding fathers warned us about. I believe that it as a tactic for deciding on issues is sorely lacking. Thanks.

(edited formatting)