Beijing, China. 1995. Six years after the protest for democracy had caught China, and the world, completely off-guard. I was there on a business school trip and we were about to get a tour of Tiananmen Square, the epicenter of the protest. Our guide was a fellow student who was a graduate of the Law School at Beijing University, one of the primary incubators of the uprising.
That morning he had casually mentioned being on a “list” of some sort. Given his law school background and the fact he was studying capitalism enabled easy conjecture that he was being watched.
Even today, there are no references to the “incident” on the Chinese internet or in newspaper archives. There are no T-shirt vendors around the Square with “Democracy World Tour 1989” designs. Nonetheless, our guide started our tour with a nonchalant reference to “This is where the tanks rolled in.” “This is where that man got in front of them.” “This is where two friends from Law School were killed.” “This is where we all ran when the shooting started.”
The Square is quite large and it took a while to cover it. I will never forget the mix of emotions that pumped through my veins as the review progressed. A bit of awe in simply being there (the scale of China is something sadly indescribable). A bit of fear of what could happen. Different country, markedly different laws and our guide is on a list. (Our trip had started with a student almost being brusquely arrested for lighting up a cigarette in the terminal after getting off the 13-hour flight.)
But most of all I felt an incredible surge of gratitude. To have been born, raised and live in a country where the right to vote, speak freely, convene and protest are so accepted their importance to the flourishing of our society are often taken for granted. Presently, 1,357,000,000 people (four times the US population) in China lack these rights. They lack the ability, at all levels of their society, to impact their future. They simply have no say.
I was also simultaneously struck by a deep reverence for the tens of millions of people around the world who had been killed in wars that pitted democracy against dictatorships of various flavors. And those, like the 241 killed on those Tiananmen stones, who are still fighting simply for the right to vote.
Democracy is actually a very fragile system of government. It can be steered easily toward authoritarian themes if there is significant apathy among the voting populaces. Look no further than Russia or parts of the Middle East and North Africa as unfortunate case studies. And here in the U.S., Republican tickets fair better with lower voter turnout.
I would much rather have someone vote for a candidate I don’t like, or choose to selectively abstain–and be part of the process–than not vote at all. I was canvassing again last weekend in New Hampshire and met a headstrong young man who informed me he was voting for a fringe candidate. I thanked him profusely. Democracy requires engagement to function properly, and the more engagement, the better, and quicker, the outcomes. Involvement implicitly begets support and support is what gets things done. The best way (aside from doing away with Citizens United) to ensure our democracy remains vibrant and functioning IS TO VOTE.
There is no question our democracy has issues, and many will require serious work to fix. However, not voting, not being part of the process, will only make improvements more difficult to implement. I can guarantee whatever regrets you may have by casting a ballot will be greatly exacerbated if you don’t.
VOTE!
(Click on the voting image on Google’s current homepage to locate your voting location. Depending on your state, you may be able to register the day of.)