Voting : What's the point?!

In a matter of a few days, we have seen the different manifestation of democracy both on the global as well as on the local front.

The recent developments in Egypt had most of the talking heads, well, talking, while locally, the ruling government retained their seat in the Tenang by-election. There is also rife speculation that general elections will be called before the year ends, and one of the questions that I get asked with increasing frequency is, "Will you be voting?".

Voting is Cost > Benefit

In an article by the authors of the best selling Freakanomics, Steven B. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, published in the New York Times in November 2006 entitled "Why Vote?", they argue that:

1. Voting exacts a cost - in time, effort, lost productivity - with no discernible payoff except perhaps some vague sense of having done your "civic duty.


2. Statistically, the odds of your vote affecting the outcome of an election is very, very, very slim.
   

They also wrote about the results of an experiment in Switzerland where voter turnout is among the highest in the world. However, when postal voting was introduced as an alternative to making one's way to an actual voting booth, voters turnout decreased drastically. The researcher who did the experiment, Patricia Funk, concluded that the incentive of actually being seen voting by other people, an incentive which was absent in postal voting, was possibly one of the main reason why people were encouraged to vote.

What this translates to, is:

PEOPLE VOTE BECAUSE THEY WOULD FEEL ASHAMED IF OTHERS KNOW THEY DIDN'T, AND THEY VOTE BECAUSE THEY CAN THEN JUDGE OTHERS WHO DIDN'T VOTE!

The Star Newspaper recently interviewed the Malaysian Election Commissioner Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and he said that an EC survey "surprisingly" found that the highest number of unregistered eligible voters resides in the most cosmopolitan of cities, like Kuala Lumpur and Putra Jaya.

I hardly find this "surprising", considering the findings in Switzerland. In a city like Kuala Lumpur, where one hardly knows his own neighbour, the veil of social invisibility makes it easier to avoid having your political apathy known to others.

But even in a city like ours, we may occassionally find ourselves cornered by a friend or relative, and we may be forced to either go into a long debate about why it doesn't make sense to vote, or (the easier option) just lie about having already registered/voted.

A few tricks that I learned from watching a very entertaining news parody "The Onion" to give the impression that you are well-informed and political savvy:

1. When you guests over at your house, leave the news channel on, and when they are just about to sit, turn off the TV and say, "I'm sorry about that. I promise, we will not talk about anything relating to politics tonight. I bet we can all use a break from politics at least for a night".
2. Draw a stick figure on an art bloc, and color it as if it had been done by a primary school student. Then bring it around after election day and say "Well, I just couldn't resist tearing this off the school wall where the election center was, it is just so darn cute!"
3. Blame others of being politically uniformed (great way of appearing informed yourself).

(For a full clip of The Onion and more tips, please click on the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXY_8cJlGMc)

On a localised level, I laugh at the people of Perak who voted in one government, and yet ended up with another. There is even a book written on the state's constitutional crisis called "Perak: A State Of Crisis". One of the more remarkable rumour (and I emphasise, this is just a rumour), was how one of the elected representative who decided that she wasn't too old to play leap frog, was seen driving around town in a new Mercedes Benz soon after her defection.

Then there is the constant tug-of-war between the federal and the state government of states not within BN's control? The Kelantan oil royalty, the Selangor water stand-off, and now, Penang's claims of a lack of support from the federal government in the economic development of the state. The futility of the entire voting process, from the consequences of voting which isn't always in sync with the voter's intention, to the lack of a viable party with untainted leaders, seems pretty apparent.

So, to quote the authors of Freakanomics (and also Super-Freakanomics), why vote?

Religion

Overheard a conversation between two associates a few months ago.

"There must be a reason why it was done like this last year. I don't know the reason, but there must be a reason why it was done this way, and why we should just do it the same way this year."

Then, silence, and everyone went back to their work.

There was no further inquiry as to what that reason might be.

There were no further discourse as to whether someone should investigate the matter further.

Now, isn't this the same for religion and how the majority of people take the same approach towards their religion?

Untitled - II

For someone who is so afraid of dying, you don't seem to be living enough.

A 2011 Happy Birthday to all my Facebook friends

It may appear I remembered,
But the truth is, I was reminded,
And since it it don't take long,
To write a greeting, 4 words long,
A quick click on your profile page I'll do,
And wish a generic, forgettable, boring, same as the postings above and below,
"Happy Birthday To You".

Social scientist should just stop taking random expensive surveys in their research. The old ways of collecting data from actual human beings being limited by geography is no longer relevant. The advancement of Facebook has made it easy for us to reach surprising conclusions about human beings, in a matter of minutes, and cost practically nothing.

For example, I know, from my extensive list of approximately 500 friends, that 20 odd years ago, people like to have unprotected sex during the months of Jan, Feb and March. I chanced upon this startling revelation as I was struggling to write a birthday greeting for a dear friend whose special day falls in the month of November. It was a struggle as this was the 5oth time I've wished someone a happy birthday this month alone, and I've ran out of ideas as to how to differentiate my greeting, or to give it a more unique, wicked twist.

From the looks of it, plenty of people have wished my popular friend. Yet, I wonder, how many of them would have actually wished him a happy birthday if not for the reminders that Facebook sends out, as well as the cost & hassle free way of just posting a greeting on his profile page.

How it used to be done

Eons ago, when MySpace, Friendster, Facebook were unheard of, and the Internet was just an idea some crazy scientist was entertaining, people had to make phone calls to the birthday person's house (before mobile phones) to wish them. If it was somebody important, you will go out to a stationery shop a week in advance, buy a card, and post it through snail mail.

Then, when e-mails came about, and still cost about a few cents per e-mail (yup, e-mails were not always free), we could send e-cards that you had to personalise, by typing in the recipient's name.

After that, when short messaging systems became the next-big-thing, people could save on exorbitant call charges and just text message a "Happy Birthday".

Now, I don't know about you, but during these Electronic Dark Ages, I barely got a birthday greeting. With Facebook, I get much more than I've ever thought possible for someone as dull and as unpopular as me.

I put that down to the fact that Facebook have simplified the whole process of making a birthday greeting to just a click of the mouse button, and typing a quick "Happy Birthday". There is no need to drive out to your nearest store to buy a card, no need to tire your thumbs by typing in a text message, and you don't even need to worry about a selection of e-cards with different cartoons and different greetings. You can even post your birthday greeting while you are checking in on your Farmville.

Too distant, and cold? Not just yet...

However, in spite of what I've said, it still does warm my heart when I get these birthday greetings, even if they are via Facebook. Once in a while, a long lost friend may just use the opportunity to re-connect with you, or a certain special someone from a previous life may just say hi. And of course, there are also those from your buddies that makes you laugh out loud.

So I guess, keep these greetings coming (and keep posting more), maybe put in a little more effort in telling your friend how much they mean to you by making the greeting stand out, and who knows, they may reciprocate, and you may find gems on your profile page the next time you log in.

The Anatomy Of A Maiden Run

Before the race

You switch back and forth between fear of somehow having a disastrous race to delusional thoughts of possibly coming in at a position that gets you a medal.

On the morning itself, you wake up at 6 am, on a Sunday morning no less, regretting, thinking what have you gotten yourself into, and whether the gods will have mercy on your unfit physique and let rain fall on the 11 KM of soft grass and tarred road.

You grab a can of Red Bull, a Milo, anything that advertisers claim helps increase your energy level, and illogically prays that these are magic potions which serves to replace weeks and months of actual training.



Flag off

You look at the runner on your right. You look at the runner in front of you. You don't bother to even look at the runner to your left, because you know the odds are that he, as well as the rest, look more in shape that you have ever been in your life. You turn up the volume of Chester Bennington's screams from your handphone, hoping to drown out the thought of the titanic task in front of you. As you cross the sensor located at the starting line, grunting as you try to avoid knocking into the runners around you, you give yourself one last pat on the back, thinking "well, I'll just try not to come in last".

After 3 KM

So far, so good. You are not running as fast as you can. Your pacing is still bearable. You are still breathing through your mouth, which you have been told is a no no, but heck it, you've need a lot of oxygen, and your nostrils aren't as large as the hole you call your mouth. You still have the energy to check out the runners of the fairer sex. Hey, ladies in short running shorts, can you really fault a hot blooded male for checking them out?

After 5 KM

WHAT?! Just past the half way point? AND you have been walking for the past 1 KM. You kick yourself for signing up for this. And did that elderly man just sprint past you? And he is barefooted! How is that possible?

After 7 KM

Your running vest is dry now, since you have been walking more than running.

Suddenly you hear a race marshal shouting out encouragement, "4 more KM to go ONLY". You think of all the 4 KM that you did in the gym on the treadmill within 30 minutes. There is a glimmer of hope yet, that you may end the race strongly. You start to run again, sprinting even, at times.

What you do not know is that running 4 KM at the beginning is different from running 4 KM at the end. You realise that soon enough when you stop, panting for breath, just meters away within earshot of the marshal who continues with her words of encouragement.

Last 2 KM

"Up, down, up, down". The undulating roads of the final lap. You chant this, as if in a trance, with your left leg stepping forward when it's "up" and your right, when it's "down". At this point, it is "girls, what girls?". You don't even care that you are making moaning sounds that places the other runners in discomfort.

Last 1 KM

You feel a sharp pain in your right knee. Your left toe have developed blisters that you can feel through the thick socks that you bought just the day before. There is a gravel in your shoe. You can't tell which shoe though, since your feet is practically numb. You start hobbling a little, afraid you might sprain your knee and you can't even finish the race. You are so close now. Just one more hill, one more incline, and the finish line will be within sight.

By now, you see people in the opposite direction with medals already walking (some running still, b**tards) back to their car. A marshal with a balloon shaped like a sausage with some message you no longer are able to read stands by the roadside. You hit the balloon with your right palm for good luck.

Crossing the finish line

You walk past the finish line. You don't celebrate. Yet. You just want to find a place to sit. Grab a drink. Maybe some food. But mostly, you just want to sit.

You reflect on what you just did. Not bad, eh? You start to forget how difficult it was. You only remember the times when you started to walk instead of run. The times when you could have ran a little faster. Maybe next time if you push yourself harder, a medal may be yours?

Guess what people say is true. You probably will not regret the things you did, but the things that you didn't do.

The Ugly Duck

The ugly duckling who did not grow up to be a beautiful swan.

Men gone down

What's the point in playing if you don't care about winning?

Tonight, the vanquished shall have a restless night while the victors celebrate.

Leave me tonight to grieve.

And tomorrow I shall lay all this to bed, and not live in the past.