On elections

If there is a time to be a Stoic, it is now

Figs in Winter

--

Image from arkvalleyvoice.com, CC license.

Tomorrow, November 5th, 2024, will be the day citizens of the United States will choose a new president. Both sides seem to think that this election will be historical, one way or the other. Both claim that the American democratic experiment itself is at stake. Both think the other side is garbage or evil. The rest of the world is also very much interested in the outcome, because the US — for good or otherwise — still has an outsized influence on what happens across the planet.

Tomorrow there will be people who will look suspiciously at their neighbors or even family members, and who will be genuinely worried about what comes next. The thing is, we truly don’t know what will come next. The polls are basically 50–50, which means that it is a fool’s errand to make predictions. One side has already announced that it will not accept the results and will challenge them by legal means. Commentators are concerned about the likely possibility of violence. And the uncertainty will probably last way past election night.

I am not going to tell you who I will vote for, nor am I going to present an argument in favor of this or that candidate. I have my opinions, but I have no special expertise in political science. And I’m sure we are all sick and tired of opinions and arguments, which have been thrown at us…

--

--

Responses (5)