Battered Voter Syndrome

"It’s called the American Dream, 'cause you have to be asleep to believe it." -George Carlin

BATTERED VOTER SYNDROME

OR,

A BRIEF STUDY OF THE ASPECTS OF DOMINATION/SUBMISSION INHERENT TO THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

By Dr. Rasputin

 

          Darwin teaches us that creatures evolve over time in order to exist more successfully in their respective environments. The creature allegedly becomes stronger, faster, and/or smarter. This begs the question- why are humans the only creatures that seem to grow more docile, more ignorant, and more complacent with the passing of time? One such mutation of nature is especially noteworthy- the American voter.

 

          The American voter is a strange breed, and a relatively recent one at that. In terms of complacency and ignorance, he bears a striking resemblance to the now-extinct dodo bird. In terms of the contents of his morals/values, however, he holds much in common with another of our unfortunate human characters- the battered wife. The battered wife (not necessarily limited to the institution of marriage- the behavior pattern of the battered wife can be found outside of marriage; and in some cases, even outside the female gender).  The battered wife tends to display masochistic tendencies (a patently human characteristic). She will enter a relationship with an abusive sexual partner, with or without prior knowledge of said partner’s violent nature. She will suffer a myriad of abuses, ranging from verbal degradation to physical violence. The end result is almost always physical/psychological harm. The battered wife may stay in the relationship indefinitely, or she may leave of her own accord. In the case of the latter, she tends to follow one of two paths: she will a) return to the abusive partner and suffer the unpaid dividends of the partner’s anger (the partner often feels cheated or otherwise crossed); or b) she will enter into one or more similarly abusive relationships, with equal or greater consequences.

 

          This, of course, begs the question- “How does this relate to the American voter?” The patterns of behavior, while not quite symmetrical, often adhere to the same criteria. The voter, like the battered wife, shows an unwillingness, or perhaps a sheer inability, to learn from his mistakes. He finds himself repeating the same fruitless behaviors, in spite of the lack of evidence that would point to a different outcome than previous similar endeavors. He feels an innate sense of inferiority, and this seems to be as much a product of environment as it is of genetic predisposition. This sense of inferiority lends him to a certain level of submissiveness and degradation at the hands of those he believes to be smarter or better-equipped to make decisions. He therefore willingly casts his vote for a man, or group of men, who have swindled him and his peers, and who will continue to do so for as long as such behavior is tolerated. The voter knows this, although he is loathe to admit it. He is unwilling or unable to overcome his own inferiority complex, and so he repeats the voting process. Ostensibly, the purpose of voting is to grant power to those who have earned the trust of the voter and his peers. In reality, the act of voting is tantamount to masochism; just as the continuation/repetition of an abusive relationship is a masochistic act on the part of the battered wife.

 

          The politician, of course, does not have the best interests of the voter in mind. The politician seeks to procure and horde wealth, influence, and powerful allies. He seeks to trick everyone around him- his friends/family, his peers in the political realm, and above all, the voter. These actions are merely a means to an end- the aforementioned stockpiling of money and power. In this regard, the politician is similar to the dragon of Arthurian legend, whose main ambition was to reap massive amounts of gold, and to defend its wealth at any cost. The politician is, above all else, a predatory creature, in the same vein as the domineering sexual partner.

 

          This instinct to cling to a perceived “pillar of strength” is not a new trend, nor has it changed noticeably in recent years- in fact, it is not even limited to the realm of humanity. Animals learn, from birth, to depend on parental figures for sustenance, protection, and ultimately, guidance. As animals, humans learn many of their behaviors from those they perceive to be benevolent authority figures. In this way, the tendency for masochistic surrender is as innate as the instincts of self-preservation or reproduction.

 

          The voter and the battered wife do not wish for freedom. They long for abuse. They thrive on the verbal humiliation and/or the physical endangerment that is just as natural to the voting process as it is to the abusive sexual relationship. They both find themselves stimulated and excited by a feeling of powerlessness or desperation; this feeling has parallels in the realm of sexual gratification (consider the practices of bondage and/or humiliation as a means to achieve increased sexual stimulation). They are unwilling or unable to take control of their own respective destinies; if this were not the case, politicians and antagonistic sexual partners would find themselves without purpose or place in the natural order. Nature, we are taught, abhors a vacuum; therefore, domination and masochism are, for many human beings, as natural as breathing, and as shamefully pleasurable as any other vice.

 

7-03-2012

Author's Note

**Whew**... I've really outdone myself this time.
This is, of course, satire. Regardless of my personal opinions concerning the topics discussed herein, this work is to be taken with a grain or two of salt. As always, I did not write this with the intent of offending anyone. However, if you ARE offended, tough shit.
For the rest of you, enjoy.

***Note*** The picture I used for this story is by Ralph Steadman (as are the pictures seen on my profile page). I was inspired to write this piece by "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign trail '72" (by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson), which I am currently reading and thoroughly enjoying.

Reviews

[sp]

Neither offended nor not offended, just out of the mix. I tend to be neutral in these matters, anyway. You've presented an interesting observation, though. To me, anyhow.

Ethically, I see the politician (in regards to the character here) as an ethical egoist, who works "rightfully" in his own self-interest. And that self-interest may depend on other people's interests. In this case, the voter's; in turn that voter is, more or less, a sheep merely following the shepard. Most people will give in to authority figures, or at least people who wear the "uniforms" of such figures. I think conformity is a part of it too; people are more likely to agree with the masses, even if the majority is wrong.

Ha. I shall not delve any deeper. This is really good stuff. All in all, great read.

[Rasputin]

Thanks a million.
I was trying to present it from the point of view of someone who normally studies animals, and who might not be used to observing human behavior. I wanted it to seem like an "impartial" study from the point of view of somebody who might be a bit biased. But above all, I just wanted to be cynical as f**k within the form of satire. And some of my personal opinions bled into it.

[Tnig]

"Anyone who can appease a man's conscience can take his freedom away from him."
- Cigarette Smoking Man

[Marie]

Excellent, well thought-out study. You draw good parallels between abusive battering and bantering abusers (politicians).

[Rasputin]

Incidentally, I knew a girl in high school who possessed prominent characteristics of both. She was an ardent supporter of Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. She was also a willing, near-constant victim of sexual/psychological abuse. Not surprisingly, she was a drug addict the last time I saw her (which was about three years ago).
Thanks for the review. I'm going to sit in a corner now and cry while I reminisce about high school.

[Marie]

Okay...but don't forget to write it down--especialy the torture sex scene...

[Rasputin]

You know it.

[Tnig]

Haha, I wouldn't say "study" is the right word. And where the hell was I during this torture sex orgy at high school? Must've been suspended that day as usual.

[Rasputin]

You're right about the word "study"... I think "rant" or "tirade" are more appropriate. And yes, you were probably suspended at the time, although you really didn't miss anything.
By the way, I looked up that quote (which I had never heard before, but definitely enjoyed), and it's from "The Grand Inquisitor" (from "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky). The quote is from the Inquisitor himself.

[Tnig]

Haha i didn't think so. Fascinating though, I was watching the X-files and heard it there in reference to keeping the project of alien colonization going by keeping us dumb humans in check. This Dostoevsky guy sounds interesting though.

[Raef C. Boylan]

This is well-written; I enjoyed your satirical exploration of the parallel between returning to the voting booths and returning to an abusive relationship. As you remark upon in your first paragraph: en masse, as a species, humanity does not exercise particularly good self-preservation techniques. Sad but true. I'm British, not American, but the metaphor extends itself overseas equally well.
It's cool that you offer up a nod to the reading material that inspired this. I reckon you'd make an excellent gonzo...

By the way, have you considerd that pieces written in this syle and of this calibre might reach a more receptive audience if you post them under 'essays' or 'political' rather than the 'story' genre? Just a suggestion.

Cheers for sharing your writing with us.

[Rasputin]

Thanks. Posting this as an essay never occurred to me, but I did put it under the "Sociology" category (although I did that more as a joke than anything else). Honestly, I don't think this deserves to be taken seriously enough to qualify as an essay. I'm sure if I really wanted, I could put together a thought-out, well-constructed argument similar to this, but I don't have the patience right now.
Again, thanks for the review. I'm glad you dug it.

[Raef C. Boylan]

Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot about the sub-categories. There are serious essays and satirical essays, so in my opinion this definitely qualifies. But on the other hand, higher numbers of people are more likely to read a 'story', so maybe my advice was misguided anyway haha.

[Rasputin]

It's all good. I just never considered myself an essayist. Maybe someday, but not today.