Election Phrases & Voter Incentives
The election has taken a lot out of us. We have spent the last several months listening to campaign speeches and debates which led up to the presidential election.
Some people are still walking around like zombies. I am glad that is over so the country can once again focus on the economy and begin to solve our debt.
Looking back on this momentous 2008 election year, I will say that I am happy that I won’t hear the phrases, “Joe the plumber,” “You betcha,” “Lipstick on a pig,” “Joe Sixpack,” or “Maverick.”
Those were some of the most annoying phrases during this campaign and I am relieved that they will now retire to pop culture dictionaries and search engines worldwide.
Another interesting aspect this year was voter incentives. After voting, a voter had the opportunity to trade their, “I Voted” sticker for free Starbucks coffee, Krispy Kreme donuts (with red, white and blue sprinkles), Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches.
Other freebies included hot chocolate from some local retailers, tacos, happy hour appetizers and even sex toys.
Strange stories surfaced too, such as on Halloween night, one woman refused to give out candy to children who supported Barack Obama because she said, “he is scary.”
A story “leaked” out about how Obama’s Kenyan aunt living in Boston is an illegal alien who was denied asylum in 2004.
In St John's, Antigua, the prime minister wants to rename the island's highest mountain peak "Mount Obama" in honor of the Barack Obama.
Currently the peak is known as "Boggy Peak,” soars more than 1,300 feet over the island's southern point and serves as a transmission site for broadcast and telecommunication providers. It also is a popular hiking spot.
The Republican National Committee spent more than $150,000 dollars on clothes for vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. A lawyer was recently dispatched to Alaska to retrieve them.
I know that there are citizens in some nations who still can’t vote and that is greatly unsettling. There are some nations where people are killed when they vote. I really hope that we can take forward strides where one’s voice is his might and he can exercise his opinion without fear of reprisal. I hope that the world will be able to settle down and work through its growing pains. I hope to see the day when we can and will live in peace.
As an American I never realized that so many people around the world were watching us like goldfish in a fishbowl. It is a lesson for me that we are not alone - as Americans or any other culture. We are all in this together. Citizens of the world care about the economy, their education, their children, their survival, and the quality of life wherever we live.
We are one. We are the world. Let’s abolish the burdens of the past and let them lift us into the light.
8 comments:
Love the pic at the top Alexys -- my feelings exactly.
Hi Dick,
How ARE you?
It was a draining experience wasn't it? More draining than I can remember in other campaigns.
Hope all is well with you.
Take care.
Yes, we were watching. I've always watched the US elections from over here in Britain but never before with such a conviction that the result was so important to Europe - and indeed to the whole world - as well as to America. The world is shrinking all the time and closing our minds to the suffering of others - however far away - seems more and more like kidding ourselves.
I don't understand the woman not giving candy to the pro-Obama kids. If Obama is scary, surely they were the ones who *should * get the candy? That woman just doesn't understand Halloween.
If that mountain is called Boggy Peak, it should certainly be renamed something or other. Even Mount Palin would sound better.
Every human being has the choice to view himself through the eyes of other people or, to view from other perspectives. Many people convince themselves one of the most challenging perspectives for to explore is that of the inner self, that is, how you feel without the influence of your perception of external events. Why is it that people care how other people judge them? As you raise self-awareness, this may turn out to bother you because you feel unhappy with something about yourself. To raise awareness of your own discomfort is a very empowering thing. After all, unless you sense something needs to change, you will not make the effort. The world does change, every moment, one person at a time, one effort at a time. it is not one person who changes the world for everyone else. You must decide to change the way you view the world. Gandhi said, you must become the change you wish to see.
"We are one. We are the world. Let’s abolish the burdens of the past and let them lift us into the light."
I agree with you. So many people I see are like the flower at the beginning of your post, worn out by the competing forces trying to capture their devotion.
If something was truly beneficial it would not need convincing to "sell" it.
Alexys, I have awarded you the "Kreativ Blog Award." :)
NathanKP - Imagination Manifesto
Hi Simon,
We do live in a small world. I realize that more each day as I hear various opinions of people from all over the world.
I don't know why she chose to take out her anger on the children, it's not like they have a vote.
People are so interesting when they let their hair down.
Hi Liara,
We are too concerned about the judgment of others. Life is really simple once we get the hang of it. All we have to do is act in love and in God.
Hi Nathan,
We can only follow one master - the master of self. It is wasted energy to devote time to frivolous things. Thanks for the generous award.
Post a Comment