"Impartiality is a pompous name for indifference, which is an elegant name for ignorance." - from The Speaker
Is Chesterton talking about "Undecideds" here?
Can anybody explain to me how anyone, at this point of our presidential elections, could possibly be undecided? The pollsters keep saying they're waiting to see what these people do, so I guess they must be out there somewhere. I picture them wandering around with puzzled expressions on their faces... I've been keeping my eye open for them (the one that I'm not keeping on my two-year-old), but haven't spotted any yet.
Do you think they exist?
Seriously. Is it possible to have no opinion about the issue of abortion, one way or another? Are there really people out there who haven't detected a difference between the big-government, verging (at least)-on-socialism platform of one side, versus the smaller-government, traditionally capitalist-American platform of the other? (Ahem. Detect my bias here?)
Do some people really see no difference in the characters of the two men running for America's highest office? Are these the people who are waiting for one or the other candidate to prove himself the greater idiot by some accident of speech or fashion faux pas? Or are they waiting to get a last minute assessment of the popular decision before they throw in with the crowd?
Can it really be that there are voters out there so truly impartial that they can't bring themselves to form an opinion? Is this what tolerance has come to mean? Maybe these guys are just the ones who refuse to talk to the pollsters? Or do these undecideds live in Borneo and have no television, computer or newspaper?
I'm stumped.
I bet if Chesterton were here today, he'd have a great soundbite to explain it...
4 comments:
I LOVE that quote!
Now I have to admit being a decisive person, ditherers get on my nerves! They really DO! I have to grit my teeth when faced with a ditherer or 'undecided' when want I want to do is give em a SMACK! lol.
I just wrote a piece on HOW to think BEFORE you vote.
Lisa I watched one program where young people had NO idea what ROE V WADE was???!!!! I was stunned! To be so ignorant...When is it a case of being 'too dumb to vote?!
Peace and love to you hon:)
Marie xooxoxooxxo
there are more undecideds this time than ever before, and i am one. and you named the reason yourself. it's because the two candidates are at such extremes. i don't like abortion, but i like health care, for example. i agree with obama on some things and mccain on others. there's no in-between, no moderation, and that's what i need. i can't vote for an extreme.
It would seem to me that Chesterton would indeed have something to say! A friend's observation is this phrase. "Indecision is the key to flexibility." Does flexibility mean one can't decide so in this state of mind it seems to make a person look progressive and open minded? Or does it mean they don't have the courage of their convictions. Darned if I know! Cathy
Lisa, what I do not like are all the pollsters telling us what is happening. I think that people could really be swayed by all of this. If they are undecided, will they just vote for whomever just because? I have heard of fifth grade kids saying that they would vote for Obama..I guess they did not read about socialism in school. They must have skipped that part of it.
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