Rocking the Vote

Courtesy of  militantlibertarian.org

It's that time again; like a bad case of food poisoning that recurs every four years with similar gastrointestinal symptoms; cramping, bloating, and of course, vomiting and diarrhea; I'm speaking of course, about the US Presidential Election.  While it doesn't exact it's havoc on one's body literally, it does metaphorically; the bloated political ads portraying the opposing candidate as a cold-hearted, treasonous scoundrel, the word vomit and debate diarrhea of the pundits, and the cramping, sickening tinge found in all Americans' stomachs.

Fortunately Lydia and I are spared from most of the mud slinging, as we can elude the political ads and the 24-hour American news networks, however it is all but impossible to avoid it in it's entirety, thanks in large part to Facebook, ads on Hulu, and the internets in general.  And while we're not faced with the immediate cross-fire and sideshow antics of the political left and right, we must in some ways answer for them.  As mentioned in an earlier post, Jerry Springer's America, a considerable number of unsavory news stories from the States do make it down under, not excluding American presidential election news, thus who could blame our friends for having some questions to the American political process?  Additionally, unlike in the States where it is standard social etiquette for one to refrain from asking another which candidate for which he will vote, it would seem the opposite is true here. That being said, it's a two-way streets, as I'm often asking questions about the Australian political process (and for what it's worth, Australian politics seem no more civil than American politics).  Some interesting lessons I've learned:

1. It is compulsory to vote in Australia.  Failure to do so merits a $70 fine.  As a result, Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald receive a considerable amount of support from the Australian electorate
2. The term "liberal" here is used in the (correct) classical sense, which would be called "libertarianism" in the States.  Really, the liberal party here is more akin to the Republican party in the States than Libertarian, and Labor to the Democratic party
3. Australia has more political parties than the States, although due to (sometimes unintuitive) coalitions and party alliances, there really only remain two major contenders: Labor and Liberal.
4. The Green party has won the most seats over Melbourne (for better or worse)
5. There is no separation of powers between the court and the police here; you are prosecuted by an officer.
6. Socialised healthcare has changed a lot of my socio-philosophical outlook on a lot of otherwise anti-liberal principles... it provides more justification for some of the "nanny state" laws here in Victoria... that being said, I don't necessarily agree with socialised healthcare.
7. Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd are not good friends and are the source of a lot of current political controversy
8. Australian elections can be called at any time by the party in power, but must be called at least once every four years
9. Australian Parliament is twice as fun to watch on TV as is the US Congress, and half as fun as UK Parliament.  Like in the UK, there is heated exchange and name-calling, but just to a lesser extent, but more than in Congress.
10. Many Australians know more about the American political system than Americans know about the Australian system
11. Many Australians know more about the American political system than Americans know about the American system

My most recent lesson: Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke once held a Guinness World Record for Beer "Skulling" (Chugging) 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds.  Here he is showing off his talent this year, age 82:

In his memoirs, Hawke suggested that this unique talent may have contributed to his political success more than any other, by endearing him to a voting population with a strong beer culture.... but I digress.

Despite the disarray that is the American Presidential election, and the increased ease with which I could shirk my "civic duty," I've resolved to vote via absentee ballot this year.  And while it looks like the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections has finally entered the 21st century by offering the ballot electronically, it seems that they may have fallen a bit short, as the link they've provided is currently unavailable, at least via Australian internet connection.  Fortunately enough, I should still be able to access the site via a US proxy, and my vote will be heard... even if it is irrational to vote, at least in the context of an economic agent.

5 Minutes or Less: Christmas in September

Spring has sprung in Melbourne, which can only mean one thing... CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS.  Yes, in an international showdown of who can shamelessly capitalize on Christmas the earliest, the winner this year goes to large Australian retailer Myer, who has constructed a full Christmas display on the sixth floor of their flagship store in the Melbourne CBD:

I guess this is what happens when your locale doesn't celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving; why not just jump straight to the big kahuna?  Merry Christmas!

Jerry Springer's America

This headline made the front page of a number of Australian news sources, including  The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald about a teenage girl from Georgia who had elective plastic surgery to avoid ridicule from her classmates. While the article is both philosophically and morally intriguing in its own right – the ethical dilemma of using medical methods to treat societal problems – it continues to befuddle me that this is the type of news that so often gains so much attention here in Australia rather than substantive news, influencing the Australian perception of the US and its citizens.

While I believe most Australians understand that Yellow Journalism does not accurately portray everyday American life, those that don't can certainly be forgiven, given how many sensationalist or exceptional stories make it down here.  Lydia and I can't help but bemuse which headlines from our homeland appear down here so prominently.  Many of these articles appear to exaggerate or even help shape the all-too-prominent freak-show perception of typical life in America.  It's both amusing and a little unsettling sometimes what some Australians believe to be commonplace in American life and the preconceived notions of my countrymen; ideas that all Americans are packing concealed 9mm handguns, that we can sue anyone with whom we disagree, and that without a valid health insurance card, our ambulances leave you to expire on the street.  While I have little doubt that many of these exceptional news stories are true, and I won't try and refute the fact that there are a lot of off-beat, backwards, and some downright crazy people in the States (as they are plentiful), I do fear that these stories evoke a contrived or misconstrued America.  Coupled with the fact that when most Australians travel to the States, their primary destinations are LA and Vegas, arguably the most inauthentic cities in the States, I fear there may just be a systematic misrepresentation of what America and Americans are really like.

Courtesy of 27blash6

To be fair, the portrayal of Australia and its people is also largely off-base in the States; think Crocodile Dundee, Outback Steakhouse, and Fosters; I can assure you these stereotypes are (mostly) not true.  As much as I cringe when I read news stories about the Octomom, Obama’s birth certificate, and the rampant gun violence in the States (granted, that last one might not be too off-base), I’m sure an Australian would just as well do the same when he learns how little the average American knows about Australia, or when goes to order his Bloomin’ Onion and reads about the train surfers in US newspapers in the States.  And as much as Lydia and I enjoyed Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country, the book most definitely sensationalizes how deadly Australia really is.

One could make the argument that Americans bring it upon themselves, particularly in how we’ve both relatively recently shifted our foreign policy to become the “World Police,” the rise of the fundamentalist religious zealots, and our insatiable appetite for television shows like Jersey Shore, The Hills, or Biggest Loser.  Who could blame Australians, or the world at large, for having such a poor impression of Americans and what kind of people we are?  Perhaps I simply have rose-coloured glasses and the majority of my countrymen really are a bunch of dim, morally depraved obese oafs.  Perhaps the US and Americans that are represented in the news and media here are a more accurate representation of what America really is than what I perceive.  But if that is the case, I think I'd rather continue in my delusion; at least then I can still maintain some faith in my home country.