Poll nosy parkers, you Clive me crazy
THIS Aussie’s not gonna cop it.
Sincere apologies for quoting Clive Palmer, and even deeper apologies to Twisted Sister for continuing to promote this plagiarised piece of propaganda, but the sentiment itself is spot on.
I understand we’re in election mode … duh. I’m quite resigned, if not happy, to accept that our ears, eyes and brains will continue to be bombarded by political parties telling us how to vote. That is, after all, their job. But everyone else who insists on chipping in and telling me which way I should swing? I’m not gonna cop it.
When did it become not just acceptable but expected for every institution, social group and even individuals to consider it their duty to deliver a politically-motivated lecture in my direction?
Remember that old adage about not discussing religion and politics? Well, kindly get back in your box.
It’s been a long time since I’ve expected manners on social media, but at least I can block or mute those who persist in pursuing a political line in my social space.
But what about the people who actually, literally, get in your face and judge your persona political persuasion? Or lack thereof.
At a recent quasi-social function I was happily chatting to fellow parents (I’d never met them before, our kids don’t go to the same school, they were literal strangers) when the husband said the following:
“Obviously, you vote Liberal because you’re not a complete idiot. You do, right? You must vote Liberal.”
Pardon? On how many levels can one man be offensive? I almost felt like telling him I was voting for the Greens (FYI I’m not) just to watch his face turn the same shade.
A physiotherapist friend says she has been asked pointblank by any number of clients just how she’ll be ticking her boxes come Saturday.
They’re lucky she didn’t snap a limb right there and then.
But it goes beyond (im)polite society.
I was extremely surprised to see that some schools have posted on social media thinly veiled instructions on how they would prefer parents to vote – by directing parents to advice issued by lobby groups.
It’s not even an issue of any particular lobby group’s message … but it is an issue that it is not our schools’ job to disseminate political messages.
Parents are adults, we know how to do our research. But more than that, every school is made up of a multitude of people from different backgrounds and, even at religious schools, different beliefs.
Opening up a discussion on politics on a school community page really does not seem like a good policy to me. Immediately you can assess by the “likes” and comments who is on which side – and, by virtue of their absence, who is not.
It only takes one parent to shoot off at the mouth – or the keyboard – and you undo the fabric of the community, that “x” factor that makes school a safe space.
Having lived in America, during election time no less, and with my children attending a Catholic school – where abortion is always a huge political issue – not one word was said to parents or students about which way to lean come election day. Even for uberpolitical Americans, voting is too sacred a civic issue to interfere uninvited.
Politics is a big, fat, personal issue. Prioritising one value above another – for example, religious freedom versus climate change; school funding versus tax cuts – creates an opportunity for division. And we have too much of that already.
Let the politicians and the lobbyists do their best to persuade us … but for everyone else, please respect some personal boundaries.
And no, I’m still not saying who I’m voting for. (Hint: it’s not Clive.)
Read Ann Wason Moore every Tuesday and Saturday in the