"I don't want to throw away my vote, so I am going to vote for (insert name here) since he's going to win anyway"

As my husband and I begin to share the idea of even considering voting for someone other that Obama or McCain we hear over and over, "I would, but that would be just throwing away my vote" or " Well, I would but (Obama or McCain) is going to win anyway, so I will just vote for him, even though I don't like him or what he stands for - but everyone else is going to vote for him..."
Wow I hope this herd that is running away with the future of our country doesn't run off a cliff somewhere.

herd instinct
noun
an inclination in people or animals to behave or think like the majority. - Dictionary

Herd behavior
Herd behaviour describes how individuals in a group can act together without planned direction. The term pertains to the behaviour of animals in herds, flocks, and schools, and to human conduct during activities such as stock market bubbles and crashes, street demonstrations, sporting events, episodes of mob violence and even everyday decision making, judgement and opinion forming. - Wikipedia

Herd mentality
Herd mentality describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items. Examples of the herd mentality include the early adopters of high technology products such as cell phones and iPods, as well as stock market trends, fashions in apparel, cars, home décor, etc. Social psychologists study the related topics of group intelligence, crowd wisdom, and decentralized decision making.
People in these herds are broken up into two groups, explains Friedrich Nietzsche, a philosopher who coined the phrase. One lended itself to the religious points of views- their beliefs and how those dictated their actions- while the other lended itself to influence by the media- more liberal and based upon what others perceive as 'right' (following trends, social norms, etc.).
Definition
The term herd mentality is derived from the word “herd,” meaning group of animals, and “mentality,” implying a certain frame of mind. However the most succinct definition would be: how large numbers of people act in the same ways at the same times.
Herd behavior is distinguished from herd mentality because it applies to all animals, whereas the term “mentality” implies a uniquely human phenomenon. Herd mentality implies a fear-based reaction to peer pressure which makes individuals act in order to avoid feeling “left behind” from the group. - Wikipedia

So, where does that leave us?
We are a country that thrives on the herd - or Keeping Up with the Jones' - We all have the SUV's, Blackberrys, iPods, designer clothes, we listen to what the Times tell us is the best movie, the best book, Oprah tells us her "favorites" and we rush out an buy them. You can accept it or not but we are a country made of a few LARGE herds that are leading this population.
And, not always in the right direction.
This is not to say that Blackberrys or iPods are bad things, although the prices of SUVs are plummeting and I know that if I was to put my happy little Ford Focus on the market today, I could DEFINITELY get more than I paid for it since it gets AMAZING gas mileage.
As we listen to the media and listen to who THEY tell us to vote for, and why we should vote for them - shouldn't we consider that the MEDIA may not have our best interests at heart?
Back in November or December before all the election hoopla began (full force anyway) the MEDIA said that McCain was a long shot and there was no way that he would be the Rep Nomination - Fast Forward to Jan. and the debates and the voting, suddenly he was a MEDIA darling - even in the debates he got more talk time than others. Now, as far as I am concerned the DNC had already picked who they wanted as their candidate before the first poll was opened. You can balk at that statement if you want to but think about it - Hillary had more actual votes, she won more states, and the states - BUT because of the DNC rules Obama came out on top. Now, I am not, nor have I ever been a supporter for Hillary, I am a supporter of the voice of the American People - which clearly hasn't been represented thus far - mostly due to a severely messed up Electoral Process. Needless to say the guy that I cast my Independent vote for here in NH wasn't counted, as he didn't win and therefore got no Delegates so my vote counted for nothing.
Ok, back on topic.

Now, if our votes don't matter anyway (per the above statements) why not vote for the person we actually believe in? The person who lines up with our own values, the ones that we have around the dinner table with our families, the ones that we have when we put our children to sleep, the ones where we tell our kids that they really could be President of the United States someday - and believe it!

So break away from the herd. Do your OWN research. Take the time to listen to what the CANDIDATES are REALLY saying NOT what the MEDIA is telling you they said and spinning it to make it benefit themselves and the Candidates.


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