One-hundred and seven years ago, in what is generally accepted to be a publicity stunt
gone wrong, the renowned suffragette Emily Wilding Davison ducked the rails of the Epsom
Derby to confront King George V’s galloping horse, Anmer – and with fatal consequences.
Davison was a valiant women’s suffrage activist, who suffered greatly in her fight for women’s
rights. She was arrested nine times, was on hunger strike seven times, and was force fed
an astonishing forty nine times. Now whether it be a publicity stunt gone wrong, or a deliberate
act of martyrdom, Davison has went down in history as a hero – and rightfully so! Truly,
this woman’s resilience is incredibly inspiring. But why am I talking about women’s suffrage
on a video titled Stop Guilt-Tripping Women? Well, it’s no secret that the U.K. is about
to have an election, and since the distance between the parties is so great, and that
season five of Brexit is in the balance, tactics have unfortunately become more nefarious than
usual. “What about the king?” “He can die just fine on his own.” *British national
anthem* As in all elections, the tripe of “If you don’t vote you can’t complain”
is being regurgitated (“I’m voting, because when I was growing up my father told me that
if you don’t vote, you have to shut up!”), and in typical fashion, it’s followed up
with something along the lines of, “It’s easy! Just take a look at this totally unbiased
and accurate comparison chart and vote orange-- I mean, vote with your heart.” “They say,
if you don’t vote have no right to complain – but where’s the logic in that? If you
vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent people, and they get into office and screw
everything up, well you are responsible for what they have done. You caused the problem.
You voted them him. You don’t have no right to complain! I, on the other hand--” Indeed,
the act of convincing uninterested (and consequently uninformed) people to vote is the bread and
butter of modern day politics, and perhaps the most pernicious way in which ideologues
attempt to achieve this goal is by guilt tripping those who, upon a time, wouldn’t have been
able to vote – such as ethnic minorities and, of course, women. “As women, when we
don’t vote – when we don’t exercise this simple right, we stand on the same side
as the guards and police that beat them.” “I’m voting because I have the right to
vote.” “If you fail to got the poll you cannot complain about minimum wages! And Medicare!
When you go to the doctor and they tell you that they can’t see you, because you don’t
$5-600 dollars, you can’t complain!” Now to be clear, I’m not suggesting, in any
way, that women are somehow less informed than men - in fact, in my experience, women
are more informed than men. Rather, I’m emphasising that women who are uninterested
in politics tend to get guilt tripped far more frequently than men who are uninterested.
And so, while this video focuses on women, it is, in fact, a message to everyone who
isn’t interested in politics. I hope I’ve made myself clear.
In a nutshell, the argument is that if you’re a female, you owe it to the suffragettes to
vote, as not doing so is an insult to their sacrifice – and the argument is often accompanied
by the rhetoric of “Brave women have given their lives so that you can have a say over
yours.” Now this sentiment is certainly true, and there IS a decent argument to say
that the vast majority of us (not just women) owe it to our ancestors to find the time to
read the manifestos, but the argument that “We must vote simply because our ancestors
couldn’t” is quite frankly dangerous sophistry. It’s a ploy – and a manipulative one at
that. Now unfortunately, the three closest women in my life have had this ploy levied
at them over the last week, and for a short time, it successfully guilt-tripped two of
them into thinking that they must vote, despite the fact that they’re simply not interested.
Conversely, none of my disinterested male friends have had to deal with such nonsense.
Hence, my central thesis for this video is this: If you don’t feel comfortable voting,
for whatever reason, then don’t - and don’t be made to feel guilty. Abstaining is absolutely
fine. Now in respect of your time, I’ll get straight to explaining why: While British
women didn't receive equal voting rights to men until 1928, the 1918 Representation of
the People Act states that “A woman shall be entitled to be registered as a parliamentary
elector”, with the keyword being “entitled.” The ever-sparkling trophy of the brave suffragettes
is precisely the entitlement… not the act. What matters is that women have the right
to vote – the opportunity should they want it. They (you) do not have to vote. In fact,
a crucial part of having a right is that one does NOT have to exercise it. If one is forced
to exercise it, then it’s not a right at all…. it’s an obligation. So that’s
my first response. My second response is an application of the reductio ad absurdum. In
2018, brave Saudi women won the right to drive vehicles, but that doesn’t mean that all
Saudi women HAVE to drive as to not insult their victory. Or to extend this argument
to most British men, prior to 1918, men who didn't own property of couldn't vote, but
after a lot of blood and tears, they (I) now can... but I don’t have to. I have the right
– the opportunity – and that, my fellow apes, is what matters. The truth is that those
who encourage uninformed, apathetic, and disillusioned people to vote simply because they can, are
at best passionately mistaken, and are at worst deliberately trying to manipulate people
into voting because they believe they’ll likely do so in their favour. But here's the
thing: if one is presented with a plethora of rotten fruit, it is perfectly fine to eat
none of them. Likewise, if politics does not interest you, you’re uninformed (be it for
whatever reason – such as being busy at work, or watching too much Breaking Bad “I
am the one who knocks!”), or, indeed, you simply find none of the available parties
appealing, then know that it’s perfectly fine not to vote. Just as you are entitled
to vote for any candidate, you are also entitled to abstain. Abstaining is not the same as
not being able to vote. What’s more, despite protestations to the contrary, if you do abstain,
you CAN later complain about the incompetent people at the helm (whether they’re acting
according to their promised policies or not). But, on the contrary, if you vote simple because
you can, and in doing so you put those incompetent people at the helm, and then you come to dislike
their promised policies, then as George Carlin rightfully claimed, you can’t complain.
“You caused the problem. You voted them him. You don’t have no right to complain!
I, on the other hand...” Case in point: be you a woman, ethnic minority, or indeed
any ape whatsoever, if you don’t feel comfortable voting, don’t - and don't be made to feel
bad for doing so. Just as you are entitled to vote for a candidate, you are entitled
to abstain. Now if you think I'm wrong, or that I'm missing something crucial, then please
do let me know in the comment section below. I am, as always, cognisant of the fact that
I might be mistaken, but while politics is nuanced, the argument that you must vote simply
because you can seems pretty flawed to me. Anyhow, I’m Stephen Woodford, and as always,
thank you kindly for the view, and an extra special thank you to my wonderful patrons
and those of you who’ve supported the channel via other means.